Next Generation Communications - Small Cells Archives

EARTH Consortium Shows the Way to 70 Percent Energy Savings on Wireless Networks

2012-08-06T13:52:36Z

By Mae Kowalke

They wanted to reduce the energy consumption of mobile networks by half. Instead, they developed a framework that cut nearly three quarters of energy consumption.

Led by Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson over the course of two and a half years, the EARTH (Energy Aware Radio and neTwork tecHnologies) consortium of 15 telecommunications providers, vendors and academic institutions developed everything from more efficient components in radio base stations to solutions on the radio network level, according to a press release from Alcatel-Lucent. The research was partially funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7).

In the process, the consortium demonstrated how operators could save up to 70 percent of energy consumed in their networks using a holistic energy efficiency approach for 4G radio communications.

The consortium came to the conclusion that a holistic approach could save energy through:

Limits and metrics such as better deployment scenarios and traffic patterns
Better deployment of relays and overlay macro cell towers
Network management such as EE adaptive capacity
Radio technology and components like power-scalable transceivers and adaptive matching networks

Because the EARTH consortium was made up of operators and vendors, key components of the system were implemented, validated, experimentally analyzed and tested under realistic operating conditions in many cases. As Alcatel-Lucent noted this proved that the efficiency claims of the approach are more than just theoretical.

“We have taken Green to the heart of our research programs,” said Tod Sizer, head of access research at Alcatel-Lucent’s research arm, Bell Labs. “Our commitment to initiatives such as EARTH is a prominent example of how Alcatel-Lucent is driving sustainable innovation. We know it cannot be accomplished alone, and we need models of action like EARTH.”

“We were glad to have a leading role in the EARTH project, and to contribute to creating a broader understanding of trends in network energy consumption over the next ten years, added Jan Färjh, vice president and head of Ericsson Research. “It will be crucial for telecom companies to work even more actively with implementing the best practice concepts developed in the project into reality.”

The consortium also developed a framework for evaluating wireless energy efficiency. The EARTH Energy Efficiency Evaluation Framework (E3F) creates an objective and fair rating of wireless network energy efficiency. Major operators have long desired a global standard to measure wireless network energy efficiency, as part of their efforts for eco-sustainability and they now have one with E3F.

The EARTH consortium was composed of project coordinator Alcatel-Lucent, technical manager Ericsson, NXP Semiconductors France, DOCOMO Communications Laboratories Europe GmbH, Telecom Italia S.p.A., CEA, University of Surrey, Technische Universität Dresden, imec, IST- Technical University of Lisbon, University of Oulu, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, TTI and ETSI, according to the Alcatel-Lucent press release.

More information about the findings of the consortium can be found at the EARTH website.

Wi-Fi Roaming Takes the Stage --Get Ready for ANDSF and Hotspot 2.0 Capabilities

2012-07-02T19:39:43Z

Mae Kowalke

The next major cellular technology advancement is on its way. Here comes Wi-Fi roaming.

Cellular users often switch between 3G or 4G networks to Wi-Fi to access the internet, especially as cloud services continue to grow in importance. The switch from a cellular service to a Wi-Fi network is not always seamless, especially when it requires first finding a network and then getting through a login screen.

But a group of new cellular technologies, in particular the 3GPP Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) and Hotspot 2.0, will change that with what amounts to Wi-Fi roaming, according to a white paper, “Wi-Fi Roaming – Building on ANDSF and Hotspot2.0,” jointly produced by Alcatel-Lucent and BT.

A definition in terms is in order:

ANDSF is a cellular technology standard that allows an operator to provide a list of preferred access networks with policies for their use up to the granularity of a single IP address or all traffic for a given public data network.
Hotspot2.0 is a new Wi-Fi technology standard that allows devices to more easily discover Wi-Fi roaming relationships, determine access point capabilities and loading conditions, and more easily connect to Wi-Fi networks securely.

As the white paper notes, Hotspot 2.0 builds on the recently ratified IEEE 802.11u specification, and also incorporates the long ratified IEEE 802.11i based WPA2 Enterprise security specification, which enables secure authentication and encryption for Wi-Fi data using a variety of user credentials including (U)SIM, digital certificates and username/passwords.

“The combination of ANDSF and Hotspot2.0 is a particularly powerful enabler for a pain-free user experience across Wi-Fi and cellular networks,” Alcatel-Lucent and BT explained.

Mobile providers looking for the cellular technology already have an offering from Alcatel-Lucent with its lightRadio Wi-Fi, which has been available since February.

“LightRadio Wi-Fisimplifies this process by allowing people to switch automatically from a cellular service to residential or public Wi-Fi networks and hotspots without having to login, worry about payments schemes, or even be aware of the shift,” Alcatel-Lucent stated during its announcement of Wi-Fi going mobile. They added, “This is done in three ways by using software that identifies and connects people to a ‘trusted’ network automatically; by introducing new capabilities into service provider networks to manage the transition between Wi-Fi and cellular networks; and by integrating Wi-Fi directly into small-cell base stations and cellular networks.”

