- Email: [email protected]
Data Services in EPS
CHAPTE R 4
Data Services in EPS EPS is a faster, lower latency mobile broadband solution. In contrast to previous generations of core networks of mobile broadband, LTE and EPS were designed primarily with IP connectivity and data services, rather than just voice services in mind. There were several reasons behind this change. This chapter covers these changes from the perspective of data services, while Chapter 5 covers voice services. First, when GPRS and WCDMA were originally developed during the 1990s, it was not clear what data services end-users would want or that would be successful on a mobile operator’s network. Uptake of data services developed on GPRS actually took a very long time – Wireless Access Protocol, or WAP, is one example of an IP technology that the mobile industry experimented with that had very low success rates. HSPA, meanwhile, with its much higher bandwidth for mobile broadband, as well as Wi-Fi hotspots, gave a good indication that there was a high demand for mobile broadband for people on the move to connect to corporate systems. The launch of the first “smartphone” in 2007 – the iPhone – changed everything: Mobile Internet became an intuitive service for end-users and, for the first time, content on mobile devices was decoupled from operator networks. Mobile data traffic has increased rapidly, surpassing mobile voice in Q4 2009 (Ericsson, 2011). By Q1 2011, data was responsible for twice the amount of traffic on operator networks than voice, as shown in Figure 4.1. In addition, an increasing number of devices are now significantly more than just phones – tablets, eBook readers, and other “connected devices” that benefit from having mobile connectivity have exploded in popularity. These new devices have created an application-centric ecosystem, which places the end-user at the center of the content value chain and are fueling changes in mobile network usage. Smartphone users are browse the Internet at many different points during the day. They also use a multitude of chat applications online, play games, and check emails almost constantly – often even before getting out of bed. These changes in usage patterns require network operators and vendors alike to re-think network design, operations, and management.
EPC and 4G Packet Networks. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394595-2.00004-9 Copyright © 2012, 2013 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
81
Total (uplink + downlink) monthly traffic (xxx/month)
82 Chapter 4 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 07 07 07 07 08 08 08 08 09 09 09 09 10 10 10 10 11 11 11
Voice
Data
Figure 4.1: Global Traffic in Mobile Networks 2007–2011. Source: Ericsson (2012).
The use of IP technology within EPS, therefore, is about significantly more than reducing the cost of delivering voice services; it is about the mobile broadband platform emerging to take a far greater role within the global economy and our society. Smartphones, tablets, and app stores are just the beginning of the changes that mobile broadband will deliver through data services – connectivity has become as essential as roads and electricity in end-users’ lives. The shift to an all-IP mobile operator environment therefore represents a fundamental shift in both the types of services that run on an operator’s network and the nature of the value chain that forms the basis of the industrial structure. We are now at a tipping point, as the majority of services accessed via mobile technologies become data services, rather than traditional voice or SMS services. The following sections cover two aspects of data services on EPC – messaging services and Machine-to-Machine communication.
4.1 Messaging Services The ability to send messages to users of mobile devices has become immensely popular since the introduction of the Short Messaging Service (SMS) in GSM. The introduction of more advanced messaging services such as the Multimedia Messaging
Data Services in EPS 83 9,000 8,000
Subscriptions/lines (million)
7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Mobile subscriptions
Fixed narrowband voice
Fixed broadband
Mobile broadband
Fixed VoIP
Mobile PCs/labels
Figure 4.2: Fixed and Mobile Subscriptions, 2008–2016. Source: Ericsson (2011).
Service (MMS) has offered the ability to also include photos, graphics, and sound in addition to text in the messages. Instant messaging and chat-like services have also been introduced as a means to further enhance the messaging experience for users. Just as for voice, there are two fundamentally different ways of realizing messaging support with EPC – either using an IP-based solution (like IMS-based messaging or SMS-over-IP) or using the circuit-switched infrastructure that is normally used to deliver SMS messages over GSM and WCDMA. The fact that LTE is a packet-only radio access calls for some specific mechanisms to be included in the latter case. For the case where messages are sent based on IP, there are no specific features needed in the EPC. Messages are sent transparently through the network from a messaging server to the client, and are treated just like any IP packet by the EPC. How the messaging application as such is realized is independent of EPC (as long as IP is used as the transport technology) and is beyond the scope of this book. Any sort of media (text, video, sound, graphics, etc.) can be included in messages sent using IP.
84 Chapter 4 Messagingover-IP Application
SAE GW
SMS-C
MSC-S
SGSN
GSM/ WCDMA
MME
LTE
Figure 4.3: Options for Messaging Services.
