Use Case: Application Authorization & QoS

Opportunity

Both wireless and wireline Service Providers are looking to offer new services to increase revenue opportunities and grow a loyal customer base. Consumer demand is driving the widespread development and deployment of new music, streaming video, gaming, and social networking services, each of which requires development time for optimization and deployment and increases bandwidth use across the network.

Time-to-market and quality of service (QoS) will be essential for these new applications. Users will demand high-quality, reliable delivery of paid services. Service Providers also need to balance their network resources between new high-margin services and existing services and applications.

Challenges

Service Providers need to capitalize on these market opportunities while overcoming key challenges:

• Rapidly deploy new applications.
• Provide users with appropriate devices and rights.
• Provide on-demand access to the services and applications users want.
• Help ensure QoS for these applications.

Potential Impact

• Increased OpEx from longer deployment times.
• Lost revenue opportunities.
• Increased churn.

Solution: Application Authorization & Related QoS

Service Providers that deploy the Bridgewater Systems™ Policy Controller enable users to access new applications and content from their mobile phone and manage their access to content.

If a user wants to access a service that requires a higher bandwidth, the Service Provider can develop a web portal that could instruct the Bridgewater Network Policy Controller to enable a bandwidth boost for a specified period of time. This boost could be provided automatically or by redirecting a subscriber to a portal that provides temporary or permanent service upgrade options. All new policies are then pushed to the appropriate enforcement points.

Solution Benefits

Increase customer satisfaction	Reliable and responsive application performance ensures a high quality of experience and customer satisfaction.
Increase revenue	Monetize new applications and ensure continued usage of new applications and services.
Reduce OpEx	Reduce requirements to develop customized interfaces per new application.

The Bridgewater Systems Advantage

• Subscriber redirection capability for lower service costs and better usability.
• On-demand access via subscription portal.
• Subscriber data management and subscriber context information enabling the Service Provider to produce targeted, just-in-time services.
• Interoperability with network enforcement points.
• Push policy to appropriate enforcement point to deliver QoS.

How the Solution Works

Example: The subscriber is connected to the network and has purchased a package including 4 hours of streaming video:

1. The subscriber connects to an application server.
2. The application server requests authorization from the Bridgewater Systems Policy Controller that the user is valid and identifies which content parameters apply.
3. The Policy Controller provides a response to the application server.
4. If an increase in QoS is required (as defined by the service package), the Bridgewater Systems Policy Controller can update the policy on the deep packet inspector (DPI) to implement it.
5. The session starts and is metered by the Policy Controller.
6. When session rights expire, notification is sent to the application server to end the session and to the DPI to re-instate previous bandwidth levels.
7. An accounting record of the session is created and sent to the Bridgewater Systems AAA Service Controller.

In the Network

Application authorization and QoS in a GSM network (click to enlarge)

Solution Components

• AAA Service Controller
• Policy Controller
• Deep Packet Inspector (Integration Support: Arbor Ellacoya e30)