Case Study

June 2015.
Rev 1.0

The Alternative Way to Deploy a 4G

Network
That 4G is omnipresent and where the big money bets in the Telecoms industry are is not in
question. LTE network rollouts and now VoLTE dominate the Telecoms press. This shift to a new
technology set is obviously a boon to equipment vendors and the market has seen the big players
positioning and jostling for business providing the TIER 1 networks Verizon, EE, Vodafone etc.
with complete end-to-end networks from the radio interface to the IMS core.
Nothing new there. The sheer scale of mobile networks and the shift in the technology means those with the deepest pockets
will be the first to launch 4G and it makes sense that they will purchase a full end-to-end solution from a single vendor.
But is there an alternative way to do this for smaller networks or for networks who want more flexibility in their network and
not be tied to a single vendor?

Case Study:
Squire Technologies have been working with an operator
in Africa who has taken an alternative path. The choice to
not use a single vendor has been driven more by a desire
for flexibility and control of their network than monetary
concerns. How have they done it?
Firstly to be clear the radio access is supplied by one of
the household name vendors. But the IMS core has been
developed around the open-source software Kamailio.
Briefly this project started its life as OpenSER a name familiar
to anyone in the SIP space over the last 10 years. It has now
morphed into a far larger offering with support for a host of
IMS functions I-CSCF , P-CSCF, S-CSCF, charging , Diameter,
QOS , ISC etc.
So our client was able to build an IMS core in their labs and
start to test end-to-end. They reached a point where they

www.squire-technologies.com

needed functionality that wasnt readily available under

Kamailio and decided to contact Squire Technologies and to
make use of our technologies and Next Generation Services
to deliver the extra functionality. In the IMS core Squire Tech
have deployed their SVI_SBC Session Border Controller to
deliver interworking between LTE devices and Non-LTE
devices. More specifically it has enabled:

Media Codec Transcoding between different UE

devices running AMR, AMR-WB and OPUS to and legacy
networks running G711, G729 and G723
LTE Pre condition support to Non LTE devices
Proxy of out of call signalling information

Squire Technologies is also deploying SS7 Media Gateways

for breakout to the PSTN network for voice calls and breakout
to GSM networks for SMS delivery the IMS BGCF function.

Key Lessons:
The lessons Squire have learnt from this is as
operators launch their 4G networks they need the
following:Flexibility:
Handset manufacturers are rushing to the market with
a plethora of 4G devices. At the IMS core there needs to
be total flexibility to cope with the interworking of these
devices with existing LTE and legacy devices.
Backward compatibility:
Networks have to be able to connect their 4G networks
with older 3G and 2G networks. In the IMS specifications
there is a clear InterWorking Function but this needs
a flexible approach to accommodate non standard
implementations and older technologies ( i.e RADIUS)

architecture is an interesting proposition. For all its critics

the IMS architecture has successfully separated the
transport mechanism from the service delivery elements.
Implement IMS in your network and you can access the
plethora of other functions and technologies from niche
vendors HSS, Diameter Billing Platforms, WebRTC etc
. Driving your network forward and enabling simpler
service delivery.
Squire Technologies, The Signalling Specialists to the
Telecoms Industry, established in 2001, have helped
their clients transition from legacy to VoIP and now to
LTE/VoLTE and IMS. If you require a trusted signalling
partner to provide a flexible product and team to solve
your interworking issues then please do not hesitate to
contact us to discuss further.

Next Steps:
We have seen the effect of Open Source on operating
systems, web technology, desktop applications to name
a few. It lowers the barriers of entry and allows the spread
of technology and ideas. That not only a mobile operator
but any operator can now take an open source platform
and utilize the benefits of the IMS

Find out more about our products:

Session Border Controller
Media Gateway Controller
Short Message Service Gateway

Squire Technologies
www.squire-technologies.com
Author:
Email:

Simon Dinnage
enquiries@squire-technologies.com