The cocktail of ANDSF and Hotspot2.0 in lightRadio Wi-Fi simplifies the cellular-to-WiFi experience with its introduction of Wi-Fi roaming, but it also scratches the itch of another user concern: security. With lightRadio Wi-Fi, the device always find the most ‘trusted’ network.

Ken Rehbehn, a principal analyst at Yankee Group said that, “Delivering secure, seamless access to Wi-Fi networks is a key requirement in the market right now…Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio Wi-Fi provides operators with a comprehensive solution that smartly draws from the company's strengths in radio access technology and IP routing. The result is an offer that lets operators leverage existing network assets while delivering demanding smartphone users an outstanding customer experience.”

Imagine a time when you can get off a plane in a remote place, turn on your smartphone and be connected effortlessly to a Wi-Fi network that is supported by your home operator as an option to connecting to a cellular network and ringing up substantial roaming charges. Sounds pretty good! Better yet, it is likely going to be offered by the service provider of your choice and in the not too distant future.

LTE Wireless Networks -- Time to Deploy

2012-05-07T18:20:17Z

By Mae Kowalke

Wireless operators and those who supply them infrastructure spend a lot of time focusing on the ‘data storm’ and what they are doing to stay one step ahead of it. The goal is to deliver more data, faster, with a better customer experience and greater economies of scale than in the past. Thanks to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, these goals are now within reach.

“According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), 4G LTE is the fastest developing mobile system technology ever,” said Maniam Palanivelu, director of global 4G LTE solutions marketing at Alcatel-Lucent, in an Enriching Communications article, “LTE: The Best Thing to Happen to Wireless Networks.”

Palanivelu cited GSA figures indicating there are now 49 commercial LTE networks in 29 countries, and that is forecasted to reach 119 networks in 53 countries by the end of 2012. Two hundred and eight-five operators in 93 countries are actively investing in LTE. In fact, the evolution toward 4G LTE is occurring in developing and developed markets alike.

“Operators in developing markets are using LTE to cost effectively bring the mobile Internet to areas that previously had no Internet access at all…In developed markets, premium data services, such as mobile video, gaming and business apps, need LTE’s big bandwidth and low latency,” Palanivelu explained.

For operators, the need to deliver more data is the driving force behind LTE adoption. Customers got a taste for data with 3G, and changed their behavior in response. With average consumption per device growing 14-20 fold, it is clear users want more data. They also are indicating they want it sooner rather than later. The advertising push by service providers on who has the best and/or most extensive 4GLTE deployment demonstrates how critical expeditiously deploying not just 4G LTE but also Wi-Fi hotspots has become. Make no mistake about the fact that operators are committing infrastructure dollars behind their marketing claims.

The cellular carriers have it right about the imperatives for acting, Palanivelu says, “Now is the time for operators to seize this opportunity and profit from the growing data storm,” and LTE clearly is the technology they need to meet exploding demand.

The article makes other compelling points about LTE that highlight its attraction. Delivering more data isn’t the only advantage. LTE also provides a graceful migration path to move to a scalable all-IP architecture.

“It no longer makes business or financial sense to run multiple disparate networks,” Palanivelu states. He continues that, “To deliver the massive capacity required to serve the demand, today’s networks must change. Unlike 3G, LTE is all IP. It’s based on IPv6 which supports massive numbers of additional IP addresses and provides other improvements over IPv4. And it opens up access to new market segments like machine-to-machine.”

Although return on investment for LTE varies for each operator the path forward is clear. Deployment is now no longer a question of if, but when, where, why and how. The proof cases are impressive.

“The faster operators can bring LTE to market, the faster they can rise above the data storm to grow profitably and drive new revenues,” Palanivelu concluded. “Once they have the spectrum, there’s no reason to wait another day to invest in LTE and commercialize its vast potential.” He could have added with a 4G iPhone on the way, and tablet sales creating a tsunami of demand for quality user experiences on devices of all shapes and sizes, failure to deploy LTE and correctly architect not just the network but the business model could be hazardous to one’s competitive health.

LTE is Changing Public Transportation Operational Security

2012-03-25T19:32:38Z

By Erin Harrison

Long-term evolution (LTE) is driving many changes in the IT landscape, not the least of which is operational security in mass transit. Railway operators and law enforcement agencies are using a range of CCTV technologies in a variety of situations to improve public safety. Alcatel-Lucent’s TrackTalk e-zine is a great source for information and insights on what LTE can do for enabling a host of capabilities including significantly upgrading in a cost-effective manner video surveillance, IP camera monitoring and what the future of CCTV and surveillance will look like.

In a recent article that takes an expert view perspective, aptly titled, The Changing Face of Operational Security, Jeremy Haskey, Transportation System Integration Division, Alcatel-Lucent notes that, “The hype surrounding the development of LTE is justified…With greater capacity, it has the potential to revolutionize video surveillance by carrying live high-definition video to individual handheld devices carried by security personnel, staff in control centers or directly to the emergency services. The HD images will improve zoom quality making grainy images associated with current CCTV applications a thing of the past.”

