Alcatel-Lucent 9900 Wireless Network Guardian

Release 6.0
The Alcatel-Lucent 9900 Wireless Network Guardian (WNG) is a mobile network analytics product that provides the crucial information needed to gain deeper understanding of what is happening in a mobile data network. It is a real-time, multivendor, multi-technology (2.5G/3G/ LTE) product that non-intrusively taps into the RAN and the core network, monitoring the mobile signaling and IP flows generated by the devices and the network. The 9900 WNG captures, processes and correlates this information to offer network performance, subscriber quality of experience (QoE) and usage trend analysis for operations, engineering and marketing organizations.

Many global Tier 1 customers rely on the 9900 WNG to: Analyze how traffic load translates into the consumption of constrained resources (airtime, signaling, bandwidth) on every element in the network Proactively detect network and subscriber performance degradation, anomalies and congestion Identify wasted resources due to unexpected device and/or application behavior Detect locations exhibiting large amounts of handover events between 2.5G/3G and LTE Analyze airtime, signaling and bandwidth trends per device type and per application Monitor performance as networks transition to LTE Report on performance of machineto-machine (M2M) and enterprise applications Identify impact of a new device or application prior to launch Monitor roaming volume generated by each roaming partner The 9900 WNG is also a building block for mobile solutions: Intelligent Traffic Management (ITM), customer care management (call centers), and customer experience analytics, which all make use of the real-time and trending network analytics capability of the 9900 WNG.

These solutions can dynamically manage congestion, support handoff decisions, remove rogue traffic, optimize content and video delivery, detect and report signaling storms, proactively alert call centers, and identify trends that can lead to possible promotions, advertisement and retention strategies.

Network performance features

Network utilization Auto-discovery of the network, its load and its performance at each node and hop, including cell utilization Identify heavily loaded RNCs/BSCs in the network Visibility into traffic drivers on every single hop and node, including subscribers, devices, applications and servers Report on application, subscriber or device type consuming the most airtime, signaling and bandwidth Report on cell utilization, including number of alerts, intensity, duration and identification of impacted subscribers Performance analysis Geo-mapping of base stations with graphical key performance indicators (KPIs) and technology type Benchmarking of volume, throughput, round-trip time, loss and failure rate for each network element, device type, application, DNS server, and signaling protocol Report on individual access point names (APNs), providing the same performance insight for enterprise and M2M APNs Report on specific subscriber or network grouping, increasing performance visibility for premium customers, promotional targets, and expansion areas

Network analytics platform with mobile intelligence6 (m.IQ6)

The 9900 WNG distinguishes itself by elevating mobile network analytics to m.IQ6. It offers an understanding of interactions between six critical dimensions: subscriber; device; application; network; signaling, and; IP flows. The stateful correlation of these dimensions is what allows an operator to query the impact of any dimension onto any another. For example, the 9900 WNG can be used to compare the signaling load generated by different device types, to understand the signaling/ volume ratio of applications or to discover the RAN network elements most impacted by an increase in signaling introduced by a recently upgraded device operating system. m.IQ6 also encompasses patented multistage algorithms that further analyze the correlated data, delivering powerful root-cause analysis.

 Malfunction reporting Identify high instances of signaling malfunctions, by failure type Detect and alert of sudden increases in signaling from a subscribers device or of a subscriber who contributes a large amount of signaling load in the network Pinpoint subscribers experiencing abnormal/abusive/wasteful traffic patterns Discover inefficient devices or applications by comparing proportion of volume, RF connection setups and/or paging event generated Hot-pluggable device type mapping, enabling accurate device recognition

Break down the number of subscribers and the volume of traffic they generate for each roaming partner Compare growth, stability or decline of different network technologies: 2.5G/3G/LTE Discover location of highest intertechnology handover (2.5G to 3G or 3G to LTE) to target RF coverage expansion Discover the applications/subscribers generating the most traffic during peak hours to devise congestion strategies Understand the volume generated by subscribers tethering their devices to develop better plans intended for this usage

Support multi-bearer performance measurement to identify how closely the actual sessions/flows performance matches service level agreements (SLAs) Provide visibility into the number and type of sessions and bearers subscribers are consuming Provide flows classification as dedicated or default bearers Report performance separately on each bearer and session, but integrated into a single subscriber view

Security Analytics Module

The 9900 WNG integrated Kindsight Security Analytics as an expansion module. The module provides an understanding of the security threats on consumer devices by monitoring mobile data traffic: Alerting when new infections are detected Reporting on all infections detected, subscriber infection rate and severity of infection Reporting on most infected users Reporting current infections for a particular user

Subscriber QoE features

Consolidated subscriber profile, with device information, volume/signaling/ airtime load, DNS/HTTP failure ratio, and top application usage Anomaly event panel, reporting abnormal traffic conditions and threats affecting subscribers that are detected by the 9900 WNG Graphical view of each flows performance, enabling at-a-glance assessment of overall performance for a group of flows in a time range Summary, score and drill-in details for each flow and transaction for in-depth troubleshooting List of current infections and their impact on user (when security analytics module is deployed) Identify subscribers session quality of service (QoS) attributes, such as QoS Class Indicator (QCI)/traffic class and its path through the network for each flow, allowing engineers to drill down into each element and hop for root-cause analysis Compare average performance computed by the 9900 WNG with results of speed test triggered by subscriber

