- Sectors
- Formats
Mobile Backhaul USA '08
2 - 3 December 2008, USA
Main Agenda
Day OneTuesday 17 July 2007
Optimizing Existing Backhaul Networks
08:20
Registration, Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
08:50
Organizers’ Welcome & Speed Networking Session
A chance for you to meet your peers and set a relaxed and informal
atmosphere to start the day.
09:15
Introduction & Opening Remarks from the Chair
- Chair: Tammy Parker, Princuipal Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media
KEYNOTE SESSION
09:30
Infrastructure to Maximize Network Efficiency Carrier Keynote: Optimizing Existing Backhaul
- What is the effect on existing infrastructure as demands on backhaul resources (with the emergence of EV-DO and HSDPA) increase?
- An effective network can only be possible with efficient backhaul methods in place
- Harnessing adequate methods to provide an optimized transport service ready to cope with future increased data usage
- Calling for a strong and experienced program management office to coordinate future backhaul efforts
- Zouheir Mansourati, Vice President of Development & Technology Strategy, TELUS Mobility, Canada
10:00
Industry Analysis: Assessing Chief Market Drivers & Backhaul Industry Dynamics
- Backhaul costs account for over 30% of a mobile carriers operational expenses. How can this be lowered?
- Examining the footprint of the average subscriber and forecasts for data usage in the next ten years
- The limitations of current backhaul technologies in handling increased levels of data
- Evaluating current backhaul strategies around the world: Varying techniques and progress to date
- Godfrey Chua, Research Manager, Wireless and Mobile Infrastructure, IDC
10:30
Q&A Session
10:40
Networking Break & Exhibition Visit
INTEGRATING AND CONSOLIDATING EXISTING NETWORKS
11:30
Backhaul Solutions That Carriers in the USA and Canada Should Consider?
Strategic Discussion: What Are The Most Efficient
- How urgent is the need to upgrade the backhaul? How quickly are 3G services and FMC expected to take off?
- Evaluating the current range of backhaul deployments in the US & Canada
- what are the wisest solutions?
- How can carriers look to optimize their current equipment without needing to replace their systems altogether? Is there a middle path?
- Could making changes to routers and the architecture (aggregates, hub, mesh) enable reduced operating expenses and easier and cheaper management?
- Should carriers consider employing unlicensed bands for backhaul means?
- Zouheir Mansourati, Vice President of Development & Technology Strategy, TELUS Mobility, Canada
- Senior Representative, AT&T
- Virgil Stites, Vice President of Access Planning and Operations, Sprint Nextel
12:20
L2 and Application Layer Switching for Tackling Service Delivery Bottlenecks in the Mobile Backhaul
- Immediate pump up of backhaul performance by application layer switching for more capacity and service delivery over existing infrastructure
- Integrating L2 with application layer switching to obtain network transparency to traffic demand variations and to customer and capacity migration from 2G to 3G
- Application layer QoS to improve service delivery over the backhaul network
- Smooth, SW based, adaptive migration from ATM, through HSDPA Off-Load, to All-IP RAN
- Converged or hybrid solution for 2G, 3G and HSPA traffic over ATM/IP networks
- Dr. Shahar Gorodeisky, CTO & Vice President Marketing, Celtro
12:50
Lunch & Exhibition Visit
EVOLVING TOWARDS IP
14:00
Evaluating the Legacy T1 TDM Model and the Shift to ATM
Case Study
- Is ATM the Definitive Answer to Enhanced Productivity?
- TDM’s inefficiency in transporting higher-bandwidth data traffic and different data types, and the need to lease ever more T1 lines
- Problems caused by TDM’s point-to-point architecture, static-mapping of different Generation data, and trapping of unused bandwidth within the system
- How ATM’s multiplexing facility poses an integrated solution for both voice and data and a half-way house to Ethernet/IP/MPLS networks
- What are the benefits and pitfalls of deploying ATM as an alternative to ILEC T1, from a network management and network provisioning perspective?
- Expectations for the future of ATM
- is it likely to be superseded by connectionless-type systems such as IP?
