China Unicom deploys Nokia's AirGile cloud-native core network

China Unicom will deploy a cloud-native core network based on Nokia's AirGile technology to enable the delivery of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and Voice-over-Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), and lay the foundations for the future evolution to 5G. The installation will occur in seven Chinese provinces: Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Hainan, Yunnan, Gansu and Hunan. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deployment of the Nokia cloud-native core network also enables new services such as 'one-number, multi-devices'. The network will include Nokia AirGile cloud-native core technologies as well as the Nokia AirFrame data center, NetAct, CloudBand and Session Border Controller. Nokia will also act as a product and systems integrator.

In 2017 Nokia and China Unicom began interoperability with other vendors' equipment, enabling China Unicom to be the first operator to deploy a three-layer decoupled network architecture using network functions virtualization to decouple hardware and software and ensure flexibility allowing each network layer to evolve independently.

Gao Bo, head of the China Unicom customer business team at Nokia Shanghai Bell said: "Nokia has the breadth of technology and services expertise to provide an end-to-end cloud native core for China Unicom. The network will deliver new capabilities and allow China Unicom to accelerate the launch of new services, while new agility will help enable a smooth transition toward 5G in the future."

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Poland's Polkomtel Readies Voice over Wi-Fi with Nokia

Polkomtel, the Polish operator of the Plus network, has partnered with Nokia Networks to launch Poland’s first public trial of its Wi-Fi Calling+ service. The service lets users make regular calls when connected by Wi-Fi in locations with poor mobile coverage. The common voice core for VoWiFi and voice over LTE (VoLTE) enables a smooth evolution of enhanced voice services going forward.

During the trial period, the Wi-Fi Calling+ service is available to Plus users in Poland and across the European Union. Polkomtel is testing the functionality before its commercial launch, gathering feedback and ensuring its flawless integration and operation in the Plus network.

The service uses Nokia’s voice core technology, including its IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Open TAS (Telecommunications Application Server) and Border Gateway (BGW), along with a fully customized end-user application from OptiMobile.

http://networks.nokia.com/

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ZTE Standardizes on Radisys' Virtualized MRF

ZTE will standardize on Radisys’ MediaEngine virtualized Media Resource Function (vMRF) as the media processing solution for its Value-added Services (VAS) and core network offerings in VoLTE, VoWiFi, video and IMS. Solutions based on Radisys’ common media processing platform will help ZTE's customers accelerate the deployment of new interactive HD audio and HD video services.

ZTE is a market leader in value-added service deployment, with 20 percent worldwide market share for voicemail that includes major deployments throughout China, India, Latin America and Europe. China Mobile will leverage ZTE’s IMS core and ring-back tones solutions, all powered by Radisys’ virtualized MRF.

“Mobile operators are deploying Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) to bring the benefits of the cloud to their networks, such as scalability, increased efficiencies and reduced costs,” said Yang Wei, chief architect of core network deployment, ZTE Corporation. “To enable our mobile operator customers’ transition to an NFV environment, ZTE is migrating its IMS solutions and VoLTE core network service offerings to a cloud architecture, driving an important requirement for virtualized media processing. Radisys’ vMRF delivers HD audio and HD video media processing and transcoding that are required by today’s increasingly multimedia-intensive applications.”

“ZTE is a long-time customer of Radisys, having deployed Radisys’ hardware MRF portfolio for many years to provide the critical media processing for our value-added services, such as voicemail and ring-back tones, used by more than 600 million subscribers around the world,” said Huang Xiaobing, director of VAS product planning department, ZTE Corporation. “As we looked to transition our VAS service offerings to the cloud, we made the strategic decision to standardize across our IP service delivery solutions on Radisys’ virtualized MRF. This will allow ZTE to rapidly deploy new interactive multimedia services such as VoWiFi and WebRTC, while reducing our customers’ total cost of ownership.”

http://www.radisys.com

• In May 2015, Radisys announced a follow-on order of approximately $11 million for its MediaEngine product from a large Asian carrier in support of its VoLTE network deployment. The order is expected to be fulfilled by Radisys over the course of the second and third quarters of 2015.

