Camiant supports LTE in new policy server

Next-generation wireless technologies like LTE will certainly deliver more bandwidth, but that doesn’t mean operators won’t have to continue to control and manage access. That’s the message from policy vendor Camiant, which today released a new version of its Multimedia Policy Engine platform that supports the latest 3GPP wireless standards.

The new version of the Camiant policy server is among the first to support new service assurance requirements defined in Release 8 of the 3GPP standards. The server is already deployed in more than 20 mobile, fixed and cable operators around the world, most often deployed – usually in conjunction with deep packet inspection (DPI) boxes – to help carriers manage access to scarce broadband bandwidth.

DPI vendors like Allot Communications have already begun to shift their focus to emerging wireless networks. Camiant has taken a similar path, talking openly in the past about the opportunities presented by wireless operators, most of whom are already facing a bandwidth crunch. While LTE and other next-generation technologies will offer more bandwidth, it is likely to be consumed just as rapidly by increasingly mobile-savvy customers.

“I haven’t talked to any operator that says they have plenty of bandwidth,” said Camiant vice president of business development Randy Fuller.

In addition to increasing bandwidth, LTE introduces the evolved packet core, an all-IP architecture that provides operators with lower cost and greater network and service flexibility. Camiant’s policy server has the potential to play a key role in those packet networks, enabling operators to define rules for bandwidth consumption and service rating that can more finely target customer segments. The most widely used implementation of policy servers today is to help set rules to manage bandwidth consumption, for instance, scaling back heavy users or bandwidth-rich applications during periods of congestion.

Specifically, the new version of Camiant’s policy server will add support for the additional interfaces and rules defined in Release 8, including the S9 interface to enable roaming policies and Gxx interfaces used to control both 3GPP and non-3GPP access networks. The server will also support lawful intercept control functions as required by several operators.