Optimization of railway operational security includes design as a major consideration for the effective application of large CCTV networks as well as selecting the right technology from the range of CCTV equipment available to optimize the return on investment. Indeed, once such a system is in place, inevitably all of this information has to go somewhere to be managed and responded to in an effective manner. Multiple voice communications systems, including passenger communications points and security stations also need to be coordinated.

Alcatel-Lucent’s Integrated Communication Management System (ICMS), for example, acts as the facilitator of this information, also providing operators with the tools to respond to a specific incident. It is part of the company’s overall view on providing railway operators with a comprehensive video protection solution such as the one it is providing with France’s RATP to the Paris Metro system.

“With no single standard available for all emergency services’ and transport operators’ communication equipment, these systems are often not compatible with each other,” says Haskey. The ICMS can decode the information from the various communication and security surveillance systems that are in place, providing integrated communication paths between the different organizations.

To summarize, while LTE technology is still in its initial stages of development, as it evolves, it is imminent that LTE will become the platform that the next generation of security can be built on and developed by the technological community. For more information you may wish to check out the latest issue of TrackTalk which not only has valuable insights but links to many useful resources.

Taking Public Safety to the Next Level with Video Surveillance Using 4G LTE Wireless Broadband

2012-03-19T18:12:33Z

By Mae Kowalke

Situational awareness is the perception of what is happening in one’s vicinity and understanding how information, events and actions will impact outcomes immediately and in the future. For public safety officials, situational awareness is achieved both through direct observations and through information conveyed by technology, often voice communications.

Voice communications is so ubiquitous in public safety, in fact, that one might think it’s the only means by which situational information is conveyed.

In a LifeTalk article, “Video is the Game Changer for Public Safety,” Philippe Agard, Vice President of Business Development at Alcatel-Lucent’s public safety division states that, “With the emphasis on voice radio, it’s easy to forget that voice is only one medium we use to communicate with one another, and not even the primary channel in face-to-face communications.” He adds that, “Most experts will tell you that a relatively small portion of our message comes through in words, the remainder transmitted by tone, inflection, volume and body language.”

Voice communications is so ubiquitous for public safety because, until recently, it was the fastest and most reliable way to convey information to and from the field. Widespread deployment of 4G LTE wireless broadband networks is changing the game. These networks make it possible for public safety organizations to enrich their communications through tools like Alcatel-Lucent’s Striker vehicle communications system, featuring push-to-talk radio integrated with high definition video surveillance for a variety of devices including iPads and notebook computers.

“Data from health-monitoring devices in the Striker vehicle could be transferred through the cloud to a doctor’s office or hospital,” Agard explains. “Using a secure LTE broadband base station in the vehicle, it also serves personnel when traveling in an area without cellular connectivity.”

The video surveillance component of Striker and other next-generation communications systems is perhaps the most transformative for public safety as can be seen in all of the resources available in the recent issue of LifeTalk. No longer are officials limited to communicating via a car radio. And, in fact, to keep pace with the way citizens are using wireless technology, officials must add more capabilities to their own arsenal to keep pace.

“Extended protests and demonstrations such as the current Occupy Wall Street movements in many U.S. cities are not the disorganized crowds of years past,” Agard says. “These groups employ scouts equipped with smartphones and social networks like Twitter and Google Maps to keep tabs on law enforcement units and each other.”

Freeing public safety officials from the limitations of vehicle radios, and adding the richness of video, means it’s possible to stay ahead of crowds, enhancing safety for everyone involved.

Using video surveillance as part of public safety communications, as in the Striker system, employs LTE wireless broadband to make sure everyone is seeing the same picture. This changes the game from ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ to ‘what-I-see-is-what-you-see.’

Systems like Striker, designed specifically for public safety, are made more powerful by integrating consumer devices into the network.

“Smartphones and tablet computers can display the same maps, photographs or blueprints simultaneously to all the users on the network,” says Agard. He amplified this stating that, “When a Police chief says, ‘I need somebody here,’ he can point to a place and drop a pin on a Google Map, everyone will see the same thing without a doubt.”

Access to video, in other words, changes the entire fabric of incident management. It changes how people in the field respond to nearby events, and how remote commanders make decisions about deploying officers. Virtual briefings can be held anytime.

Alcatel-Lucent is working with public safety officials in the U.S. and elsewhere to deploy communications systems that include video. An expanded demonstration project in São Paulo, Brazil, is already having great success.

“With a 20-30 MB/sec LTE connection to a first responder, there is a tremendous opportunity to rapidly communicate a considerable amount of visual information like pictures and surveillance footage to improve their safety and situational awareness,” Agard summarized, describing how São Paulo’s Polícia Militar is using the technology.

The São Paulo system uses an application called First Responder Video to stream video in and out of police cars, over an LTE wireless broadband network. This provides a dynamic, real time user interface on first responders’ laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Portable assets like the Striker vehicle can be used to create a temporary wireless broadband network in cases where permanent LTE installations aren’t yet available.

Increasingly, LTE wireless broadband networks are taking public safety to the next level, and will become even more widespread before long. “LTE is the new generation technology to increase responsiveness everywhere and enhance safety for everyone,” Agard concludes. Enriched communications and broader coverage via a cost-effective solution is the reason, and public safety officials around the world are taking notice.