When the circuit-switched infrastructure is used for delivering messages, the MME interacts with the MSC Server. The MSC Server is normally connected to a messaging center for delivery of SMS messages over control channels in, for example, GSM and WCDMA, and via the interaction with MME, this solution can also be used for LTE. Messages are then included in NAS signaling messages between MME and the mobile device. This solution supports only SMS text messaging, meaning that other types of messages (e.g. MMS) need to be based on IP, just as for GSM and WCDMA. The two variants of messaging transmission are illustrated in Figure 4.3, where the dotted lines denote SMS transmission using signaling interfaces and the solid lines denote Messaging-over-IP transmission.
4.2 Machine Type Communication As broadband speeds increase and the cost of semiconductors has dropped, the possibility of using sensor networks and other Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technologies in conjunction with mobile broadband has begun to be explored. There are multiple use cases of M2M within a mobile broadband context. M2M and similar
Data Services in EPS 85
technologies will drive further demand for mobile broadband over the coming years. This section explores a few such use cases. In addition, the traffic generated for M2M devices is predicted to grow 22-fold from 2011 to 2016. Cisco, for example, predicts that M2M technologies will account for nearly 5% of total mobile data traffic in 2016 compared to 4% in 2011, as shown in Figure 4.4. 86% CAGR 2011-2016
Terabytes per Month 600,000
508 PB per month
300,000
23 PB per month 0
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Figure 4.4: Traffic Growth Forecast for M2M Devices. Source: Cisco VNI Mobile (2012).
These technologies will be useful in several domains, from corporations to cities; many different economic actors are set to benefit from such technologies. 4.2.1 Industrial and Corporate Uses One of the most obvious benefits of M2M communication is within companies and industrial complexes. Supply chain management, for example, is often improved with an increased level of understanding about the exact location and environmental conditions that the goods being delivered are in. Alternatively, a truck can be given a new delivery route in real time if, say, a traffic jam occurs on the original route. In fact, it is quite possible that the use of M2M and similar technologies will become a matter of competitive advantage for the companies involved. Some use cases of benefit to industry are: Built into private cars for communicating service needs, the car’s position (retrieved using GPS), as well as receiving up-to-date traffic data for traffic guidance systems
l
86 Chapter 4
Built into water or electricity meters for remote control and/or remote meter reading Built into street-side vending machines for communicating when goods are out of stock or when enough coins are present to justify a visit for emptying Built into taxi cars for validating credit cards Built into delivery cars for fleet management, including optimization of delivery routes and confirming deliveries Built into ambulances for sending life-critical medicine data to the hospital prior to arrival in order to increase chances of successful treatments Built into surveillance cameras for home or corporate security purposes.
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l
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l
l
These industrial uses are just the start of the use of mobile broadband, however. 4.2.2 Societal – M2M and Sustainable Development In addition to all this, M2M solutions and services have a wider role to play in the future of our world. 2007 marked a landmark year for the world: for the first time in history, more than 50% of the world’s population were living in cities, rather than rural areas (UNPD, 2009). This trend shows no signs of reversing. By 2016, it is predicted that users living on less than 1% of the Earth’s total land area are set to generate around 60% of mobile traffic (Ericsson Consumer Labs). The infrastructure of cities and nations must therefore adapt accordingly, from roads, lighting, metro/commuter trains, and pipelines to name just a few (HM Treasury, 2011). Much of this infrastructure will be instrumented with sensors and actuators for more efficient management, and all these devices associated with infrastructure will be connected to large-scale data analysis and management systems, the data of which needs effective capture, analysis, and visualization in order to be applied effectively in the development of smart, sustainable societies and cities. In the UK alone, this market represents a significant investment by both the government and private sector alike. The use of M2M and ICT in assisting the delivery of economic, social, and environmental outcomes for nations and regions is rapidly becoming an area of concern for professionals working in this space (Broadband Commission, 2012). In order for this transformation to be fulfilled, however, it is also necessary to build a data analytics systems that can handle the real-time nature of the flow of data from mobile and sensor networks. These technologies will allow for new forms of innovation on the data contained in mobile networks. As illustrated in Figure 4.5, the data provided from ICT implemented within a city context will provide innovation in enterprise, city, and government services.
Data Services in EPS 87
Government services
Enterprise services
Community enterprise
Data analysis platform
Citizen
Mobile device
Public transport
Mobile network
City areas
City maps
Figure 4.5: M2M and Data Analytics.
Here we see that the mobile broadband platform has the potential to become a nexus of contracts not just in the mobile telecommunications industry, but the wider global economy. EPS is the system that enables this transformation. In the following chapters, we will investigate the technology that is driving this mobile broadband revolution.