- Virgil Stites, Vice President of Access Planning and Operations, Sprint Nextel
14:30
The Role of Pseudowires in Optimizing Current Backhaul Efficiency
- Using Pseudowire and Ethernet/IP technologies to bridge legacy and packet-based RAN technologies
- Reducing backhaul CAPEX and OPEX through RAN network convergence and effective platform and system integration
- Leveraging cost effective and efficient Ethernet aggregation and transport networks to aggregate different narrowband 2G TDM and 3G ATM and IP traffic streams
- Supporting an effective long-term transition to Ethernet/IP
- Chuck Sullivan, Director, Ethernet & Wireless Marketing, Ciena
15:00
Networking Break & Exhibition Visit
15:50
Evaluating Long-Term Migration to an All-IP RAN
- The concept of IP in the core network is well-known, so why has the backhaul network been left behind?
- Examining the viability of a future IP RAN for both GSM and CDMA networks
- How using packet access in the RAN could reduce backhaul charges by over 70% through reliance on less leased lines
- Utilizing IP’s inherent flexibility & scalability and capacity to deliver multiple streams to multiple base stations
- Gary Leonard, VP Marketing, MPLS/FR Alliance, Alcatel-Lucent
16:20
Panel Discussion: Do We Need to Move to an All-IP Network?
- Does it make sense to migrate to an all-IP system at present, since
- Sonet for fibreoptics in cities and T1/E1 lines still all run on TDM?
- Can pseudowires and Ethernet/IP ever guarantee sufficiently reliable synchronisation for voice, given that IP is a best-effort technology?
- How feasible is the hybrid approach, transporting legacy voice and realtime traffic such as video over existing leased lines and high-speed HSDPA/EV-DO data over Ethernet?
- Is IP undoubtedly the most efficient solution for providing FMC?
- Addressing the need for low-latency-queuing QoS on all shared backhaul links to ensure that voice traffic is given priority over non-time sensitive traffic
- Mark Garcia, Agent Technology Integration Specialist, Sprint Nextel
- Nikhil Shah, Vice President, International Development, MFA Forum
- Gary Leonard, Vice President, Marketing, MFA Forum
- Jesse Price, Vice President, Product Marketing & Business Development, Sycamore Networks
- Gady Rosenfeld, Vice President, Marketing, Corrigent
17:05
Chair’s Conclusions and Summary of the Day
17:10
End of Day One
Day TwoWednesday 18 July 2007
Alternative Means of Transport for Increased Data Traffic
08:30
Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
08:50
Chair’s Opening Remarks & Introduction to Day Two
- Chair: Glen Hunt, Principal Analyst, Carrier Infrastructure, Current Analysis
EXAMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
08:55
Analysis: Assessing the Viability of New Backhaul Technologies as an Alternative to Legacy T1 Lines
- Investigating the maturity, stability, flexibility and scalability of each technology to determine which solutions are the most cost-efficient
- Examining variation in distance and absorption limitations between these varying solutions
- Worldwide deployments of alternative technologies to date and anticipated payback over a five year period
- Expectations for the adaptability and stability of each of these solutions
- Tammy Parker, Principal Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media
09:20
Panel Discussion: How Can New Technologies Be Best Incorporated Into An Existing Backhaul Program?
- Taking a chance on new technologies
- what are the best ways to minimize risk?
- Which solutions are the most attractive in terms of CAPEX and ROI?
- Could a hybrid transmission system with different methods for voice and data transport be the optimal solution?
- Of cable, fibre and wireless technologies, which is most likely to last the distance?
- David Keegstra, Senior Manager of Technology Planning, Wireless Access, Telus Mobility Senior Representative, Sprint Nextel
- Mike Gallagher, President and CEO, FiberTower
- Muzaffer Kanaan, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, Wireless Access Technologies, Verizon
CONSIDERING WIRELINE SOLUTIONS
10:00
Utilizing xDSL in the Final Mile
- Advantages of xDSL’s dedicated, point-to-point, public network access to deliver high-bandwidth data rates to dispersed locations
- Examining the technology’s advantages in requiring relatively small changes to existing telco infrastructure and being cheaper to run than T1 lines
- Assessing competing forms of DSL including ADSL, SDSL, HDSL, RADSL, and VDSL and their ability to effectively transport high-bandwidth data
- Can xDSL be contemplated by carriers who do not have their own fixed networks? Is distance a limiting factor?
- Dov Zimring, DSL Forum Consul, DSL Forum
10:25
Profiting from Effective Deployment of Carrier Ethernet
- Using Carrier Ethernet to provide cost-effective aggregation for metro access networks and deliver IP based services
- Inter-working with legacy systems such as ATM, SONET and SDH networks
- How enabling end-to-end Quality of Service can enhance carrier revenues
- Case study of Ethernet operations to date
- Senior Representative, Metro Ethernet Forum
10:50
Networking Break & Exhibition Visit
11:30
Panel Discussion: How Do Wireline Options Compare?