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Spirent Tests Voice over Wi-Fi to VoLTE Handovers

Spirent Communications announced support for testing Wi-Fi Access Points through an RF interface on its Landslide platform.  This enables mobile operators to validate subscriber experiences as they move between nationwide mobile networks, carrier Wi-Fi hot-spots and private wireless networks.

The Spirent Landslide tests the performance and scalability of the Wi-Fi access point, Wi-Fi offload gateway and the mobile core network, enabling authentication and handover scenarios to be verified, as well as providing quality of experience metrics, including network availability, call setup time, call drops and voice quality for Voice over Wi-Fi testing.

“Verifying that handover and service quality of experience between cellular and Wi-Fi networks is secure and efficient is a critical aspect of deploying services like Voice over Wi-Fi,” said John Baker, general manager, Mobility Infrastructure business unit at Spirent Communications. “Landslide has long been the de facto solution in the industry for testing mobile core and Wi-Fi offload. For the first time ever, carriers can now employ a single, integrated platform to fully verify network performance end-to-end—including the critical handoff from a cellular to a Wi-Fi network”

http://www.spirent.com/Ethernet_Testing/Software/Landslide

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Mavenir Intros VoWiFi Calling for MSOs

Mavenir Systems introduced an NFV-based Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) solution for cable operators.

Mavenir’s offering includes session control, application/messaging servers, access/border gateways, subscriber management/activation systems, and clients. It integrates with an operator’s existing IMS core network or can be deployed as a greenfield network to offer voice, video, and messaging applications using Wi-Fi access. Mavenir is engaged with multiple cable operators to plan VoWi-Fi as a part of their MVNO strategies or as a standalone offering paired with the standard video and content distribution offer.The solution is based on Mavenir’s mOne Convergence platform including the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Core and Application Servers and cross-platform mobile clients.

“We believe that VoWiFi changes the competitive landscape for cable operators,” said Pardeep Kohli, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mavenir Systems. “Mavenir’s converged IMS solution provides cable operators the benefit of seamless mobility between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, as well as proven interoperability and a native user experience on the latest Wi-Fi Calling enabled devices, such as Apple’s iPhone 6.”

http://www.mavenir.com/

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Ruckus Adds Wi-Fi Roaming and Traffic Handling Capabilities

Ruckus Wireless is adding advanced capabilities to Smart Wi-Fi technology to improve IP-based voice calling over Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Calling) in challenging environments. These include capacity-based client access control, Wi-Fi multimedia admission controls, directed roaming, and automatic packet flow heuristics.

• Automatic QoS Heuristics - this is the ability to prioritize Wi-Fi Calling traffic by looking at the Type of Service (ToS) bits set by the smartphone in the IP header, or by using automatic packet flow heuristics that constantly examine the size and frequency of packets in any flow, encrypted or not.
  
• Capacity-Based Client Access Control - If too many new devices attempt to connect to a given Wi-Fi access point (AP), already connected clients may experience service degradation. To help ensure existing clients' quality of user experience, Ruckus ZoneFlex™ APs can now implement a capacity-based client access control algorithm to decline connection requests from new clients. This new feature allows organizations to protect the user experience during periods of heavy load.
  
• Directed Roaming - Leveraging the 802.11v standard, directed roaming helps to ensure the overall quality of user experience for the entire wireless LAN (WLAN) network by directing clients toward another Wi-Fi access point that can provide a better user experience. If a signal falls below user-definable signal strength (RSSI) or throughput thresholds, Ruckus ZoneFlex APs can automatically provide a list of alternative access points and request the client to move to a closer AP.  This solves the problem of clients that stay connected or 'sticky' with a given AP, even if it no longer provides the best connection.
• 
  Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) Admission Control - WMM admission control improves the performance of Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi networks for real time voice and video services by preventing oversubscription of bandwidth. By requiring clients to request a specific amount of bandwidth before connecting to a given Ruckus ZoneFlex AP, bandwidth management on each AP now takes into account network load and channel connections before allowing clients to connect.