Data Services in EPS EPS is a faster, lower latency mobile broadband solution. In contrast to previous generations of core networks of mobile broadband, LTE and EPS were designed primarily with IP connectivity and data services, rather than just voice services in mind. There were several reasons behind this change. This chapter covers these changes from the perspective of data services, while Chapter 5 covers voice services. First, when GPRS and WCDMA were originally developed during the 1990s, it was not clear what data services end-users would want or that would be successful on a mobile operator’s network. Uptake of data services developed on GPRS actually took a very long time – Wireless Access Protocol, or WAP, is one example of an IP technology that the mobile industry experimented with that had very low success rates. HSPA, meanwhile, with its much higher bandwidth for mobile broadband, as well as Wi-Fi hotspots, gave a good indication that there was a high demand for mobile broadband for people on the move to connect to corporate systems. The launch of the first “smartphone” in 2007 – the iPhone – changed everything: Mobile Internet became an intuitive service for end-users and, for the first time, content on mobile devices was decoupled from operator networks. Mobile data traffic has increased rapidly, surpassing mobile voice in Q4 2009 (Ericsson, 2011). By Q1 2011, data was responsible for twice the amount of traffic on operator networks than voice, as shown in Figure 4.1. In addition, an increasing number of devices are now significantly more than just phones – tablets, eBook readers, and other “connected devices” that benefit from having mobile connectivity have exploded in popularity. These new devices have created an application-centric ecosystem, which places the end-user at the center of the content value chain and are fueling changes in mobile network usage. Smartphone users are browse the Internet at many different points during the day. They also use a multitude of chat applications online, play games, and check emails almost constantly – often even before getting out of bed. These changes in usage patterns require network operators and vendors alike to re-think network design, operations, and management.
EPC and 4G Packet Networks. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394595-2.00004-9 Copyright © 2012, 2013 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
81
Total (uplink + downlink) monthly traffic (xxx/month)
82 Chapter 4 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 07 07 07 07 08 08 08 08 09 09 09 09 10 10 10 10 11 11 11
Voice
Data
Figure 4.1: Global Traffic in Mobile Networks 2007–2011. Source: Ericsson (2012).
The use of IP technology within EPS, therefore, is about significantly more than reducing the cost of delivering voice services; it is about the mobile broadband platform emerging to take a far greater role within the global economy and our society. Smartphones, tablets, and app stores are just the beginning of the changes that mobile broadband will deliver through data services – connectivity has become as essential as roads and electricity in end-users’ lives. The shift to an all-IP mobile operator environment therefore represents a fundamental shift in both the types of services that run on an operator’s network and the nature of the value chain that forms the basis of the industrial structure. We are now at a tipping point, as the majority of services accessed via mobile technologies become data services, rather than traditional voice or SMS services. The following sections cover two aspects of data services on EPC – messaging services and Machine-to-Machine communication.
4.1 Messaging Services The ability to send messages to users of mobile devices has become immensely popular since the introduction of the Short Messaging Service (SMS) in GSM. The introduction of more advanced messaging services such as the Multimedia Messaging
Data Services in EPS 83 9,000 8,000
Subscriptions/lines (million)
7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Mobile subscriptions
Fixed narrowband voice
Fixed broadband
Mobile broadband
Fixed VoIP
Mobile PCs/labels
Figure 4.2: Fixed and Mobile Subscriptions, 2008–2016. Source: Ericsson (2011).
Service (MMS) has offered the ability to also include photos, graphics, and sound in addition to text in the messages. Instant messaging and chat-like services have also been introduced as a means to further enhance the messaging experience for users. Just as for voice, there are two fundamentally different ways of realizing messaging support with EPC – either using an IP-based solution (like IMS-based messaging or SMS-over-IP) or using the circuit-switched infrastructure that is normally used to deliver SMS messages over GSM and WCDMA. The fact that LTE is a packet-only radio access calls for some specific mechanisms to be included in the latter case. For the case where messages are sent based on IP, there are no specific features needed in the EPC. Messages are sent transparently through the network from a messaging server to the client, and are treated just like any IP packet by the EPC. How the messaging application as such is realized is independent of EPC (as long as IP is used as the transport technology) and is beyond the scope of this book. Any sort of media (text, video, sound, graphics, etc.) can be included in messages sent using IP.
84 Chapter 4 Messagingover-IP Application
SAE GW
SMS-C
MSC-S
SGSN
GSM/ WCDMA
MME
LTE
Figure 4.3: Options for Messaging Services.
