Pipeline Publishing, Volume 4, Issue 5

Pipeline Publishing, Volume 4, Issue 10

	This Month's Issue:
	Managing the Content Revolution

Deep Packet Inspection:
Key to the Broadband Future

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Allocating bandwidth through fine-grain monitoring, which is DPI’s hallmark, is also key to ensuring suitably low latencies for online video gaming. What was once just a couple of players or a small team initiating the gaming traffic now involves massive numbers of people around the globe, some of whom are playing professionally, and mounting streams of gaming traffic. DPI can help providers offer the fast response times required by gamers, while at the same time preserving bandwidth for other, non-gaming subscribers.

Choosing a Carrier-Grade DPI System

What should you look for when deciding on which DPI system to invest in?

First, the DPI system you choose must be able to perform at the speeds needed today (10+ Gbps) and include the capability to scale upward as the need for increased speed arises. In addition, the DPI system needs to accommodate hundreds of thousands of subscribers and millions of IP flows simultaneously, without a loss in the subscriber’s QoE.

Second, it’s important to choose a system with a powerful DPI engine that provides Layer 7 application awareness, network intelligence, and visibility to all services being provided. The DPI system also needs to have the power to inspect traffic flows in real-time at line speeds introducing little or no latency as it identifies the applications traversing the network.

Third, openness and compliance with industry standards are important factors when choosing a DPI system. An open, standardized platform will ensure providers are not locked into proprietary equipment and protocols. Industry standards also encourage the best of breed third party value-added application vendors to become part of the platform. Some examples of telecommunications industry standards are:

The insights and control afforded by DPI allow service providers to personalize the services they offer their subscribers, resulting in more satisfied customers and reduced churn, and generating increased ARPU.

AdvancedTCA or Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture — which is a series of standard specifications that incorporate the latest trends in high-speed interconnect technologies, next generation processors, and improved reliability, manageability and serviceability, resulting in a new blade (board) and chassis (shelf) form factor optimized for communications

NEBS or Network Equipment Building System — which outlines a set of safety, spatial, and environmental design guidelines applied to telecommunications equipment in the United States

Conclusion

As service providers face the never-ending challenges of keeping up with subscriber usage trends and stiff competition, they are turning to content-based and value-added services as a way of increasing revenue streams. The insights and control afforded by DPI allow service providers to personalize the services they offer their subscribers, resulting in more satisfied customers and reduced churn, and generating increased ARPU. DPI systems should be chosen based on their openness and compliance with industry standards, their proven capabilities, and their performance reputation.

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