LTE Service Provider Solution: Reduce Cost, Increase Efficiency with Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS)

2012-02-06T18:06:24Z

By Mae Kowalke

Mobile network operators are always looking for new ways to more efficiently use their existing infrastructure without making large capital expenditures. With the explosion of tablets and smartphones, which will increasingly be used for a variety of video applications, streamed as well as interactive, use of a 4G LTE channel for delivering multicast services such as mobile TV is viewed as one way to do so. The reason is simple. It enables network operators to offer mobile TV without the need for additional expensive licensed spectrum and without requiring new infrastructure and end-user devices that might be required to unicast content.

A recent Alcatel-Lucent TechZine article, “eMBMS for More Efficient Use of Spectrum,” describes the enhancements to LTE specifications that have been standardized to accommodate rapidly changing user demands and concomitant network requirements. Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) is now a multicast standard for 4G LTE precisely because it allows one-to-many distribution of video content.

“For example, during live streaming of major sports or news events, unicast must send the same video to every user individually,” explain RJ Vale, Network Architect for Alcatel-Lucent’s corporate CTO technology advisory group, and Harish Viswanathan, CTO advisor on devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) technology for Alcatel-Lucent. The authors state that eMBMS makes licensed spectrum usage more efficient by leveraging multicast capabilities. These capabilities, “take advantage of the inherent broadcast qualities of wireless networks to send video only once to reach an equal number of end users.” This reduces the cost per bit sent.

The authors’ detail why the underlying structure of eMBMS is what makes it more efficient.

The example given puts the numbers in stark relief. “In one-to-many transmissions, a large number of mobile devices can tune in and receive the video from a single transmission…So, if eight mobiles within a sector all want the same content, multicast can transmit it just once. But unicast would have to transmit it eight times — using on the order of eight times the resources that would be required in multicast.” In addition, eMBMS sessions can be set up dynamically to share resources using unicast sessions, operating on a single frequency across a group of cells to improve reception.

Initial deployments of eMBMS, a standard supported by 3GPP R9, are slated to begin this year (2012). As the article highlights, eMBMS can be used to expand the capabilities of LTE networks by using the same frequency layer for multicast, broadcast and unicast. This goes to the heart as to how and why operators can not only save money and but also provide an improved customer experience because of better reception and throughput.

eMBMS deployments, Vale and Viswanathan note, involve a somewhat complex interplay of network elements:

Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) – schedules and manages MBMS services
Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) Area – group of cells that coordinates MBSFN transmission
Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services Gateway (MBMS-GW) – sends IP multicast packets, performs session control
Evolved Node B (eNB) and Mobile Management Entity (MME) – existing elements in LTE
Multi-cell/Multicast Coordinated Entity (MCE) – function that performs admission control, radio resources allocation and session control signaling
SYNC Protocol –identifies radio frame transmission timing, detects packet loss
M2 and M3: signaling interfaces

With these elements rolled together into a solution, eMBMS provides a valuable alternative to unicast for distributing a variety of preloaded and live multimedia content.

In addition to the inherent cost savings derived from content delivery being one-to-many instead of one-to-one, as stated above the fact that eMBMS sessions can be set up dynamically — and share resources with unicast sessions — eliminates the need for dedicated spectrum. Lower cost of using a scarce and expensive resource and a better customer experience sounds like a solution that is likely to be in the future of many of us.

The 4G LTE Innovation Center at Verizon -- Envisioning and Helping Create the Wireless Future

2011-11-23T13:57:30Z

By Erin Harrison

With 4G Long Term Evolution still in its infancy, collaboration between customers, suppliers, partners and entrepreneurs is vital to progress. A new Verizon facility that brings all those groups together to collaborate on new devices and services in a live 4G LTE network environment has provided just that dynamic.

When Verizon first envisioned its LTE Innovation Center, they imagined a place where customers, suppliers, partners and entrepreneurs could collaborate and work directly with 4G LTE technology in a live 4G LTE network environment.

“Today, we have just that place. And we’re seeing what’s possible when some of the most creative minds imaginable team up to innovate with 4G LTE technology,” wrote Brian Higgins in a recent article in the Alcatel-Lucent E-Zine Enriching Communications, "Verizon LTE Innovation Center Ignites 4G."

The LTE Innovation Center is unique because it combines a lab environment and an Experience Center where Verizon customers and other technology companies can see demonstrations of the latest 4G LTE innovations.

Before launching the Verizon 4G LTE network in December 2010, Verizon’s ecosystem partners had access to a network that replicated its planned commercial network, allowing Verizon and its partners to collaborate on new ideas. Specifically, smaller companies that have expertise in their own technology but don’t necessarily have wireless expertise have been able to add 4G LTE technology to their products.