- How do carrier ethernet, xDSL, Passive Optical Network (PON), coaxial cable & T1 lines compare in terms of finance, demography & distance?
- Since most carriers are at very advanced stage of analyzing xDSL, why are relatively few actually deploying it?
- Can cable operators be good backhaul providers? Cable TV companies' abundance of fiber position them well to compete with telcos to provide extra backhaul capacity
- Should carriers really abandon tried and tested T1 lines simply due to cost? ILECs may even lower the cost of leased lines given time
- Bjorn Hjelm, Senior Engineer, Advanced Technology & Long-Range Network Planning, Alltel
- A R Brache, Senior Director of Marketing, American Fiber Systems Craig Mathias, Principal Analyst, Farpoint Group
GOING WIRELESS
12:00
The Success of Wireless Backhaul in Europe
Case Study
- Why has microwave become such a popular solution with carriers in Europe in transporting 3G data?
- Where and how would it appropriate for US and Canadian carriers to consider deploying a new microwave network?
- What is the potential of microwave long-term? Is spectrum-purchasing an obstructive issue?
- Identifying new backhaul initiatives including WiMAX and Microwave
- that carriers can consider to enhance the productivity of their own infrastructure
- Senior Representative, Deutsche Telekom
12:25
Microwave Planning for Greater Network Reliability and Minimized Costs
- Evaluating the expense of purchasing microwave spectrum against the benefits of no running costs thereafter
- Developing an optimal planning strategy to meet network needs for better spectrum efficiency and spectrum cost reduction
- Planning tools to optimize frequency utilization and maximize re-use
- Evaluating the success of such optimization in terms of reduced costs and increased network capacity
- Antoine Trannoy, Chief Technology Officer, CTS International
12:50
Lunch and Exhibition Visit
14:05
Evaluating the Capabilities of Mobile WiMAX in the Backhaul
Case Study
- MobiTV’s usage of WiMAX technology for its new network using 2.5 GHz spectrum, spanning a number of Northern California cities
- WiMAX’s ability to provide superior data delivery performance for full-motion video through its integrated IP framework
- Enabling full interactivity, including m-commerce, voting and other capabilities that consumers, carriers and the advertising community want
- Enabling rapid deployment of new applications and services (extensions to the MobiTV service) at a low incremental cost
- Alan Moskowitz, Director of Strategic Alliances, Office of the CTO, MobiTV
14:35
Sprint's Strategy for WiMAX in the United States
- Why Sprint selected 802.16e Mobile WiMAX
- How will WiMAX and 3G networks co-exist?
- WiMAX as an ecosystem not just a technology
- Network deployment schedule and a different approach to device
- Sprint Nextel Middle East joint venture
- Sprint Nextel*
15:05
Networking Break and Exhibition Visit
OPTIMAL DEPLOYMENT METHODS
15:40
Panel Discussion: Assessing the Best Means for Delivering Optimal Service Across Varying Geographies
- How does the typical demography and service profile differ between dense urban and rural areas? How do bandwidth needs differ?
- If different backhaul solutions are needed for town and country, what would be best for where?
- Does satellite’s ability to enable IP traffic to reach remote rural areas qualify it as a suitable candidate for rural backhaul needs?
- Evaluating the case for deploying backhaul needs region by region in a multi-phase plan, rather than all at once
- The need for backhaul choices to be fully flexible and interoperable
- Ting Wang, Vice Chair, IEEE Integrated Fibre & Wireless Technologies Committee (IEEE TC FiWi)
- Allan Hill, Manager of Transport & Interconnection, SouthernLINC Wireless, USA
- Mayo Overbeck, Director of Sales, Rantec
16:25
Determining Successful Backhaul Strategies for the Future
- Emphasizing the exciting opportunity for carriers to be relevant and properly adjusted to the needs of a 3G age
- How will competition between carriers influence the backhaul landscape in the years ahead?
- Advocating a flexible backhaul infrastructure to allow carriers to change their transport options as technologies mature or alter in cost
- How quickly must carriers deploy new technologies in order to stay ahead?
- Chair: Glen Hunt, Principal Analyst, Carrier Infrastructure, Current Analysis
16:40