Supporting LTE network evolution features

Match network performance, subscriber QoE and trend analysis features already available for 3G networks as described in previous sections Full support for S1-u, S11, S5/S8 interfaces Provide understanding of 3G-LTE seamless handover performance Support for S11 suspend/resume failure for circuit-switched fallback Support for S4, S12 interfaces (3GPP LTE inter-RAT) Support for S2a PMIPv6 interface (3GPP2-LTE inter-RAT) Report on the success/failure of each message generated on these signaling interfaces to identify whether the handovers are transparent to the users Identify locations that are experiencing a high number of inter-technology handovers as input to coverage planning Correlating the subscribers 3G and LTE session performance into a single view with handover markers Support launch of IPv6 in LTE networks, as growth in consumer and M2M devices demands more addressing space Generate trend reports for subscriber, traffic volume, signaling, and airtime growth over IPv6 Compare growth and performance of IPv4 and IPv6 infrastructure

Forensic services
Alcatel-Lucent 9900 WNG Forensic Services offers a team of wireless and IP experts dedicated to monitoring and detecting trends in mobile networks by leveraging the 9900 WNG. Service providers can benefit from expert knowledge of what the intelligence can reveal and how it can be applied by leveraging lessons learned from networks around the globe. The Forensics team offers: Daily network monitoring and 9900 WNG system maintenance Biweekly/monthly/quarterly assessments of a carriers network loading and performance, comparison to geographical averages, device and application trends, and subscriber usage, leading to suggestions on how to improve performance metrics or leverage a trend Ad-hoc analysis, providing information not usually covered by regular reports, and potentially incorporating third-party data Preparation for special events: Planning capacity for large crowds in event location, pre- and post-event analysis Emergency support to troubleshoot QoE problems Capacity planning, coverage and prelaunch consultancy

Trend analysis features

Expose trends and real-time alerts for number of subscriber/RF connection setup events/volume to determine overall and per-subscriber growth over time Rank device and application by popularity, performance, and load generated on the network Compare the volume and signaling load applied by each device type for resource planning and device portfolio strategy

Alcatel-Lucent 9900 Wireless Network Guardian | Release 6.0

Alcatel-Lucent Data sheet

ENABLING NETWORK ANALYTICS-BASED SOLUTIONS

Congestion management features
The 9900 WNG serves as the real-time monitor and analyze building block in the deployment of mobile traffic management and optimization solutions. It provides the real-time network intelligence required for a policy manager (Policy and Charging Rules Function [PCRF]), network selection manager (Access Network Discovery and Selection Function [ANDSF]), or a session manager to act upon high utilization events occurring in the network, thereby ensuring congestion alleviation through throttling, deprioritization, video/content optimization and updated inter-technology handoff policies. Architecture specifically enhanced to ensure scaling of congestion computation, alerting and reporting Patented algorithm that combines bandwidth threshold and subscriber experience to determine congestion Configurable levels of congestion intensity, enabling different actions as congestion increases/decreases Alerter application programming interface (API) provides real-time notification of cell congestion state, as well as affected subscribers and related volume information Congestion reporting and graphing to inform operator of congestion level reached, its duration, intensity, and impact on subscribers Pre-integrated with the Alcatel-Lucent 5780 Dynamic Services Controller (DSC) PCRF and available for integration with other optimization solutions, including ANDSF and session-management functions

including identity theft, and banking fraud. Kindsight fixed and mobile security solutions notify consumers when malware is detected and helps them remove it. Kindsight Mobile Security enables a revenue generating consumer service that increases brand loyalty while also protecting the service providers network against malware.

The 9900 WNG Central, Flow Processor, and Detector are installed in a standard 19-inch or 23-inch, two- or four-post rack, no more than 22 inches in depth. External Disk Array can only be mounted in a four-post rack.

9900 WNG Flow Processor and Central specifications

One 1 GigE management port (IPv4/v6 capable) Two redundant -48 V DC or 120 V/240 V AC power connections Maximum continuous output power of 650 W, peak output power of 680 W Temperature range: 5C to 35C (41F to 95F)

Analytics Output API

The 9900 WNG can export its data either in its entirety or as a subset for use by technical teams to generate their own analysis or for external systems to request data for their own purpose. It enables other systems to leverage the power of network analytics.

Technical specifications
3GPP

9900 WNG Detector specifications

One 1 GigE management port (IPv4/v6 capable) One 10 Gb/s packet processing card for use with 10 Gb/s optical XFP OR One 2 x 10 Gb/s packet processing card for use with 10 Gb/s optical XFP OR Two redundant -48 V DC or 120 V/240 V AC power supplies Maximum continuous output power of 650 W, peak output power of 680 W Temperature range: 5C to 35C (41F to 95F)

Generation: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS (W-CDMA), TD-SCDMA, LTE (TDD, FDD) Signaling protocol/extension: GTP-c, RANAP Interface: IuPS, Gn, Gp, Gn inter-RAT LTE support: Generation: 3GPP Releases 8 and 9 Signaling protocols: GTP-c, PMIPv6 Interfaces: S1-U, S2a, S4, S5, S8, S11, S12
3GPP2

Generation: CDMA2000 1xRTT, HRPD, eHRPD Signaling protocols/extension: Mobile IP v4, Simple IP, PMIPv6, RADIUS Interfaces: A11, Pi, HA/FA, S2a

9900 WNG External Disk Array specifications

Two redundant array controllers, each with 2 x 6 Gb/s SAS ports Two redundant -48 V DC (6A) or 120 V/240 V (2.8A) AC power supplies 24 disk drives, each with 900 GB of storage Field-replaceable array controller and cache battery Maximum continuous output power of 330 W

Hardware specifications
The 9900 WNG hardware consists of up to four components: 9900 WNG Central (2U) 9900 WNG Flow Processor (2U) 9900 WNG Detector (2U) External Disk Array (2U)

Mobile Security Service

Security Analytics serves as a building block to offer consumers a networkbased security service that helps them combat infection leading to issues

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