Among the more than 30 products that have a been developed and demonstrated at the LTE Innovation Center are:

LiveEdge and Nomad Innovations developed LiveEdge TV, the first embedded 4G LTE wireless solution for transmitting live, high-definition coverage of events for broadcast, cable or the Web. The 1.5-lb device attaches to video cameras so events can be covered in real time without expensive microwave, satellite or production units.
TouchTunes Interactive Networks uses the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE mobile broadband network in its fleet of Digital Jukeboxes across the United States. Last fall, TouchTunes released its myTouchTunes Mobile app allowing consumers to browse and search for music, access their personal playlists, play music from the jukebox, automatically post their plays to Facebook, Twitter and more.
VGo Communications has been working with the LTE Innovation Center to add the convenience of 4G LTE to its robotic telepresence product line. VGo allows an individual to see, hear, interact and independently move around in any remote site, enabling anyone to be anywhere.

Looking ahead, Verizon said its Innovation Center will showcase technologies beyond 4G LTE, potentially including LTE-Advanced.

Alcatel-Lucent's Motive Division Wins 4G Contract with Verizon & ServiceView Wins Prestigious Award

2011-11-04T18:00:18Z

By Beecher Tuttle

Alcatel-Lucent dominated the telecom headlines last week with two fairly big announcements in the 4G space. The first occurred on Tuesday, when Verizon Wireless confirmed that it will rely on Mobile Device Management (MDM) software from Motive, a division of Alcatel-Lucent, to manage the growth of its 4G LTE Network. The second piece of Alcatel-Lucent news came at 4G World in Chicago just days later, when Motive's ServiceView for Mobile solution won the “Best of 4G” award in the “Best User Experience for Mobile” category.

With the Motive software in hand, Verizon will be able to remotely provision, configure, update, manage and troubleshoot 4G LTE devices with no complications for the customer. The solution is designed to make device set-up and management as easy and intuitive as possible for a wide variety of next-gen headsets.

“It’s important that our customers and employees can set up and use 4G LTE devices and applications as easily and seamlessly as possible, so they can further optimize how they experience the power and speed of our 4G LTE network,” Ed Diaz, executive director, Network at Verizon Wireless, noted in a statement. “The Motive solution is critical to delivering that experience.”

The Alcatel-Lucent ServiceView solution was honored with the award due to its ability to enable service providers to both reduce their operating expenses while also improving the service that they offer their customers. ServiceView for Mobile accomplishes these goals by providing help desk operators with visibility over a subscriber’s mobile device, the networks it is utilizing and the current network conditions that the subscriber is facing.

Leveraging this solution, operators can minimize calls to the help desk, lower average handle times, reduce churn and advance first call resolution numbers. The end result is an improved customer experience and a better bottom line for the service provider.

"Preparing for the introduction of 4G devices and services, mobile service operators need to think of how to improve their customers’ service experience while reducing operational costs," said Ben Geller, Senior Director of Solutions Marketing at Alcatel-Lucent. "[The] Motive ServiceView for Mobile does exactly that."

Needless to say, it was a fairly decent week for Alcatel and its Motive division. Stay tuned to see what they accomplish next.

Learn more about Alcatel-Lucent's Customer Experience Transformation.

Customer Experience? Think Bigger, Act Smarter!

2011-11-01T14:15:13Z

By Simon Loe, Alcatel-Lucent

Telecom service providers in developed markets are turning to customer experience as a business strategy to address growing market saturation, reduce customer churn and increase profitability. There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates better services generate price premiums.

The strategy is being implemented in a number of different ways, such as:

mobile service providers providing subscribers with a small cell to improve signal strength and broadband speeds;
operators improving new service switch-on by making process simpler through smarter software in customer equipment;
call centres using smarter technology, such as IVR and network monitoring, to resolve customer problems faster.

However a bigger return can be achieved by taking a broader perspective on customer interaction, as well as implementing specific product or service improvements.

The first step is to improve customer understanding. Through better information, we can obtain more insight into customer preferences, trends, and identify opportunities to deliver new services with better perceived value.

This in turn will provide sufficient data to enhance market segmentation and personalization. Consumers typically respond positively to a more personal approach, so will receive communications in a more receptive manner.

When combined with activities that augment customer experience, such as those mentioned above, these initiatives, can foster a different relationship, which over time and consistent service delivery will create consumer trust that strengthens brand value and makes portfolio expansion easier.

This good example of this broader approach is Amazon, which is consistently cited as an example of how personalization, customer experience and trust combine to create real passion among its consumers.

Telecom service providers have the same proximity to their customers as Amazon, yet in many cases do not engender the same loyalty. Why? Amazon stands out by delivering service with very high consistency and by taking full ownership of customer experience.

Knowing how good service will be is a powerful driver for loyalty. Yet established telecoms organizations often struggle to deliver consistency due to their departmentalized structures and databases of consumer information – the result being consumer confusion and dissatisfaction from simple inconsistency. We need to re-engineer how we deliver services.

For many years, service providers did have full ownership of customer experience, but in recent years application and content providers (ACPs) have taken greater shares. Some view the new entrants like Google, Apple and the like as competitors. Yet through application and content enablement, such as with content delivery networks or by exposing APIs, service providers can deliver better customer experiences in collaboration with ACPs.

HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) 'Well-Suited' for Mobile When Client Parameters are Optimized

2011-10-31T15:56:51Z

By Beecher Tuttle

A recent blog post by Bell Labs’ Harish Viswanathan and Mark Clougherty, "Optimizing HAS for Mobile Wireless," looked at technical issues surrounding the delivery of quality video over mobile networks. There they discussed in detail why HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) is capable of doing so but not at its default settings.

This is an important finding since HAS currently is used for delivering acceptable video quality over a wide range of typical network conditions, and thus is a strong option for wireless networks where data rates can vary substantially.

With the explosion of smartphones, tablets and PC with cellular network cards, the ever-increasing demand for streaming mobile video applications has forced service providers to examine the manner in which on-demand content is delivered. With this in mind, the Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs’ researchers conducted a study to assess the ability of HAS to deliver optimized video content through wireless networks while providing a high-end quality of experience (QoE).

As mentioned, HAS is commonly deployed and well understood in wireline networks. However, very little has been known about HAS in wireless environments. Viswanathan and Clougherty discovered that using the default HAS parameters led to significant difficulties due to its propensity to overreact to transient spikes in download bandwidth. The issues included undue panic drops, variations in streaming data rates and generally poor video quality.

So, the researchers toyed with the parameter settings to discover if any changes would result in improved average quality levels, better overall client performance, as well as controlled panic rates and rate variations. The team also looked for ways to improve bandwidth utilization.

After tireless efforts, the researchers found that when several key HAS client parameters are optimized for mobile settings, HAS transforms into a highly reliable delivery method for on-demand mobile video.

These tuning variables (shown below) include the maximum buffer size, the steady state threshold, the dead zone width, the slope threshold and the download bandwidth averaging window, among others. With changes to the default settings of each of these parameters are made, mobile video content delivered through HAS gets drastically improved.

In its simulation, Bell Labs discovered that "the magnitude and frequency of the chunk rate variation is reduced…and panic events are completely eliminated, resulting in improved QoE," the authors note.

Each specific parameter setting provided unique benefits. A larger client buffer enabled more effective use of bandwidth, while the deeper buffer resulted in a more stable chunk rate. The narrower dead zone and the increased slope, meanwhile, allow the video client to mitigate panics.

The authors stress that HAS is "well-suited" for video optimization over mobile wireless networks, but only when client parameter settings are customized to compensate for the evolving network conditions.

"They must allow for more cautious rate increases and more agile rate decreases than are required for typical wireline applications," they add.

Viswanathan and Clougherty say that, hopefully, HAS will one day advance to the point that it can recognize whether it is working over a wireline or wireless connection, and adjust accordingly. Until then, adjust those settings.

Network Operators Need to Prepare for Booming M2M Traffic

2011-10-25T18:48:16Z

By Erin Harrison

The so-called “Internet of Things” is expected to connect 15 billion devices by 2015, demanding a new approach to communications business models, operations and technologies. As a result, driven in no small measure by the dramatic projected increase in machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, wireless network operators are in a position where they need to prepare for an explosion of signaling traffic, according to a recent Alcatel-Lucent TechZine item, "Getting Ready for M2M Traffic Growth."

Internet of Things applications will create new demands and challenges, according to Alcatel-Lucent. Some will require high bandwidth, real-time communications or reliability in remote locations. Others will encourage human interaction by combining personal value with enhanced privacy and safety. Together, these applications will generate traffic and transactions that compete for bandwidth and priority.

In fact, service providers are already building and supporting M2M applications for vertical industries. Several key factors are driving development:

Widespread use of wireless networks;
Reduced communications costs;
IP networks and cloud-based applications that ease solution development; and
Industry regulations that demand automated remote monitoring.

Signaling traffic will be the main bottleneck as M2M transactions increase, but application-level management can enhance traffic control and efficiency. Also, a new network element, the M2M server, could enforce policies for network usage, according to Alcatel-Lucent.

An effective approach is to combine three levels of traffic management:

Application-level management allows network operators to take diverse application requirements into consideration.
RAN signaling overload control focuses on communication between a device and the access network.
Core network overload control provides another level of overload control. If the first access network node is not a bottleneck but the core network is, then the access network can be instructed to block further accesses for M2M service requests.

As Alcatel-Lucent explained, in an ideal application of level management solutions, network operators are able to prioritize traffic from different M2M applications.

“Access and network level of traffic management can be addressed with mechanisms in the RAN and the core network respectively, while application-level management provides the optimal point for preventing network congestion,” the blog post said. “In an ideal application-level management solution, a new network element or gateway that lies on the boundary between the applications and the network would help network operators prioritize traffic from different M2M applications and enforce network usage policies ensuring customer satisfaction.”

For network operators, success can be achieved through sharing information, ideas and resources across ecosystems, markets and value chains. By securely exposing valued assets to trusted partners, service providers can take steps toward realizing the potential of a connected world.

Wireless Service Providers Rely on lightRadio to Optimize MIMO Gains on LTE Networks

2011-10-14T21:22:43Z

By Susan J. Campbell

As a service provider, what potential opportunities emerge if you were able to improve capacity, coverage and performance? With lightRadio technologies, you can gain support for current and anticipated wireless technologies that will address quality and growth changes; combine advancements in radios, antennas and baseband processing to support cloud principles, virtualization and architectural flexibility; and enable easy reprogramming and reconfiguration of network elements.

