It’s no secret that the exploding demand for mobile data is burdening most mobile network operators (MNO) with new infrastructure outlays as they attempt to keep up with growing bandwidth needs. The massive consumption of over-the-top services by subscribers has positioned many MNOs outside the value chain for most mobile applications and services.
However, with some adjustments to the network infrastructure, specifically at the network edge, MNOs can reduce ongoing expenditures for expanding network capacity and begin profiting from these applications and services. In addition, such network edge adjustments improve the mobile user’s quality-of-experience and, hence, reduce the operator’s subscriber acquisition costs (SAC) and subscriber retention costs (SRC).
By making the Radio Access Network (RAN) application-aware, the network’s “dumb-pipes” turn into “smart-pipes.” Such a smart-pipe -- located at the edge-network with services such as RAN-based content caching, RAN-based DSN caching, and RAN-based video optimization -- can provide significant benefits, both to the MNOs and to its users.
Popular content, when cached locally at the network edge, need only to be downloaded once over the backhaul, and served from the network edge during future downloads. Since backhaul pricing is primarily based on channel bandwidth, reducing peak backhaul traffic allows the MNOs to use a lower bandwidth backhaul connection, thereby reducing costs.
In addition, the use of local storage accelerates the delivery of content to mobile devices. All these factors enable the MNOs to control their CAPEX and OPEX expenditures as wireless traffic volumes grow.
Today, with the transition to real-time multimedia services -- such as video- streaming and instant searches -- providing a high-quality user experience requires high data rates and reduced round trip time (RTT). Moving content to the network edge significantly improves the RTT and the resulting user experience.