"The innovations we've made will improve the reliability and quality of Wi-Fi Calling applications, which enables both service providers and enterprises to extract greater value from their Wi-Fi infrastructure," said Dan Rabinovitsj, Chief Operating Officer at Ruckus Wireless. "While voice over Wi-Fi isn't new, the ability to deliver a carrier-class voice service over Wi-Fi is something that no one has mastered, until now."

http://www.ruckuswireless.com

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Cisco: 2019 Mobile Data Traffic Forecast

Global mobile data traffic will reach an annual run rate of 292 exabytes by 2019, up from 30 exabytes in 2014, according to the newly released Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2014 to 2019.  Not surprisingly, the ongoing adoption of more powerful mobile devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections combined with broader access to faster cellular networks are key contributors to significant mobile traffic growth.

From 2014 to 2019, Cisco anticipates that global mobile traffic growth will outpace global fixed traffic growth by a factor of three.

Some highlights from the Cisco study:

• More mobile users: By 2019, there will be 5.2 billion mobile users (up from 4.3 billion in 2014). In 2014, nearly 59 percent of the world's population (7.2 billion people) was comprised of mobile users; by 2019, more than 69 percent of the world's population (7.6 billion people) will be mobile users.
• More mobile connections: By 2019, there will be approximately 11.5 billion mobile-ready devices/connections, including 8.3 billion personal mobile devices and 3.2 billion M2M connections (up from 7.4 billion total mobile-ready devices and M2M connections in 2014).
• Faster mobile speeds: Average global mobile network speeds will increase 2.4 fold from 2014 (1.7 Mbps) to 2019 (4.0 Mbps).
• More mobile video: By 2019, mobile video will represent 72 percent of global mobile data traffic (up from 55 percent in 2014).

Impact of Mobile M2M Connections (and Wearable Devices)

• The number of wearable devices globally will grow five-fold, reaching 578 million by 2019, up from 109 million in 2014, with the majority of devices anticipated in North America and Asia Pacific.
• This is expected to fuel 18-fold growth in mobile traffic from wearable devices between 2014 and 2019, with most of it channeled through smartphones.
• In 2014, the average wearable device generated 6X more traffic per month than a basic handset (wearables = 141 MBs mobile traffic/month vs. basic handsets = 22 MBs mobile traffic/month).
• As an example of a high-end wearables use case, livestreaming of a GoPro video camera on a cellular network would generate about 5 MB of mobile data traffic per minute.
• In 2014, the average M2M module generated three-times more traffic per month than a basic handset (M2M = 70 MB of mobile traffic/month vs. basic handsets = 22 MB of mobile traffic/month).

Increase in 4G Connectivity

• 26 percent of all global devices and connections will be 4G capable by 2019.
• The number of 4G connections globally will grow 18-fold, from 459 million in 2019 to 3 billion by 2019.
• By 2017, 3G will surpass 2G as the top cellular technology based on connection share.
• In 2014, 4G connections accounted for 40 percent of total mobile data traffic; by 2019, 4G connections will account for 68 percent of total mobile data traffic.
• In 2014, the average 4G connection generated 2.2 GB of mobile data traffic per month; by 2019, the average 4G connection will generate 5.5 GB of mobile data traffic per month, 5.3X higher than the 1.04 GB/month for the average non-4G connection.

Wi-Fi Offload Traffic Surpasses Cellular Traffic

• In 2014, 46 percent of total mobile data traffic was offloaded; by 2019, 54 percent of total mobile data traffic will be offloaded.
• Without offload, the 2014 - 2019 global mobile data traffic compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for global mobile data traffic would be significantly higher (65 percent instead of 57 percent).

Voice-over-Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) Surpasses Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE)

• By 2017, VoWi-Fi traffic (10.8 PB/year) will exceed VoLTE traffic (10.7 PB/year).
• By 2018, VoWi-Fi will exceed VoLTE in the number of minutes used per year.
• By 2019, VoWi-Fi minutes of use will account for more than half – 53 percent – of all mobile IP voice traffic.
• By 2019, the number of Wi-Fi-capable tablets and PCs (1.9 billion) will be nearly 3.5-times the number of cellular-capable tablets and PCs (542 million).