When the circuit-switched infrastructure is used for delivering messages, the MME interacts with the MSC Server. The MSC Server is normally connected to a messaging center for delivery of SMS messages over control channels in, for example, GSM and WCDMA, and via the interaction with MME, this solution can also be used for LTE. Messages are then included in NAS signaling messages between MME and the mobile device. This solution supports only SMS text messaging, meaning that other types of messages (e.g. MMS) need to be based on IP, just as for GSM and WCDMA. The two variants of messaging transmission are illustrated in Figure 4.3, where the dotted lines denote SMS transmission using signaling interfaces and the solid lines denote Messaging-over-IP transmission.
4.2 Machine Type Communication As broadband speeds increase and the cost of semiconductors has dropped, the possibility of using sensor networks and other Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technologies in conjunction with mobile broadband has begun to be explored. There are multiple use cases of M2M within a mobile broadband context. M2M and similar
Data Services in EPS 85
technologies will drive further demand for mobile broadband over the coming years. This section explores a few such use cases. In addition, the traffic generated for M2M devices is predicted to grow 22-fold from 2011 to 2016. Cisco, for example, predicts that M2M technologies will account for nearly 5% of total mobile data traffic in 2016 compared to 4% in 2011, as shown in Figure 4.4. 86% CAGR 2011-2016
Terabytes per Month 600,000
508 PB per month
300,000
23 PB per month 0
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Figure 4.4: Traffic Growth Forecast for M2M Devices. Source: Cisco VNI Mobile (2012).
These technologies will be useful in several domains, from corporations to cities; many different economic actors are set to benefit from such technologies. 4.2.1 Industrial and Corporate Uses One of the most obvious benefits of M2M communication is within companies and industrial complexes. Supply chain management, for example, is often improved with an increased level of understanding about the exact location and environmental conditions that the goods being delivered are in. Alternatively, a truck can be given a new delivery route in real time if, say, a traffic jam occurs on the original route. In fact, it is quite possible that the use of M2M and similar technologies will become a matter of competitive advantage for the companies involved. Some use cases of benefit to industry are: Built into private cars for communicating service needs, the car’s position (retrieved using GPS), as well as receiving up-to-date traffic data for traffic guidance systems
l
86 Chapter 4
Built into water or electricity meters for remote control and/or remote meter reading Built into street-side vending machines for communicating when goods are out of stock or when enough coins are present to justify a visit for emptying Built into taxi cars for validating credit cards Built into delivery cars for fleet management, including optimization of delivery routes and confirming deliveries Built into ambulances for sending life-critical medicine data to the hospital prior to arrival in order to increase chances of successful treatments Built into surveillance cameras for home or corporate security purposes.
l
l
l l
l
l
These industrial uses are just the start of the use of mobile broadband, however. 4.2.2 Societal – M2M and Sustainable Development In addition to all this, M2M solutions and services have a wider role to play in the future of our world. 2007 marked a landmark year for the world: for the first time in history, more than 50% of the world’s population were living in cities, rather than rural areas (UNPD, 2009). This trend shows no signs of reversing. By 2016, it is predicted that users living on less than 1% of the Earth’s total land area are set to generate around 60% of mobile traffic (Ericsson Consumer Labs). The infrastructure of cities and nations must therefore adapt accordingly, from roads, lighting, metro/commuter trains, and pipelines to name just a few (HM Treasury, 2011). Much of this infrastructure will be instrumented with sensors and actuators for more efficient management, and all these devices associated with infrastructure will be connected to large-scale data analysis and management systems, the data of which needs effective capture, analysis, and visualization in order to be applied effectively in the development of smart, sustainable societies and cities. In the UK alone, this market represents a significant investment by both the government and private sector alike. The use of M2M and ICT in assisting the delivery of economic, social, and environmental outcomes for nations and regions is rapidly becoming an area of concern for professionals working in this space (Broadband Commission, 2012). In order for this transformation to be fulfilled, however, it is also necessary to build a data analytics systems that can handle the real-time nature of the flow of data from mobile and sensor networks. These technologies will allow for new forms of innovation on the data contained in mobile networks. As illustrated in Figure 4.5, the data provided from ICT implemented within a city context will provide innovation in enterprise, city, and government services.
Data Services in EPS 87
Government services
Enterprise services
Community enterprise
Data analysis platform
Citizen
Mobile device
Public transport
Mobile network
City areas
City maps
Figure 4.5: M2M and Data Analytics.
Here we see that the mobile broadband platform has the potential to become a nexus of contracts not just in the mobile telecommunications industry, but the wider global economy. EPS is the system that enables this transformation. In the following chapters, we will investigate the technology that is driving this mobile broadband revolution.