Tellabs Blog

We see lots of growth in the mobile space today, such as telemedicine, machine-to-machine, video calling and tablets. But many operators today are caught in a dilemma: how to maximize long-term growth with these new trends while understanding the potential for short-term unprofitability if they don’t make changes to their networks soon.

Operators need to look beyond the macro trends and remember the basics of where their network is today.

Back to network basics
Today, IP & MPLS are becoming dominant deployment technologies. However, we have to acknowledge that legacy networks remain--and need to be maintained. Fiber deployment is increasing, but many operators still have copper and TDM interfaces in their networks. More and more users are adopting smartphones and tablets, but at the same time operators are migrating services to the cloud. These smartphones, tablets--and  even “dumb” smartphones with reduced price, cost points and reliance on the cloud for processing power--are driving increased use of the network.

It’s easy to deny that we need to change the way we’re doing things. But between the rising costs of adding bandwidth, growing LTE deployments and increasing customer expectations, operators' profitability will be under increasing pressure in the coming years.

Manage backhaul congestion with network intelligence
Operators can improve profitability--if they incorporate intelligence into their network. One place that intelligence can really make a difference is in the mobile backhaul infrastructure.

Network intelligence gives operators the ability to distinguish between different traffic types and utilization. This ensures they’re not just throwing raw bandwidth at their network pain points. With a smarter network, operators can discriminate how applications are delivered--and the quality of service they’re able to deliver.

This is especially important in the mobile backhaul infrastructure. Despite what many may think, the backhaul portion of the mobile network isn’t just a wire, or a single connection point in the network. It’s a collection of active network elements that each has its own congestion points and network impairments to deal with. For example, with microwave-based backhaul, operators may experience disruption or bandwidth degradation due to weather conditions. And with  a large installation of copper-based backhaul infrastructure, operators may not have the capacity they need when they need it.

Start simple, think smart
In the short-term, many operators will continue to manually traffic engineer their networks. But over time, operators will gain more visibility into the applications that their customers use and value the most, and application engineering will become more critical. Over the next few years, you’ll see more and more solutions emerge that enable operators to automate their network’s decisions. This will result in a dynamic, self-adjusting--or simply, a smarter--mobile backhaul network. A smarter, flexible network will enable operators to bring their cost curve under control while also setting up new revenue streams.