Growth of Mobile Cloud Traffic

• Mobile cloud traffic will grow nearly 11-fold from 2014 (2 exabytes/month) to 2019 (21.8 exabytes/month).
•  In 2014, cloud applications accounted for 81 percent of total mobile data traffic; by 2019, cloud applications will account for 90 percent of total mobile data traffic.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=1578507

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Radisys Supplies MRF for Nokia Networks' VoLTE/VoWiFi

Radisys is supplying its Media Resource Function (MRF) product family as the media processing foundation for Nokia Networks' Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) solution portfolio for standards-based IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) deployments.

Specifically, Nokia Networks will utilize Radisys’ Virtualized MRF and high-capacity MPX-12000 Broadband MRF, built on Radisys’ T-Series Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) platform, to provide the media processing solution for VoLTE/VoWiFi service in mobile networks.

“Nokia Networks is a long-standing customer, already utilizing our technology and products and we are very pleased to extend our strategic relationship with Nokia Networks to include our MRF solutions to better serve its mobile network customers,’ stated  Grant Henderson, vice president, marketing and product management, Radisys.

http://www.radisys.com

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GENBAND and Nokia Collaborate on VoWiFi/VoLTE

Nokia Networks will offer GENBAND´s QUANTiX evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) as part of its voice evolution solutions, including Voice over WiFi.  The GENBAND ePDG will be integrated into Nokia’s Liquid Core portfolio to support multimedia voice, data and video sessions and anywhere/any-device services.

The ePDG is a key component of GENBAND’s Wireless Access Gateway solution and enables Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) interworking to allow for seamless, secure network connectivity and an enhanced customer experience.

“Combining GENBAND’s ePDG with Nokia’s Liquid Core portfolio allows operators to take advantage of communications services inWiFi networks, offering their customers the ability to make calls and send messages regardless of where they may be,” said BG Kumar, Chief Product Officer at GENBAND.  “We are excited to build on our longstanding partnership with Nokia Networks, a global leader in mobile broadband, to bring advanced solutions to the mobile marketplace.”

“With the evolution of voice and messaging services, like VoWiFi, the combination of Nokia’s and GENBAND’s solution is an effective way to ensure agility and flexibility for our customers. It allows operators to launch innovative, intelligent solutions while maximizing the value of their networks,” said Thorsten Robrecht, Vice President, Nokia Networks. “As part of our strategy, we will integrate GENBAND’s ePDG in our core portfolio to provide complete solutions to operators, without compromising our quality requirements.”

http://www.GENBAND.com
http://networks.nokia.com/

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Mavenir's Evolved Packet Data Gateway Bridges Calls from LTE to Wi-Fi

Mavenir Systems announced the availability of its Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG). For subscribers using Wi-Fi, the ePDG provides a secure connection to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and enables seamless mobility between LTE and Wi-Fi. This enables seamless coverage whether the subscriber is in an LTE coverage areas or using Wi-Fi at public hotspots, at the office or in the home. As subscribers arrive in the office, for example, the ePDG ensures that data sessions remain active and voice calls stay up while the device switches from LTE to Wi-Fi access.

The ePDG is an integral part of Mavenir’s IMS converged voice solution that is used by mobile operators for both Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) and Voice over LTE (VoLTE).

Mavenir said its approach enables operators to leverage their investments in VoLTE, and extend service reach as well as improve indoor coverage by launching VoWi-Fi. Apple’s recent announcement that iOS 8 will support Wi-Fi Calling,  significantly increases the number of devices compatible with mobile operators’ VoWi-Fi service and  accelerating adoption.

“Globally, operators are trying to manage mobile subscribers’ demand for ubiquitous service access while dealing with tremendous surge in mobile data usage,” said Pardeep Kohli, Mavenir’s President and CEO. “We believe ePDG and converged access to IMS are logical extensions of VoWi-Fi, as mobility is becoming a key differentiator for operators.”

http://www.mavenir.com

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