Nokia Dynamic Diameter Engine to Handle IoT and VoLTE Signaling Traffic Growth

The “data storm” already raging that is compelling mobile and fixed network service operators to transition their networks to all-IP and virtualize as much as possible while doing so continues to be well-documented.  However, what tends to be over-looked is the equally, some might argue more forceful, data storm that is impacting the global communications underlying signaling capabilities. The reasons are simple; all of those apps on our smart devices are constantly getting pinged.  This is why signaling traffic is increasing as impressive exponential rates.

However, when looking out over the near horizon, it is not just those apps that need to concern operators.  The advent of massive IoT deployments and the urgency of putting in next generation signaling solutions to assure the ramping rollout of voice over LTE (News - Alert) (VoLTE) and voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFI) only add to the challenges of accommodating the unabated surge in signaling traffic.  It is why the market for next generation signaling solutions like Diameter Signaling, projected to be over a $2 billion market by 2020, to say the least has outstanding growth prospects.

In an effort to help communication service providers (CSPs) deal with the issue of unprecedented signaling growth Nokia (News - Alert) has launched the Nokia Dynamic Diameter Engine (DDE).  This is a  cloud-based solution, and the industry's first virtualized solution to incorporate Nokia's Agile Rules Technology (A.R.T.)—which is described by Nokia as being, “backed by more than 150 patents, A.R.T. helps operators apply intelligent rules and ensure performance in complex signaling control scenarios.”

A control plane “traffic cop”

Nokia is highlighting the fact that the DDE serves as a control plane "traffic cop." In this capacity, its rules-based engine reduces operational expenses by allowing operators to quickly create and modify rules. This is non-trivial as it is a requirement for being able to effectively manage all of that signaling traffic efficiently, effectively and securely.

Another attraction is that the Nokia DDE can run on commercial off the shelf hardware but is designed to run in the Telco Cloud. In fact, it is integrated with Nokia's CloudBand portfolio that hosts, orchestrates, automates, and manages virtualized network functions and services.  

Bhaskar Gorti, president of the Applications and Analytics Business Group at Nokia: "There are plenty of established signaling control solutions that do the job as required today. However they typically are not built for virtualization and often lack the flexibility needed for the signaling requirements of IoT and VoLTE. In contrast, Nokia DDE was built for the Cloud and is ready to support emerging signaling requirements."

Sue Rudd, Director Service Provider Analysis at Strategy Analytics (News - Alert): "Signaling traffic is escalating as new services, IoT devices and complex new use cases demand highly flexible and scalable handling. Operators must be able to vary control plane and signaling capacity instantly for new Diameter traffic flows. The only cost effective approach is for operators to virtualize their network signaling resources. Built for virtualization, the Nokia DDE Diameter signaling controller and its embedded Agile (News - Alert) Rules Technology addresses the need for intelligent scalability and adds the extensibility of a Cloud-based solution." 

The Nokia DDE is a part of a growing portfolio of policy and charging products.  It is deployed in the labs of a North American Tier 1 service provider and will be generally available this month.