4G World: Traffix revs platform to help operators manage LTE signaling

Traffix Systems today enhanced its platform to help mobile operators manage the onslaught of network signaling they face in today’s 4G mobile networks.

Traffix has been pushing its Diameter Edge Agent (DEA) for several years now, finding interest especially lately among mobile operators struck by the heavy signaling load on today’s 4G networks and typically IMS-based software back-ends. Carriers like Verizon and Telefonica have been hit with signaling overload outages this year, while vendors including Traffix, Tekelec, Acme Packet and others are addressing that signaling crunch with a variety of approaches to improve how messages between various network elements are managed (CP: The LTE signaling challenge).

At the 4G World show this week in Chicago, Traffix debuted new capabilities on its DEA, which is part of its larger Signaling Delivery Controller (SDC) routing solution. The platform’s Diameter Gateway, Diameter Load Balancer and Diameter Router solutions provide the capabilities that carriers need to support heavy subscriber use of smartphones and mobile broadband data services.

At a high level, the upgrade improves the security capabilities of the platform while also supporting more advanced service scenarios that could boost the signaling load even further, such as network roaming, third party content delivery and advanced billing approaches (Briefing Room: Traffix Announces Enhancements in its Diameter Edge Agent (DEA)).

The release is essentially focused on bringing even more advanced routing capabilities to the platform, which are important as both the load and complexity of mobile data network traffic increases. For instance, the vendor gives the example of a problem arising between the PCRF (policy) servers on two different networks; theTraffix DEA platform would protect both networks from message overflow and failover situations.

Connected Planet recently discussed the signaling challenges facing mobile operators with Traffix CEO Ben Volkow. This week’s update to its DEA platform is particularly important for dealing with signaling issues at the network edge, and between networks, such as in roaming scenarios, he said.

As these networks get launched, it’s very important for operators to see who is connecting to their networks and who is roaming on their network,” he said.
Such network scenarios will only generate more network signaling, an ongoing challenge on mobile networks. “What operators are seeing is more and more boxes and more and more complexity when it comes to signaling.”