Mobile Caching Needed to Manage Mobile Traffic Overload, Heavy Reading Finds

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile operators are turning to caching solutions to manage their exponentially growing network traffic, but many technical hurdles must be overcome to make caching work in a mobile context, according to a major new report from Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), the research division of Light Reading (www.lightreading.com).

Crossing the Gi: Will Edge Caching Be the Key to Managing Mobile Traffic? examines the growth of mobile traffic, analyzing the impact of video and the actions operators are considering to manage growing volumes of mobile traffic. It examines the adoption of caching by mobile operators, evaluating the primary drivers and challenges for operators using caching as a solution. The report also profiles 16 leading vendors of mobile caching solutions.

The report also includes specific analysis of 16 key vendors in this space, describing their solutions and strategic positioning in this market, as well as their relative strengths and weaknesses. For the full list of mobile caching solution vendors, please see: http://img.lightreading.com/heavyreading/pdf/hr20120717_vendors.pdf

"Traffic on mobile networks is growing rapidly, with further exponential growth expected over the next five years, notes Aditya Kishore, Senior Analyst with Heavy Reading and author of the report. "A major driver of this growth is video traffic, which is expected to account for the majority of mobile traffic in 2012 itself. Operators are looking for ways to manage their costs in the face of this growth, without affecting end-user quality of experience (QoE)."

The location of caches depends on the issue the operator is trying to address, Kishore explains. "Today the majority of caches are to be found at international links, peering points, etc. – typically based in a fairly centralized data center and aimed at managing transit costs. But there is now a trend toward caching at the Gi interface (between the GGSN in a 3G network, and the Internet). This is aimed at reducing latency and improving end-user QoE."

Key findings of Crossing the Gi: Will Edge Caching Be the Key to Managing Mobile Traffic? include the following:

Caching is most effective the closer it is to the consumer. This relieves the maximum amount of upstream bandwidth and offers the highest end-user QoE, since content has to traverse the shortest possible distance. Mobile operators are interested in pushing caches beyond the Gi interface and closer to end users, but crossing the Gi creates a long list of new challenges.

"Breaking the tunnel" is a challenge for edge caching on mobile networks. In mobile networks, data traffic is encapsulated in a series of GTP tunnels between the GGSN and the base station. If operators want to cache content anywhere on this stretch, they must "break" the tunnel and the security, select the content they wish to cache, and send the rest on. It appears that most operators – concerned about security implications and increasing complexity and cost – are not very keen to do so.

Vendors such as Stoke Networks and Ruckus are offering operators break-out solutions for offloading traffic at the edge. These vendors are able to navigate the requirements for breaking the tunnel. As such, caching vendors can partner with these solution providers or just get deployed in their slipstream without having to engineer a comprehensive break-out solution themselves.

Caches are likely to become more distributed over time, but it will probably be a few years before widespread deployment occurs at the edge. Today, we are more likely to see deployments at the Gi interface. The key drivers for pushing further out on the network will be the transition to LTE, and potentially the emergence of small cells and standardized break-out solutions for offload.

Crossing the Gi: Will Edge Caching Be the Key to Managing Mobile Traffic? costs $3,995 and is published in PDF format. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company.

For additional information, or to request a free executive summary of this report, please contact:

Dave Williams
Sales Director
Heavy Reading
858-829-8612
dave.williams@heavyreading.com

Press/analyst contact:
Jennifer Baker
Marketing Director, Light Reading Communications Network
617-871-1910
jbaker@lightreading.com

About Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com) Heavy Reading is an independent research organization offering deep analysis of emerging telecom trends to network operators, technology suppliers, and investors. Its product portfolio includes in-depth reports that address critical next-generation technology and service issues, market trackers that focus on the telecom industry's most critical technology sectors, exclusive worldwide surveys of network operator decision-makers that identify future purchasing and deployment plans, and a rich array of custom and consulting services that give clients the market intelligence needed to compete successfully in the $4 trillion global telecom industry. As a telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network (www.lrcn.com), Heavy Reading contributes to the only integrated business information platform serving the global communications industry.

About Light Reading Communications Network (www.lrcn.com) The Light Reading Communications Network combines the most trusted telecom research brands with award-winning online communities and a rich events portfolio to deliver the only integrated business information platform serving the global communications industry.  With the power of this platform, leaders who build, deploy, finance, and regulate next-generation telecom networks are able to make more informed decisions on emerging market and service opportunities.  Light Reading Communications Network is a division of UBM TechWeb (www.ubmtechweb.com), the global leader in technology media and business information.

SOURCE Heavy Reading