Smartphones, IoT driving LTE Diameter signaling growth: Oracle

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LTE Diameter signaling shows no sign of slowing and is expected to generate 595 million messages per second (MPS) by 2021, fueled heavily by the proliferation of smartphones and rise of IoT-enabled devices.

That’s according to the sixth edition of Oracle’s LTE Diameter Signaling Index, which found that LTE network traffic is also being impacted by key developments such as LTE broadcast, VoLTE, and signaling associated with the policy management required to support more sophisticated data plans and applications.

Connected cars also continue to show strong network traffic momentum, with 9.4 MPS and a CAGR of 30%.

The Oracle report anticipates that growth will continue in Diameter even as 5G implementations begin. While Diameter will not be the main signaling protocol of 5G, it will remain as an important part of 5G networks.

For example, according to Statista.com, smartphones will represent 76% of wireless connections by 2021. As consumers maintain their appetite for ‘always on’ connections to increasingly sophisticated and data intensive applications such as gaming and video, LTE network traffic will continue to skyrocket. Likewise, devices that reach beyond the traditional mobile handset, such as IoT sensors used in everything from tracking available parking spots and moisture in crops to lost pets or workers on a job site will have a significant impact on Diameter signaling growth, Oracle says.

Among the regional findings, Central and Southern Asia will account for 10% of the world’s Diameter signaling, reaching 62.4 million MPS, a CAGR of 38%, by 2021. Policy management is the largest generator of Diameter signaling in the region, generating 10.4% of the world’s policy-related Diameter signaling. Pakistan, followed by India, is the largest generators.

Meanwhile, Oceania, Eastern and Southeast Asia currently generates nearly half of the world’s Diameter signaling (45%). By 2021, the region will generate 265 million MPS of Diameter signaling, a CAGR of 18%. The region is also responsible for 44% of the world’s policy Diameter signaling, generating 131 million MPS by 2021. China alone will generate 83.5 million MPS of policy generated Diameter signaling by 2021. Indonesia is also showing strong growth.

Color quotes after this infographic.

oracle lte Diameter signaling infographic

“Diameter signaling traffic continues to grow significantly with little end in sight. While smartphones continue to be the traffic leader, applications such as connected cars and IoT promise a significant impact to network traffic in years to come,” said Greg Collins, Founder and Principal Analyst, Exact Ventures. “Diameter signaling controllers continue to be vital network elements, which help enable operators to secure their network borders and to efficiently and effectively route signaling traffic. As such, it is critical for CSPs to understand what’s driving traffic and where, enabling them to avoid signaling traffic issues than can cause network outages, thereby reducing customer satisfaction and increasing customer churn.”

“With consumer expectations at an all-time high, it’s more critical than ever that CSPs innovate and plan for continued Diameter signaling growth in order to stay relevant,” said Doug Suriano, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications. “The cloud continues to offer one of the clearest avenues for CSPs to accelerate and achieve these goals.”

The Oracle Communications LTE Diameter Signaling Index, Sixth Edition report was designed as a tool for CSP network engineers and executives to plan for expected increases in signaling capacity over the next five years. You can download the full report here.

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