Operators to cater ondemand mobile experiences

Seize the opportunity presented...

The proliferation of mobile social networking (Instagram, Vine, Twitter, etc.) has meant that a new generation of smartphone users is connected through social networks more than phone calls. The telephone is just one available “app” – there are many more high-bandwidth means of communication that users find compelling.

This experience is changing the way that we consume data. What used to be broadcast onto televisions in living rooms is now streaming to mobile devices. In the business world, meetings that used to happen on traditional telephone/conference calls can now take place on high definition Skype sessions. Sales teams can coordinate their work in the cloud on mobile phones and logistics firms can track packages with tablets and wireless terminals.

This is a huge opportunity for operators in India. As the market shifts from voice to data, providers can offer their customers a mobile experience that matches new communication habits and trends.

However, this opportunity also comes with complexities. What used to be a relatively predictable flow of phone traffic among central offices will become literally millions of different applications hosted in cloud data centers that could be connected anywhere in the Telco’s network or beyond. Mobile bandwidth needs to be able to ramp-up, enabling the dynamic user experience that makes applications like WhatsApp, Skype, Waze and others so compelling.

At their core, these applications are making use of cloud networking to connect users to communal computing resources and applications. In essence, smartphones and tablets have created the perfect entry for portable on-demand cloud access.

Backhaul network transformation

Expanding mobile broadband to this degree will require a shift in how we construct underlying networks. Backhaul networks, the connection between the base stations and the core transport network, can have a significant effect on the quality of service that an end-user experiences. The best way to build this high-performance backhaul is with converged packet-optical technologies that can offer flexibility, programmability and compelling cost-effective scalability to make the business of mobile bandwidth make sense. With this is mind, there are four critical considerations that network operators should keep in mind:

On-demand bandwidth with flexible architectures – Backhaul networks need to scale on demand. The progression of LTE deployments will not happen all at once. As penetration rates for mobile devices increase, operators will need to scale services to meet changing customer requirements. The flexibility and scalability of Ethernet, which allows for tiered and flexible deployments, can help operators, ramp-up bandwidth to match subscriber demand.

Packet-optical convergence – The era of single-service networks is coming to an end. Operators can simplify their operations by investing in flexible packetoptical-based backhaul networks that can serve deliver Internet, IP/Ethernet VPN, and Ethernet & Optical Private Line services. The growing market for Ethernet business services, data center connectivity, or networking for large medical, educational or industrial campuses has