Alcatel Carrier Internetworking Solutions 9500 MPR manual Need for IP Transformation

The Need for IP Transformation

The growing demand for new broadband services requires more connectivity and additional ports at cell sites. Packet traffic growth from these new broadband services drives bandwidth requirements higher — up to 20 Mb/s to 30 Mb/s per cell site. This increase is driven by packet traffic rather than voice traffic, so capacity and quality constraints are different.

As mobile network infrastructure evolves, IP-native base stations will have Ethernet interfaces rather than E1 or T1. This change in physical interfaces brings new challenges to backhaul networks; and because the transition will not happen overnight, backhaul networks must migrate gracefully while supporting a mixed payload of legacy TDM and growing packet traffic.

The evolution of microwave radio from TDM to packet technologies enables data–aware transport — which can support new high–bandwidth services while leveraging existing technologies. IP transformation typically seeks to achieve four major goals:

•Gradual transformation of the network — focusing on areas where compelling events force investment in a solution

•Return on these investments in less than two years, as a result of OPEX savings

•Minimized OPEX, despite capacity increases — which requires optimizing the use of scarce resources and aggregating all services over a single pipe, with no overlays

•Use of a multi-vendor model, with standard protocols and no proprietary equipment

IP transformation drivers

•The need for additional connectivity (ports) to introduce new broadband technologies and services (HSDPA, EV-DO,Wi-Fi hotspots, WiMAX)

•Increased bandwidth requirements for new packet- based services (20 Mb/s to 30 Mb/s per cell site)

•Physical interface changes

(Ethernet base stations) which avoid the need for separate overlay networks to support Ethernet connectivity and backhaul

Figure 2. Traffic and Revenue Evolution with a Massive Introduction of Broadband Services. Data traffic is growing fast but revenues are not increasing at the same pace. You need more efficient ways to transport the additional packet traffic generated by broadband services.

Voice Era Data Era

Packet

Traffic

Traffic and

Revenue

Divergence

Revenues

Time

4 Alcatel-Lucent 9500 MPR – Microwave Packet Radio