Alcatel-Lucent expands packet core strategy

MOST READ
LATEST NEWS

Compare broadband and
mobile phone deals at Top10.com

EVENTS

4G World 2010 October 18 - 21, Chicago

4GWE Conference, Oct 4-6, Los Angeles

The Location Business Summit USA, 14-15 September, Crowne Plaza, San Jose

Advertize your telecoms job

JOBS

Mobile Industry & Technology Journalist - freelance

HOT TOPICS

Alcatel-Lucent expands packet core strategy

Flagship service router now supports LTE migration and converged IP services for HSPA cellcos

By CAROLINE GABRIEL

Published: 18 March, 2010

READ MORE: Alcatel-Lucent | Core Network | LTE

As the packet core takes on a hugely strategic role for cellcos, Alcatel-Lucent aims to leverage its experience with wireline IP carriers to grab market share. Today it announces an expanded wireless packet core platform, geared to HSPA operators that are moving towards LTE.

Its flagship 7750 Service Router will now support both 3G and 4G gateways, for carriers that will continue to expand HSPA for now, but want a smooth migration to LTE at the appropriate time. ALU already supports the LTE serving gateway and packet data network gateway on the 7750 - a combination in use at Verizon Wireless - but in the GSM market, cellcos want a "massive runway" in front of LTE, when they can continue to run and upgrade HSPA, says Lindsay Newell, VP of marketing for the ALU's IP activities. So the 7750-based core system will now also run 2G and 3G GGSN functionality.

Also new is a Wireless Mobility Manager (WMM) spanning 2G/3G SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) and LTE MME (Mobility Management Entity) on a common ATCA platform. "This combined functionality allows carriers to expand or renovate their existing packet cores to support HSPA and HSPA+ today, while having the signaling and control plane performance required of an MME when they migrate to LTE," says the ALU statement.

Newell is keen to distinguish the 7750-based offering from its competitors, notably Cisco/Starent. As well as claimed performance advantages, he says ALU's approach better addresses the key problems that smartphones are creating for carriers - capacity shortage and an explosion in signalling volumes. "Some vendors do a Swiss army knife approach with everything on one box but we separate the functions," he explains. "You need a computing platform to handle signalling, separate from the routing platform and the capacity, multimedia issue."

As wireless networks come under strain, Newell says ALU will be able to draw on its experience in the wireline broadband world, where core networks have to cope with far higher traffic volumes already. The key differentiation that it makes against mobile specialists is that the 7750 is a wireline broadband platform, used in networks like AT&T's uVerse, that has been adapted for mobility, and so has heavy duty capabilities.

A year ago, ALU took the development of its LTE packet core out of the hands of a separate mobile team and put it into the wireline IP routing group, as it moved towards a converged all-IP umbrella architecture. At that point, it took the decision to focus on a router-based approach and deploy a series of packet core software elements on a highly scalable router, the 7750, rather than on discrete boxes.

Other aspects of ALU's upgrade of its packet core offering are the new 5780 Dynamic Services Controller (DSC), an enhanced 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM); and the 9900 Wireless Network Guardian (WNG). The DSC provides 3G and LTE PCRF (Policy Charging and Rules Function), to support personalized services and flexible billing. It also promises to support converged wireline/wireless policy management for delivering apps across the three screens. The upgraded SAM provides automated configuration and fault/performance management tools. And the WNG links into back off ice systems to offer real time visibility of network performance and end user quality of experience.