ISSUE 05 2014
DIAMETER SIGNALLING
25
Policy management, maximising revenue and effective billing If the transport protocol cannot cope, then it poses a very problematic challenge for operators who are trying to manage the signalling messages that are coming through from the network. Again, the issue is forward planning as operators will be unable to identify popular items of data and subsequently manage or alter policy accordingly.
LTE has opened up a number of alternative revenue channels for operators but because there are signalling deficiencies in the network, there is a high risk that service providers will miss these essential opportunities to accurately bill users accordingly.
In a Heavy Reading report, published in November, it identified that “to maximise the revenue opportunity, operators need to personalise their service plans around specific consumer activities and behaviours such as video sharing, online gaming or live content streaming.”
This will be particularly difficult to achieve if the signalling messages are not being correctly transported. It’s true that the ability to control communications is seriously affected with inadequate transport protocols, but the power to control billing policy will also suffer because operators are effectively operating with their hands tied behind their backs. Information is not being transported correctly, and personalising their service plans will be near impossible.
Securing the next generation network To overcome the challenges of an ageing signalling infrastructure, and to ensure reliability, operators must look at a solution that performs vigilant in-service quality monitoring along with precise detection capabilities. LTE performance is
currently being affected by transport protocol that is not only inadequate, but a hindrance on the overall signalling process.
It is not just a case of improving the reliability of signalling transport solutions. It is also crucial that operators look at investing in transport technology that provides the necessary security for the network and its subscribers.
If there is a fault in the transport protocol, then operators are either getting mixed or incorrect messages that can compromise network security. Faulty signalling, on any level, is an invitation to harmful content or unverified users to enter the network, which the operator has a depleted level of control over.
The critical importance of effective transport protocol The LTE network is maturing quickly, but there are still fundamental problems with the basic infrastructure. Signalling is arguably the most important component in ensuring operators can run the network effectively, and provide the best possible service to their subscribers.
The transport protocol that is critical to the signalling process is insufficient in coping with the data demands that are increasingly placed on the network and this is a situation that will only worsen if the correct and suitable transport solution isn’t adopted by operators. LTE
Faulty signalling, on any level, is an invitation to harmful content or unverified users to enter the network, which the operator has a depleted level of control over
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