NSN: Android and Blackberry Phones Overload Networks with Signaling

     

Nokia Siemens Networks'  "Smart Lab" published a new whitepaper analyzing the problem of signaling traffic generated by smartphone in mobile networks. This keep-alive/chatty/heavy signaling problem is a real issue to both mobile operators (sometime even more than bandwidth usage) and to the customers.

The extensive use of signaling overloads network resources (beyond just bandwidth), drains batteries (both sides do not like that), resulting charges for traffic the subscriber is not aware off (see "Metering and Billing Wireless Data for 20M Subscribers is not Trivial" - here) and more. See more - "T-Mobile Netherlands Reduces Data Signaling by 30% with NSN Cell_PCH" (here) and "StarHub Uses Huawei to Reduce Network Signaling by 83%" (here)

See "Understanding Smartphone Behavior in the Network" - here.

NSN says that while total traffic in Western Europe grew by 65% between December 2009 and July 2010, signaling traffic grew by 177% (without signaling optimization).

   

Nevertheless, while Apple iOS devices (here) are compatible with the 3GPP Fast Dormancy feature, used to solve the problem (and implemented by NSN's Cell_PCH feature), NSN finds that both Google's Android and RIM's Blackberry phones are generating much more signaling than the share of the total traffic, while laptop dongles (generating 60% of traffic) only generate 1% of signaling traffic (see charts) and are not supporting Fast Dormancy correctly.

Smartphones Bandwidth Efficiency

       

Sprint announced yesterday that it "will increase its postpaid rates by applying a $10 per month Premium Data add-on charge to activations of smartphones beginning Jan. 30. The charge will assist Sprint in offering simple and affordable unlimited plans for its customers while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for a richer mobile experience. Subscribers with smartphones will still receive the best value in wireless, including the Any Mobile, Anytime feature offered nationwide only by Sprint". 

  

See the carrier's press release "Smartphones Drive Wireless Data Explosion" - here. However - are all smartphone alike? Maybe not. RIM thinks they are better.

 

While I usually cover network based solutions that help carriers manage bandwidth and QoE, there are obviously some ways for the end-user device's software to help achieving better QoE and reduce network load.

An article by Deon Liebenberg (picture), regional director for Sub Sahara Africa at Research In Motion (RIM) covers "the need for more efficient utilisation of network bandwidth" and how the[ir] smartphone o/s and applications may help achieving higher efficiency.

See "Efficient smartphones key to a strong mobile user experience" - here.

"A February 2010 report from Rysavy Research[5] highlights how integral efficiency is to the BlackBerry solution. From network bandwidth conservation to battery life conservation, this report found that only the BlackBerry platform operates the concept of “just-in-time data”, whereby only as many bits as required are pulled down: this helps to make mobile email efficient for carriers, without impacting the end-user experience ... In addition, competitive tests conducted as part of this research illustrated that the BlackBerry platform uses one-third of data consumed by competitive browsers when surfing popular mobile websites. This represents a substantial saving in network traffic and lower costs for users on usage-based data plans"

RIM Required to Provide Web Filtering In Indonesia

     

RIM, the Canadian mobile phone manufacturer, is required by the Indonesian regulator to prevent its 2M phone users in the country from accessing web sites featuring adult content.

According to Sue Ling Chan and Femi Adi from BusinessWeek  "RIM has until Jan. 21 to begin filtering porn sites or face legal action including revocation, Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring told reporters in Jakarta today"

See "RIM to Censor Web Porn From BlackBerrys in Indonesia" - here.

"RIM is in talks with domestic phone carriers to find a “prompt, compliant filtering solution" ... the maker of the BlackBerry said in a statement today .. The government will meet with RIM and six mobile-service providers Jan. 17 to ask them to filter out pornographic websites, Muhammad Budi Setyawan [pictured], director general of post and telecommunications at the ministry, said today by phone. The ministry is targeting pornography, not RIM, as most Indonesian providers block such sites, he said"

Go ahead DPI vendors - an opportunity to up sell one more solution to your Indonesian customers ..

See:

UK Government Wants "Opt Out" Parental Control - here

Telkomsel (Indonesia) Uses Ericsson for Service Differentiation and Traffic Control - here  

Indonesian Provider Deploys Openet's Policy Manager - here