TMCnet News
Stoke Sees Sharp Ramp in Deployments of Its Standalone LTE eNodeB Aggregation Gateways(Market Wire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SANTA CLARA, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 05/10/11 -- With a growing number of operators transitioning their networks to LTE, mobile broadband gateway developer Stoke Inc. is noting an accelerating increase in demand for its secure LTE base station (eNodeB) aggregation devices. While security capabilities integrated into other Evolved Packet Core (EPC) elements are available, Stoke's standalone approach enables operators to better scale their networks to accommodate growth in traffic and eNodeBs. As the transition to LTE gathers pace, securing LTE network communications has become a top priority for operators. This is because of the shift to IP protocol end-to-end and remote base stations deployed in less secure or 'untrusted' locations. Both of these factors represent a significant departure from traditional, closed cellular networks. LTE networks are therefore exposed to security risks. Additionally, compelling new mobile devices and applications are encouraging greater use of streaming media by consumers, which means that base stations must be provisioned for increasingly heavy usage patterns. "Because of the shift towards All-IP and remote base stations, security is a priority function in LTE networks," said Stéphane Téral, Principal Analyst at Infonetics Research. "The security function in the all-IP LTE network can be delivered either through integrated capabilities in evolved packet core nodes, or as a separate security gateway device as in the case of Stoke. The standalone model allows network operators to scale the security function independently from other EPC functions, which becomes increasingly important as network demand grows." The case for standaloneLTE's standards development organization, 3GPP, has specified security standards for user traffic, signaling traffic, and system management traffic and states that the security requirement can be delivered as either integrated or discrete network nodes. Together with session processing, inter-carrier roaming, and traffic routing, security requirements add a significant processing burden on core network elements. LTE networks must therefore be structured to allow the overstretched functions to be expanded independently of other functions. Greg Collins, principal analyst at research firm Exact Ventures, said, "Given the difference in security profile between 3G networks and LTE, the exploding traffic volumes in the core, compounded by deployment practices that leverage multiple vendors and multiple sizes and configurations of base stations, it is not surprising to see a trend towards purpose built, standalone aggregation devices. In analyzing the EPC market for our new report 'Wireless & Evolved Packet Core, Market and Vendor Analysis, 1Q11' we have noted a ramp in eNodeB aggregation device interest and shipments. As these standalone aggregation devices continue to grow, we will likely add these products to our accounting and analysis of the EPC market." "The RAN deployment model of LTE networks could not be more different from legacy mobile technologies. With the wide variety of eNodeBs used for LTE it is logical and even intuitive that there is a trend to have the heavy lifting functions performed by specialized products," said Vikash Varma, president and CEO at Stoke. "In view of the hundreds of units that Stoke has already shipped, with the capacity to support more than one million eNodeBs, we believe we are among the front-runners or even in the volume leadership position in this EPC device category." Stoke Gateway SolutionStoke's 3GPP standards-based SSX-3000 eNodeB Aggregation Gateway is used in LTE networks to secure voice, data and video traffic from the NodeBs. The SSX-3000 has achieved a leading position in this market through its ability to handle security requirements without latency, delivering the scale, throughput and resilience required for high-capacity mobile applications. In a compact, 5RU form factor optimally suited for modern network infrastructures, the device is large enough to deliver fully redundant configurations within a single system, yet small enough and priced for distributed architectures expected for LTE. The SSX-3000 offers line rate encrypted tunnel services from 4 to 40 GB in fully redundant configurations, and is suitable for deployments in both densely populated urban and sparsely populated rural markets. About Stoke, Inc.Stoke is the mobile industry's only transformation platform, delivering future-focused thinking and solutions for 3G mobile broadband and LTE core infrastructures. For more information, visit www.stoke.com. About Exact VenturesExact Ventures is an independent market intelligence firm with the objective to create unbiased, enduring benchmarks for measuring market shares and understanding and quantifying market transitions and market opportunities within its coverage areas. For further information, go to www.exactventures.com. Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine Contact: Mary McEvoy Carroll for Stoke Email: Email Contact Tel: + 1 408 691 4283 Source: Stoke, Inc. |