In the Alcatel-Lucent lightRadio Technology Overview, the innovations to address service provider challenges is explored. These challenges easily include adding more radios, antennas, towers and processing capacity; increasing spectral bandwidth; supporting new technologies; and making better use of cell site capacity. The development of lightRadio by Alcatel-Lucent focuses on optimizing total network costs over time so each wireless provider can make the most of their existing assets and capabilities.

The consistency of capacity and coverage relies heavily on antennas. In the past, wireless service providers have added passive transmit and receive antennas for each technology or radio when they needed improvement in these areas. lightRadio antennas eliminate this need as they rely on smart active antenna arrays (AAA) that deliver multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) gains and sophisticated beamforming in a very small footprint. This allows the wireless provider to dynamically direct radio frequency where it is needed according to cell load and traffic density.

The MIMO gains from lightRadio AAA offer the potential to improve capacity as much as 30 percent with vertical beamforming; lower power consumption through improved coverage; and improve the robustness of the antenna by allowing the reconfiguration of the array to effectively reduce the impact of failures within individual elements. Conventional passive antennas are supported with the lightRadio architecture and when combined with centralized baseband processing, signal-to-noise ratios are significantly improved.

A key focus for any wireless service provider is to make baseband processing more effective, efficient and economical. To accomplish this goal and increase capacity, the provider may look to the deployment of Long Term Evolution, or LTE, in a new frequency band in a new antenna configuration, such as 4 x 4 MIMO. Even new technologies such as LTE-Advanced may offer benefits worth consideration.

LTE-Advanced offers carrier aggregation, or the bonding potential of separate frequency bands, as well as sophisticated methods for coordinating various base stations. Such methods include dynamic ICIC and coordinated multipoint transmission (CoMP). Spectral efficiency and end-user performance are enhanced with CoMP as the technology also works to increase network efficiency.

To increase capacity, wireless networks generally must increase the number of carriers or improve the spectral bandwidth for each carrier. If these increases occur in the same band, the same radio technology equipment can be reused. New antennas, baseband and radio equipment are required if spectral increases are in a new frequency. As capacity needs to match multiple factors, a combination of existing and emerging technologies is often the focus. lightRadio enables service providers to effectively deploy a solution that not only matches their needs, but also offers optimization from the antenna to the baseband processing and controller elements.

The lightRadio family of products relies on common digital baseband components across various products and radio technologies to offer service providers a consistent functionality and reusable common hardware and software components. The result is an optimized environment that promotes quality service delivery at a lower cost for improved revenue opportunities.

Future Scenarios of Small Cells Technology Market Opportunities

2011-10-12T14:43:47Z

By Erin Harrison

Last week we focused on the consumer market opportunities being realized by small cells technology. For operators, capital expenses (CAPEX) and operation expenses (OPEX) savings can be achieved by using small cells networks to deliver mobile broadband services, rather than the current macro network, according to the experts at Alcatel-Lucent.

In addition, new incremental service revenue can be generated from pre-qualified 3G and broadband subscribers. In some countries, the savings are substantial and actually outstrip potential revenue.

By increasing service quality and connection speeds indoors, small cells can improve voice calls and provide faster, more reliable data connections and coverage. Small cells are low-powered radio access points that improve indoor and outdoor coverage to increase capacity and offload traffic – as much as 80 percent during peak times.

In the whitepaper, “Small Cells Technology Fuels New Consumer Market Opportunities,” Alcatel-Lucent developed forecasts for five national markets, and analyzed results from the survey and market penetration simulations. The results found that Asia will lead, while the United States and Europe will follow in capturing the new market opportunities found in small cells technology.

Specifically, Taiwan is expected to grow its share of addressable market more rapidly than any other surveyed country, closely followed by Singapore. The U.S. is more likely “to cut a middle path between Asia and Europe,” the whitepaper said.

Alcatel-Lucent’s forecast shows nearly 34 million subscribers to small cells services across the five survey countries within the next four years. By mid-2014, Alcatel-Lucent predicts the U.S. will be the “run-away leader” in terms of pure subscriber numbers, reaching 22.5 million subscribers.

Once small cells are deployed in households, the operating cost of transporting mobile broadband data to and from the household is forecast to dramatically decrease, according to the whitepaper, translating into cost savings for the operator, compared to transporting growing mobile broadband data volumes over the existing macro network.

Alcatel-Lucent, one of the leading femtocell companies, offers the 9360 portfolio of small cells. Alcatel-Lucent officials claim that the company’s small cells commercially deployed, fully 3GPP-compliant solutions, are transforming today’s networks by increasing capacity, lowering cost and ensuring coverage. They include Bell Labs innovations that position operators to rapidly penetrate markets and gain cost and revenue benefits.

In addition, application enablement features help operators create new in-household mobile services, while automated deployment and configuration features deliver optimal network functionality without the need for manual user intervention.

