Starent preparing for 3G 'tidal wave'

As the wireless industry prepares for the deluge of IP data traffic brought on by coming 4G networks, mobile core vendor Starent Networks (NASDAQ:STAR) is prophesying that the flood will come long before long-term evolution (LTE) and WiMax networks become common. Starent's Jonathan Morgan and Andy Capener said that 3G data traffic has grown at surprising clip in the last two years and has the potential to increase even faster as new high-speed packet access (HSPA) technologies come online.

"There is a 3G mobile tidal wave coming," said Morgan, Starent's senior director of product marketing. "In the next five years, we could see 30 times to 70 times the demand we see today. Much of that will be driven by HSPA and HSPA+ networks."

Many of the major vendors are revamping their core network architectures in preparation for 4G. Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) are building their LTE packet cores on powerful router platforms from their IP divisions, while Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) is optimizing its IP Next-Generation Network architecture for the demands of the WiMax core. But Starent is looking to get ahead of the core, optimizing its current ST40 platform to meet increased 3G data needs as well as prepping it for the eventual 4G onslaught.

In July, Starent will release a new version of its Packet Services Card (PSC), the brains of its distributed gateway architecture, boosting the processing and routing capacity four times over its predecessor. The ST40 platform supports up to 14 PSC cards, each of which can function as a serving gateway support node (SGSN) or a GPRS gateway support node (GGSN) for HSPA networks or a packet data serving node (PDSN) for CDMA networks. Starent is also releasing a new interface card for the ST40, a 10-gigabit-per-second Ethernet card to support the increased traffic flow.

The platform is the same one it is preparing for the LTE evolved packet core and will be the same product Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ, NYSE:VOD) deploys in its new 4G network next year, only with different software. In fact, Starent is counting on positioning the kit as a multi-standard solution that will support both 3G and 4G core architectures simultaneously as well as the key interconnecting element between CDMA and LTE networks, the HRPD serving gateway. By adding core capacity to their networks today, operators can prepare for 4G while meeting their increased 3G data demands, said Capener, Starent's vice president of marketing communications.

So far Starent hasn't seen any crises from operators using its equipment, Capener said. In a few high-traffic regions, Starent has had to add new ST40 boxes to the network to handle data congestion, Capener said, but in general, the current generation platform has plenty of overhead. However, GSM operators are starting to move up through the iterations of the HSPA standard, dramatically increasing the capacity of their networks. AT&T is in the process of doubling its HSPA capacity to 7.2 megabits per second and will further triple it in the next two years by upgrading to evolved HSPA, or HSPA+.

CDMA operators may not have the same upgrade path for EV-DO, but they are seeing the same demands for more data on their networks as they sell more smartphones and support more laptops and netbooks. Raw capacity demands aren't just increasing, Capener said; signaling traffic is also exploding as more "always-on" data devices constantly ping the network.

"The increased demand in the network for data has already exceeded our expectations, and in a few cases, we've had to add platforms to our customers' networks," Capener said. "I wouldn't characterize any of our customers as being under stress right now, but we certainly have a lot of interest in the new upgraded platform."