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development of a QoE measurement – the mean opinion score (MOS). The MOS, initially applied to voice telephony, has been extended to data and video. It provides a numerical measure of the perceived quality of the media received after it is transmitted and eventually compressed using codecs. QoE is most critical for video applications, which are more sensitive to IP impairments than voice services. Packet delay or loss can produce a range of degradations in the service (and customer) experience. It is not a simple matter of determining what bits are lost; where those bits reside in the video frame sequence is also important. For example, even a low packet loss can produce severe degradation if the reference or “I-frame” is impacted as that degradation is propagated to subsequent frames.
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)
DPI has emerged as a valuable technology to aid operators in their quest to create application-aware networks. With DPI, operators can look inside the packet payload to identify individual streams of traffic on a per-user and per-application basis. Armed with this granular level of information, mobile operators can carry out marketing, engineering, and operations functions in a much more sophisticated fashion than was possible with the traditional technique of simply analyzing the packet header.
On the marketing side, operators have much better visibility into exactly which services their subscribers are using. With that information, they are better able to determine what new services to offer in the future. From the operations perspective, DPI enables more effective and efficient network monitoring and troubleshooting as well as a greater awareness of potential security threats. Engineering groups gain a better understanding of traffic trends and capacity requirements that enable enhanced network planning and optimization.
End-to-End Call Trace Capability
As the networks converge, a single call or session can traverse multiple networks, including time division multiplexing (TDM), VoIP, IMS, 2G/2.5G/3G and cable. Therefore, the ability to perform a real-time call or session trace network-wide across multiple interfaces and protocols is critical. With this capability, operators can tie together messages for each session and track it across network points to determine where irregularities and failures occur. Operators must have the ability to test multiple network technologies, route calls efficiently and effectively, and monitor traffic as it passes through signaling and media gateways and across their networks. As the networks converge, it is essential to have end-to-end visibility to pinpoint anomalies and understand the customer experience.
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While QoS can indicate how well a packet is preserved in transport, it does not represent what the customer hears and sees – the quality of experience. |
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Real-time Subscriber and Service Data
The key to profitability in delivering multimedia services across converged networks is having access to real-time data that allows the operator to understand the quality of service and customer experience. Complex, multimedia applications require real-time monitoring. Historical data and post-mortem analyses provide little benefit in the world of interactive media.
To maintain customer satisfaction and ensure the successful delivery of new services, operators need tools that track service availability, reliability, and delivery. Equipped with real-time data, operators can identify the source of service disruptions before customer complaints arise and revenue is lost. They can trace transactions, verify service delivery, and identify the source of failed transactions. Real-time statistics for each subscriber, including send/receive time, throughput, abort rates, and transmission rates, are critical to understanding service efficiency and the customer experience. Service usage data also permits providers to identify the most popular services, enabling them to create new, targeted marketing programs that increase revenue.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Whether in NGN, 4G/WiMAX or future IMS networks, visibility into the user experience and service interaction is critical to service assurance and network performance. Operators will require new KPIs that analyze not only signaling messages but also the quality of the voice and data payload. As operators move to service- and subscriber-focused networks, they will need new metrics that measure network availability and accessibility, as well as service accessibility, integrity, and retainability.
Summary
As operators roll-out media-rich applications, they need to rethink not just the network architecture but also their service assurance strategies. Service reliability, optimal network performance and quality of experience are critical to maintaining a competitive advantage and ensuring profitability. In this multi-technology, multi-service environment, a service assurance solution that provides end-to-end subscriber and service visibility allows operators to move from simply meeting subscriber expectations to delivering an outstanding customer experience.
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About Tekelec Tekelec’s market-leading solutions enable the secure and instant delivery of calls and text messages for more than one billion subscribers. The company’s session management solutions allow telecom operators to manage diverse applications, technologies and protocols, across existing and evolving networks, to meet the demands of today’s consumer and whatever comes next. www.tekelec.com
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