IP Migration

As mobile services evolve from simple voice to the enhanced services currently available, the network is also forced to evolve. This evolution is driving the standards from 2G to 3G and eventually to 4G. As part of this, a key issue for all mobile operators is managing the evolution of the backhaul in a cost effective way while the demand for increased bandwidth continues to rise. This is driving the move to a packet-based infrastructure, which is key to minimizing costs and providing a means for the migration to an all-IP network. However, operators are still faced with supporting each previous generation (such as 2G) until they can decommission the radios and migrate the customer base to the newer technologies.

Thus, the real panacea for the operators is a solution that spans the various technologies and provides the flexibility to address new solutions without decommissioning old ones and allows for a graceful migration into the next-generation architecture. Carrier Access® FLEXengine™-based software in the MASTERseries™, Axxius®, and EdgeFLEX™ platforms provides for the ability to transport all the traffic from each generation over a single lower-cost packet infrastructure. This allows operators to reduce their current operational expenses (OPEX) and simultaneously provide the path to the all-IP infrastructure of tomorrow in a flexible, graceful, and evolutionary manner without requiring the operators to deploy new hardware or replace existing units.