Cisco Cisco ASR 5000 Livre blanc

Page 1 of 7

White Paper

Long-Term Evolution: Simplify the Migration to 4G
Networks

What You Will Learn

With the convergence of the Internet and wireless communications, mobile data services are undergoing

tremendous growth. However, the mobile wireless environment has been challenged to keep up with the growth, in

part because of limitations on access speed. If mobile operators are to succeed in today's communications

landscape, they must continue to focus on the quality of experience for their users.

This paper outlines how mobile operators can prepare their networks to support fourth-generation (4G) broadband

services that will improve the user experience and yield new revenue opportunities. Specifically, it addresses the

role of Long-Term Evolution (LTE), a Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard that provides much

greater spectral efficiency than the most advanced 3G networks. Benefits of an LTE network include:

●

Simple migration from 2G or 3G to 4G without a complete equipment upgrade - in a single common core

platform

●

Fast, smooth transition to Evolved Packet Core (EPC), an all-IP core network that supports higher

throughput, lower latency, and mobility between 3GPP and non-3GPP radio access technologies

●

Core network solution that optimizes backhaul

●

Converged mobility and policy management so operators can choose any access technology without a

complete overhaul of existing IP core or IP core overlay

●

Intelligence in the network to deliver higher-bandwidth multimedia services - interacting with and

understanding key elements within the multimedia core

Overview

Designated as a fourth-generation (4G) mobile specification, LTE is designed to provide multimegabit bandwidth,

more efficient use of the radio network, latency reduction, and improved mobility. This combination aims to

enhance the subscriber's interaction with the network and further accelerate the demand for mobile multimedia

services. With wireless broadband, users can more readily access their Internet services, such as online

television, video streaming, blogging, social networking, and interactive gaming - all while mobile.

Changes in mobile communications have always been evolutionary, and the deployment of LTE will be the same.

It will be a transition from 3G to 4G over a period of several years, as is the case still with the transition from 2G to

3G. As a result, mobile operators must look for strategies and solutions that will enhance their existing 3G

networks while addressing their 4G deployment requirements without requiring a complete equipment upgrade.

Specifically, mobile operators need the multimedia core network to be readily upgradable to meet the

requirements of the System Architecture Evolution (SAE), the 4G core network architecture of the LTE standard.