LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC) Solutions
Overview
To achieve the high data rates and low latency requirements of LTE, the
System Architecture Evolution (SAE) defined in the 3GPP specifications has made
radical changes to the 3/3.5G network architecture. Mobility Management Entity
(MME), Serving Gateway (SGW), and the PDN Gateway (PGW), which comprise the
Evolved Packet Core (EPC) realize specific functionality defined by the SAE. EPC
equipment vendors are compelled to build high quality and differentiated
products for these EPC entities at a competitive price-point and within a short
duration.
Aricent offers a comprehensive suite of protocol stacks, software frameworks
and services for the Evolved Packet Core. The solutions include offerings for
eSAE gateway (the SGW and the PGW), as well as for the MME. Aricent offers two
pre-packaged solutions that are tailored to help vendors accelerate development
of EPC solutions:
- Protocol Stacks – Hardware and operating system agnostic
protocol stacks for different EPC components are offered individually as
Protocol Stacks. These are tailored to help the vendors who are either
evolving their current products to LTE or building new products reduce
time-to-market and alleviate concerns related to frequent specification
changes.
- Frameworks – Aricent offers pre-integrated and
pre-optimized frameworks for both MME and EPC/SAE gateways. These frameworks
incorporate complete signaling functionality and are easily integrated with
OAM, HA and data path functions.
Customer Challenges
- Support millions of subscribers on a single MME
- Building a sophisticated data plane to support the bandwidth requirements
of LTE
- Efficiently handle large routing tables with frequent updates at the
SGW/PGW
Aricent’s Evolved Packet Core Solutions
MME Solution – The MME solution offers a
comprehensive feature set to support Mobility Management, Session Management,
and Security. External interfaces supported by this solution include S1-MME,
S11, S6a, S10, S13, S101, S102, S3, SGs. The solution can scale to support up to
1 million subscribers.
SGW/PGW Solution – The feature set supported by the SGW/PGW
solution includes online and offline charging, static and dynamic QoS, default
and dedicated bearers, and SGi interface based on local DHCP, RADIUS and
DIAMETER. External interfaces supported include S11, Transparent SGi,
Non-transparent SGi, S5, Gn, Gx, Gy/Ro, Gz/Rf, and S4. The solution can scale to
support up to 1 million subscribers.
Product Lifecycle Services
- Product Strategy and Design – Aricent’s services in
the areas of product strategy and architecture, system design, and hardware
engineering are based on extensive experience designing collapsed nodes and
data communications products, and help vendors architect robust and
future-proof EPC products.
- Product Development – Aricent’s product design and
development services based on a unique combination of wireless and data
communications expertise, include interpreting emerging LTE specifications,
creating new product requirements, as well as designing and developing the
overall EPC gateway products
- Testing and Certification – Aricent’s offers product
validation, interoperability, managed testing and certification services.
With heavy investments in network infrastructure and labs, test automation
tools and global best practices, Aricent helps vendors identify and address
quality and IOT issues related to LTE.
Key Benefits
Accelerate Time to Market – Aricent’s EPC solutions
significantly reduce the time to entry into the LTE market, by relieving vendors
of the task of developing and integrating multiple complex protocols.
Cost Savings – OEMs can realize savings of as much as 50% on
SGW/PGW gateways and up to 80% on MME products from reduced development,
testing, integration and maintenance expenses.
Flexibility – Depending on the need for scalability and
performance, customers can consistently use the same pre-packaged frameworks for
a variety of products that address different segments like low-end, mid-end and
high-end.
Wireless and Data Communications Expertise – Equipment
vendors can rest assured that the pre-packaged frameworks are backed by an
extensive set of services, and more than 3000 man years of experience in the
wireless and data communications space