Xelerated Xpress

Ethernet Backhaul Is Here and Now. What’s Next?

New statistics from Infonetics research shows a rapid transition to IP/Ethernet-based mobile backhaul. The momentum towards IP/Ethernet is very strong; 89% of all backhaul spending was on IP/Ethernet equipment in 2010. With a net addition of 1.6 billion mobile broadband subscribers between 2011 and 2015, we can expect continued healthy growth in this market.

The transition towards IP/Ethernet has been foreseen. We are in a catch-up phase to deliver on the strong demand for streaming content down to mobile smartphones and tablets. Mobile TV and video drive bandwidth demand, implicating mobile backhaul infrastructure as well as to content distribution sites. One example is radio streaming providers in the Nordics, that recently had to scale up their bandwidth towards mobile networks as radio is going narrowband. To send a live signal in unicast is not necessarily the most effective distribution method, but the trend towards individual content consumption can’t be held back.

The industry is learning how to engineer the always-on-society. Mobile backhaul is now Ethernet/IP. What is next? There will be a significant portion of ‘more of the same’, but with the many implementation options (microwave vs fiber vs copper, Ethernet vs MPLS, P2P vs MP2MP, PTP vs Synchronous Ethernet vs legacy sync), there is also plenty of room for optimization.

We are just at the beginning of the mobile broadband era, and best practice is still to be defined.

by Per Lembre on Apr. 13th, 2011

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Mobile Backhaul Equipment: On the Rise

No other segment in the networking industry can report as steep growth rates as mobile backhaul. Infonetics recently reported a 36% yearly growth rate for mobile backhaul equipment in 2009, and the market research firm expects this year to spike again.

While the industry had some debate last year on how to migrate to Ethernet-based backhaul, the transition is likely to be faster and simpler than anyone expected. Because challenges with packet-based synchronization services have been solved with PTP and Synchronous Ethernet, operators can now modernize networks quickly. Once all mobile traffic runs on IP/Ethernet, operators can stop spending on legacy equipment, and further cut operational expenses. According to Michael Howard, more than 100 operators are now deploying ‘a single IP-Ethernet backhaul.’

Infonetics’ findings are in line with what Xelerated sees in the market place. In China for example, the move to Packet Transport Networks (PTN) represents an even more aggressive backhaul investment than seen elsewhere. Here in Sweden, fiber is deployed to cell sites and Ethernet is the transport protocol for all services; they are now in the second phase of the roll-out.

I wonder: Will other markets learn from this model, and if so, what impact will we see on the market figures?

by Per Lembre on Oct. 19th, 2010

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The Healthy Signs of Telecoms Going Mainstream

Another day here at Mobile World Congress, and I have noticed a strong shift in telecommunications  - the hype really is gone in the industry! We are going the same route as power generation and power supply did at the end of the ’90s, and now nobody in the general public knows what is going on in that industry.  That very same thing is now happening to telecoms.  While there is still a lot of good business to be made, there is less hype…  meaning less high-risk business endeavors, but more thought-through and sound business projects will prosper.  It is a healthy sign.

This year, the energy and activity level at Mobile World Congress has been far better compared to the two previous years’ events. A lot of ideas about sharing networks were shown both by service providers and vendors.  Huawei showcased the largest and widest portfolio and made a big impact with their lifetime cost approach. And NEC’s focus on cloud computing was impressive, expanding its concept to all types of customers/users and putting the operators in the central role.

Another thing that struck me about this year’s show is that there are not many Asian people in attendance. In particular, I did not find many of my Chinese industry colleagues.  This week was the Chinese New Year with the spring festival, which is comparable to having an event during the United States’ Thanks giving holiday.  Even still, there were several Asian companies participating and showing their goods, however few visitors from the region.

While previous Mobile World Congress events have been clogged with small startups trying to attract larger companies for M&A activities, this time it was far more companies aiming at building and growing on their own. Another very healthy sign.

by Anders Ericsson on Feb. 18th, 2010

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4G Or Not 4G, That Is The Question

Ericsson’s and TeliaSonera’s announcement of the first commercial LTE deployment provoked an intensive debate on LinkedIn’s LTE group. Is LTE really 4G, or is it 3.9 or even 3.8?

Few things triggers more discussion than terms and definition. On one hand, you have a group of professionals that believe that the usage of a term has to be defined strictly in technical terms, and if a technology doesn’t meet the definition to 100%, it is non-compliant. Don’t say it is 4G, if it is not compliant to ITU’s definition, they claim.

The other camp, and I belong to this group, simply say that the new generation of technology is defined by both technical and commercial means. The 4th generation of mobile infrastructure is underway. LTE has a completely new air interface and a completely new core. In practice, the backhaul segment is also re-engineered. This is a huge new investment by mobile operators and the consumers have to buy new handheld devices. A new page in the history book of mobile infrastructure is being turned. I call that 4G.

The debate continues though. You can make your opinion heard here.  Or you can consider contributing to the wikipedia definition of 4G.

by Per Lembre on Jan. 8th, 2010

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Fixing the Mobile Backhaul Flat Tire

It looks like Carrier Ethernet in mobile backhaul is generating a lot of debate at networking seminars and shows these days.  More precisely, the debate is centered around packet-based flexible and reliable synchronization solutions.

