Research & Analytics…

How To Stay Dry In A Signaling Storm
Many times, 4G network crashes can be attributed to a “signaling storm,” and Diameter routing is pitched as a cure-all for almost any 4G network instability, says Joe Hoffman, principal analyst at ABI Research. Signaling storms are caused by one-off events, where an element node is presented with an unexpected condition and may lurch into a chaotic state of retry and resend. According to Hoffman, Diameter is the language of the 3GPP 4G control plane, and even an ordinary perturbation can get out of control and cascade into a network crash because of Diameter signals flooding the network. Because Diameter Signaling is critical for the entire 4G network, ABI advises operators to make it bulletproof, adding the big vendor guns are heating up the race to sell those network “vests.”
 
DPI: More Than Just Security
Transparency Market Research valued the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) market at $585.7 million in 2012, predicting $3.8 billion in 2018, a CAGR of 36.6 percent. In a nutshell, DPI provides network visibility while maintaining network security and integrity. Though traffic management is the main DPI use, Transparency cites increasing interest in other apps like new service and pricing models, video optimization and software defined networks (SDNs). Key players include Wedge Networks, Kontron, Broadhop, Allot Communications, Procera Networks, Sandvine, Arbor Networks and Cisco. While cablecos have used DPI for some time, mobile operators can use it to help troubleshoot at a subscriber and device level, and they also can use the data collected for upselling opportunities. Case in point: DPI can be used for targeted advertising, wherein a subscriber’s Web-browsing habits are monitored, thus gaining insights into the sub’s interests.