In short, Alcatel-Lucent says the universal appeal of small cells-based unlimited calling plans presents a competitive advantage for mobile operators facing the competitive threat of mobile-based VoIP services, and it also has the potential to reduce churn.

Delivering a Better Mobile Broadband Customer Experience Influences the Bottom Line

2011-10-07T18:40:55Z

By Erin Harrison

In today’s highly competitive mobile broadband market, it’s all about the customer. We all know that poor customer service not only gives a company a bad rap, but it ultimately eats away from their bottom line.

To keep customers on board and generate long-term success, service providers need to put more focus on the overall customer experience, according to the experts at Alcatel-Lucent. For many service providers, they say, the new path to profitability is a “holistic” approach focused on anticipating customers’ needs and improving their quality of experience (QoE).

The proof of this, of course, can be found in many industry surveys and research. In a September 2010 report, the TeleManagement Forum argued that “[service providers] must shun the one-size-fits-all, altruistic approach of the past, and view improvements in customer experience as a profitable business strategy.

Another example of the significant opportunity in customer experience management can be found in this statistic: Surveys by the Strativity Group show that 70 percent of consumers are willing to spend more with businesses that exceed their expectations.

With their unique customer, device and network information, service providers have the basic tools they need to enhance their broadband service offerings. To succeed with broadband customers, however, they need solutions that will enable them to use these tools to simplify and improve the customer experience. As the most common source of service provider: Customer interaction and technical support can be the trigger point for meaningful customer experience transformation.

According to Yankee Group, 87 percent of customer support calls for smartphones took more than 10 minutes and 29 percent of smartphone users state that their issue could not be resolved for several days. These numbers show significant room for improvement.

Service providers can use their customer care operations as a basis for developing more positive and beneficial relationships with customers. In order to differentiate themselves in a world of smartphones, tablets and other smart devices, service providers need call center agents who are “empowered to give customers quick and relevant answers through a variety of support channels,” according to an article from Alcatel-Lucent.

With more advanced – and better quality – technical support, service providers can begin to build a better customer experience that will ultimately boost the bottom line.

A Cost-Effective, Bluetooth-Focused Approach to Traffic Monitoring

2011-10-07T17:55:24Z

By Beecher Tuttle

The exponential growth of the world's population – coupled with the ever-increasing reliance on automobiles and the deterioration of roads and highways – has turned traffic congestion into a major concern.

In fact, the Urban Mobility Report estimated in 2009 that the ramifications of traffic congestion cost Americans around $80 billion a year, not to mention the negative consequences for the environment. This number is expected to reach $150 billion by 2033, and the problem is even worse in more crowded countries like India and China.

Unfortunately, the sluggish economy has only worsened the issue, as many communities no longer have the resources to fix their infrastructure or modernize their public transit systems.

So what are communities to do?....

One alternative to pricey construction projects is traffic-sensing solutions, which can provide relevant and up-to-date information to drivers and traffic authorities on commuting times, congestion patterns and the impact of accidents and construction.

Armed with this information, drivers can avoid congested areas and eliminate the negative ramifications of traffic, such as wear and tear on automobiles and wasted fuel and time. Traffic-sensing solutions can also give authorities valuable information to help them optimize public transportation and improve road capacity where needed.

Various traffic-sensing solutions are available, but unfortunately they are all too costly, inaccurate and impractical. These options include in-road sensors, GPS-based solutions and cellular triangulation-based solutions.

However, researchers have recently begun to explore a new Bluetooth-based technology that may make traffic-sensing a viable solution. The concept, currently being explored by researchers at Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs, can be much more accurate and cost-effective than the aforementioned alternatives.

The idea was born from a pilot project in Mumbai, where low-cost Bluetooth scanners were placed on the sides of roads and used to pick up signals from Bluetooth devices in passing cars. When the car crossed the path of a second scanner, the researchers were able to determine the travel time of the commuter and, when combined with data from other cars, make certain assumptions on traffic patterns.

The tests were highly successful and achieved the goals of finding a low-cost, high-accuracy solution that provides rich and detailed traffic information. Bluetooth sensors are relatively inexpensive, and the technology is widely used in mobile devices and becoming more ubiquitous each day.

The impressive results of the Mumbai test and proceeding analyses led Alcatel-Lucent to create an Intelligent Travel Time System (ITTS) based on Bluetooth technology.

The system uses sensors on roads to collect Media Access Control (MAC) addresses from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices in passing cars. This information is then transmitted to a central server via Ethernet or wireless communication. After the data is collected, it is saved to a database that can be accessed by commuters and authorities for traffic predictions, studies and alternative route planning.

"The resulting solution provides highly accurate information, is easy to deploy and inexpensive to install," Vikram Srinivasan Technical Manager at Bell Labs, wrote in a recent white paper describing the solution. "In addition, ongoing costs are controlled because sensors can be managed remotely and the cost of the system does not go up as either traffic increases or as the number of users increases."

With ITTS, traffic authorities can arm themselves with all the tools necessary to mitigate traffic concerns as best as they can. The solution is particularly viable is today's conditions because it can be accessed without cost or impact to the user.