At this week’s  Ethernet Expo, Light Reading’s Craig Matsumoto, noted mobile operators are not yet confident about the solutions. PTP and Synchronous Ethernet are new technologies, and therefore there is limited experience and know how on how to operate these technologies. But if we don’t fix it, we will remain dependent on other means of delivering synchronization to the base stations, typically by keeping legacy E1/T1/J1 to each site. And being dependent on legacy technology to roll-out the latest and greatest technology is a pretty strong limitation. As Matsumoto puts it:

“It is like having a nearly-flat tire on your car. You can drive that way. But you be best advised to fix it right away.”

At Xelerated we don’t like flat tires. This week, we announced our Precision Time Solution, which you can read about here at Converge Network Digest. Given the amount of interest among our customers, I’m confident that this problem will be fixed in next-generation Carrier Ethernet platforms.

So service providers, expect to have fresh tires when taking the next corner. No need to ease the gas pedal!

by Per Lembre on Nov. 9th, 2009

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Excuse Me, What is the Time (Solution)?

Today my colleague, Tord Haulin, and I participated in a Packet Synchronization seminar arranged by Chronos and its partners, primarily U.S.-based Symmetricom. Being players in the timing distribution world, they have spent a few years now preserving synchronization during the packet migration for mobile backhaul. So what are they saying, and what response did they get from the Swedish operators? Here are a few of my reflections:

• Synchronous Ethernet and PTP are the standards gaining a lot of momentum, and all players are eagerly putting support for these on to their products. (Yes, Xelerated is one of them.)
• There is no need to bet on which of these technologies will actually will become most popular. As some of the big fives in Europe have backed Synchronous Ethernet, it is likely it will find its way to the market. One of the comments at the break was that BT is planning to use Synchronous Ethernet in Open Reach, the UK model for local loop undbundling. If this is the case, all major vendors must support it. And PTP is already in trials with a number of operators.
• PTP v2/2008 is likely to be rolled out in trials with limited on-path support. I see this as an interim solution, while waiting for switch and router vendors to support PTP in hardware. At that point, not too far away, the technology has the scale and reach to depend upon for synchronization services.
• Operators are actively looking for a solution that allows them to can their TDM synchronization services. The pace of adoption will vary widely of course. Expect alternate providers to pave the way.
• Time stamping in hardware is being asked for not only for synchronization services, but also for performance monitoring. I will revisit this area, but as a general point, it is obvious for anyone that router and switch vendors have been getting away with limited capabilities in this area. Integrated probe functionalities have been more of a tick in the box, and haven’t propelled up to the show stopper level in the technical evaluation processes. This is about to change.

There was a good mix of people at the seminar – some representing the vendor side and an equal share from the larger Swedish operators. Notably most of them haven’t been focusing on synchronization for the last ten years, but are now actively getting their heads around the strategies for years to come. Packet technologists and TDM architects are now coming together.  And in a few years, we will know the outcome.

by Per Lembre on Oct. 6th, 2009

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Mobile Operators Stress About Bandwidth Growth

Reuters today published an article which captures the stress mobile operators are undergoing with Laptop dongles and the iPhone driving bandwidth requirements to completely new levels. A series of good examples is provided from different parts of the world. To understand the scope here, French operator, SFR, tells us that laptops connected to the mobile network drive 450 times (!) more traffic than a classic mobile phone. Another example is given from the Australian operator, Telstra. The day Michael Jackson died, there was a 170 percent increase in mobile traffic.

The article puts the spotlight on one of the biggest industry challenges that lies ahead. With a flat rate business model, how do Mobile Operators cope with providing competitive mobile broadband services and still earn a fair amount of money? Learning from the fixed broadband evolution, there are a few fundamental network design principles to keep in mind.

1. Leverage Carrier Ethernet technologies to provide high bandwidth at low cost
2. Keep it “as simple as possible…but no simpler” (lending a qoute from Einstein here)
3. Look to increase the lifetime of the equipment to support a greater business case

Xelerated technology can be used to empower mobile backhaul networks to enable huge data growth. Some of the new platforms designed for mobile backhaul look closely at how to aggressively bring down cost while providing traffic management for committed and exessive data rates as well as preserving synchronization services for the base stations.

Mobile operators need these platforms, and are becoming more and more stressed about the situation. As Esa Rautalinko, who heads TeliaSonera’s mobile network in Finland (TLSN.ST), states:  “We are closer and closer to a situation where we reach the limits of our capacity”.

by Per Lembre on Sep. 30th, 2009

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It Is About Time

Synchronization is getting hot in Carrier Ethernet. We have engaged with quite a few customers on this topic lately, mainly driven by mobile backhaul upgrades to accommodate iPhone-uptakes, 3G roll-outs and to prepare for future LTE. I wanted to share some collected points this far:

• Network vendors want to comply to two important evolving standards: Packet-based Precision Time Protocol, PTP 1588, and physical layer frequency synchronization defined by Synchronous Ethernet in ITU G.8261.
• A good PTP implementation rely heavily on accurate time stamping. This can be obtained by having all incoming packets time stamped as close as possible to the physical interface. Similarly, outgoing PTP packets should be time stamped as close as possible to the outgoing interface.
• There are a range of configuration options, why hardware support must be both broad and flexible. Programmable designs will help support future amendments to these standards.
• Calculations show that PTP can achieve an accuracy in the range of 50 nano seconds, well in line with demands for mobile backhaul applications.

Synchronization is important for many applications. Requirements for these are collected by the IETF TICTOC work group.

Stay tuned for more updates on the synchronization topic.

by Per Lembre on Sep. 1st, 2009

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