Products : Service eXchange

Using current 3G network architectures, the cost of supporting the exponential traffic generated from mobile broadband data services has become unsustainable: revenues are being outpaced by the rising cost of service delivery. In February 2011, Cisco updated their Visual Network Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, predicting mobile data traffic will increase 26-fold between 2010 and 2015! Adding insult to injury, mobile broadband data traffic is overwhelmingly Internet focused, offering little chance for revenue generation beyond the flat rate data plan subscription fees. If only MNOs didn't have to carry the Internet traffic back through their mobile infrastructure when its true destination is an Internet property.

3G Core Data Offload Video Mobile Data Offload Video

Stoke's Intelligent Core Network Offload
Stoke Service eXchange (also referred to Mobile Data Offload) breaks out or offloads, traffic destined for the internet at the edge of the RAN and delivers it to the nearest Internet interconnect or service LAN. The design objective is to reduce as much load as possible on the backhaul network and on existing core network elements without interfering with voice traffic or operator hosted data services traffic, and without requiring mobile network reconfiguration of any kind. Stoke Service eXchange can be deployed in a matter of weeks and only where it is needed: it is a low-cost surgical remedy to today's data overload problem. The key characteristics of Service eXchange are:

  • it is Non-Intrusive requiring no re-configuration of any mobile network elements
  • it is Transparent in that neither the mobile network elements nor the subscribers are aware of its presence
  • Service eXchange prevserves network compliance 3GPP Standards while employing standard mechanisms to intercept and redirect data plane sessions
  • A Sevice eXchange deployment brings an IP interface to the RAN Edge, enabling network services and content to be located closter to subscribers.
Stoke Mobile Data Offload

Service eXchange is inserted into the data path between the RNCs and the SGSNs. It monitors control traffic and, using operator configured selection criteria (e.g APN or device type), detects if the session request is for an Internet bound session or is from a specified device type. If the session meets the operator selection criteria, Service eXchange alters the traffic path and forwards session traffic directly to the nearest Internet peering point - bypassing the SGSNs and GGSNs. In the case where the session does not meet the selection criteria, subscriber data plane and control plane traffic operate as if Service eXchange were not there.

Enabling Services at the RAN Edge
Stoke is collaborating with mobile network service and application vendors to improve the effective network performance be relocating services and content closer to subscribers. Service eXchange offers an IP network (Gi) interface at the edge of the RAN, bringing services like content caching and CDN nodes nearer to users which services to improve content access times. Lab testing has shown download times can be reduced as much as 70% when content is accessed next the RAN versus via a public CDN. Other functions like video optimization, DPI and policy management are also enabled at the RAN edge. Moreover, where Service eXchange is implemented affords these applications additional intelligence not available to applications locked deeper in the core network.

Service eXchange improves the subscribers' Mobile Internet experience while allowing mobile operators to curb spending on 3G core network elements, and effctively flatten their architectures to better scale to meet growing traffic demands.

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