SCALING THE NETWORK RISE OF THE “THING”

29/11/2013

Agenda

1. The “Things”

2. Where do they fit in?

3. What should we prepare for

4. Adapting the Network Model

WE ARE COMING

The Things and M2M Varying Applications

– Consumer Electronics

– Energy

– Healthcare

– Retail

The list goes on………..

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– Automotive

– Logistics

– Advertising

– Retail

– Higher overall numbers at lower throughput

– Some applications exceed traditional consumer usage

– Significant overlap between usage Points, but at much lower volumes

Adding “Things” to the Existing Profiles

High number of connected

devices

Areas of significant

commonality

IoT

Smartphone

M2M

MBB

Fixed

Increasing Attached

Increasing Throughput

A Varied Ecosystem already exists

– Varied profiles already exist

– Consolidation of these profiles create the overall demand

– Future services should have less unpredictability as functions are more specific

– However device numbers increase significantly as specialised functionality increases

Comparative Traffic Profiles

– The less specific the segment the more variability in profile

– Specific devices will have predictable behaviour

– We understand these behaviours

Knowing the expected behaviour allows us to predict based upon current behaviour where impact areas will be.

Given the common discussed use cases, areas of focus are:

– Registration and Authentication

– Signalling and Control plane

– Policy Control and Security

– Data Storage and monitoring

Where will the Impact be?

Registration and Identification

Additional Register Demands:

– Significant uplift in number of provisioned devices

– Increases queries to HSS/HLR and load on signalling too

– Registers will scale but cost is key

IP Addressing and Identity

– IPv6 is key to support growth

– IP Addresses are becoming a commodity

– What about identity? REGISTERS

Signalling and Control Plane

Use Case Dependant Impact Area

Drives Mobility: • Highly Mobile Use Cases e.g. Cars, Freight • Increases handover signalling

MME/SGSN

RAN Processing

Number of attached Devices : • Increased Edge and Core resource • Simultaneous Usage will cause peaks • e.g. software updates

Low Power Devices/Infrequent sessions: • Increases session set-up/teardown. • LTE bearers or PDP Contexts • Increases RAN signalling • Simultaneous Usage

PGW/GGSN

Firewalls and Policy

Area Updates

Spot the iOS update

Telemetry - Peaking

Security and Increased Flows

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Large Number of Flows

Multiple Flows to many points Security and Policy Control is significantly impacted: − Increased sessions = Increased processing − Processing larger number of smaller flows is

more intensive

Common points in network will need to be protected from spikes in simultaneous traffic or attack Policy control if implemented will increase significantly Common Control points such as in MNO networks allow this to be managed centrally

Big Data goes Huge?

Information will flow between more places than ever before.

We need Intelligence to:

• Predict Device Behaviour to accurately dimension network and forecast growth

• Support Network optimisation and dimensioning

But what About Adding Value?

Can we use this information to enhance or provide value add services?

Privacy questions must be answered

Are we ready to store this? Do we know how effectively to use/process the information? Do you have the organisation structure?

BIG DATA

HUGE DATA

Adapting your Network Model • Challenge License Model

• Unlink number of devices from licence

• Flexible, should not be linked to customer type or a specific metric

• Embrace NFV

• Commodity hardware with Network as software to allow flex of resource

• Prevents micromanagement of network elements and scaling elements individually

• Support Effective QoS

• Traffic peaks will occur, how crucial are the services you support, who takes priority?

• Security and Policy Control

• Consider what level of security for various applications

• Don’t assume it can just be “Open”

Flexibility

Understand your Customers

Summary

1. Devices will exhibit behaviour we already see in higher volume

2. Challenge licencing and embrace Flexibility

3. Know your Customers – “Thing” is not enough

THANK YOU

BACKUP SLIDES

The Smartphone as the Hub?

For the consumer more information will be available to manage their lives Smartphones and tablets are established as platforms to control and consolidate More “Things” will drive increased flows Will add to the increase of policy control and the flow of information

Application/Device Led Security Network Supported Security

Possible Security/Policy Modes of Operation

Security & Policy

Walled Garden Internet Model

Application Walled Garden

Walled Garden Internet Model

Application Walled Garden

Access

Transport

3GPP Core

• Communication possible within walled garden

• Network enforces security rules and policy

• Any device can communicate with any other

• Any device can communicate with any service

• Security rules/policies more important

• Network helps secure access to applications

• Communication between device only possible via servers e.g. whatsapp, imessage, RCSe

• Everything within walled garden is trusted

• Does not prevent from attacks of devices of same type

• Application or device holds security

• Core prevents comms outside walled garden

• Open comms between devices

• Requires device led security rules

• Application requires security

• Devices can only work with one Application

• Rule based upon hard device configuration

• Core prevents comms outside walled garden

Application

Predicting Capacity Demand

Capacity Demands can be predicted if the following is known:

• Quantity We know quantities will be high. How high depends upon your target market and Use Cases

• Volume Mixed volumes but primarily low volume • Behaviour Use case dependant

School Finishing

time

3GPP Based IoT Services

YES!

34.7m Registered vehicles With Roaming

63.7m UK Population

Cats 19% of households Dogs 25% of households

26.3m households

Haulage with Roaming across borders

63.7m Population Personal Area network

Ease of International Roaming

Hubs to aggregate localised solutions