SOLUTION BRIEF
THE LTE SUBSCRIBER: UNRAVELED
As the momentum towards 4G is picking up, it
is evident that unlike previous evolutions of
technology (e.g. 3G) which were driven by
service providers’ need to increase capacity;
4G is being driven by the subscribers’
realization that they can use mobile data
applications in their everyday life.
LTE is rapidly becoming the global mobile
broadband choice, with several service providers
selecting the 3GPP evolution as their preferred 4G
technology. What remains to be understood is
how the end-users and their devices will use this
immensely large, mobile, connection-pipe to
access and share information. Let us unravel the
expected end-user behavior and requirements of
a LTE subscriber to understand how an evolved
Subscriber Data Management (eSDM) solution
can enable the LTE service provider to efficiently
manage those expectations.
UNDERSTANDING THE LTE SUBSCRIBER
1. LTE USERS WILL BE MULTI-DEVICE
Despite most ‘crystal-ball’ predictions of the early
2000’s, the LTE subscriber will not have a single,
do-it-all super-device. More and more
purpose-built devices, such as eBook readers,
network video/photo frames, digital cameras and
navigation devices will appear on the market. The
current devices will continue to co-exist with LTE
devices.
To support the multi-device nature of the LTE
subscriber, service providers will need a
multi-profile, flexible SDM solution that can relate
these devices to a single unique subscription, and
understand real-time registration statuses with
the capability of selecting the right device and the
right domain for a given data application.
Blueslice Networks
Global Leaders in evolved Subscriber Data Management Solutions
2. NON-VOICE-CENTRIC DEVICES WILL PERVADE EVERYDAY LIFE
Machine-to-machine devices and inter-connectivity of everyday
things will flood the market and their presence in a subscriber’s
daily life will grow exponentially. Other than the usual mobile
devices and laptops: home appliances, cars, electricity meters, and
other electronic devices will be connected to the 3G/4G network
and exchange information over it.
The ability of a service provider to link these non-voice services to
the mobile 3G/4G subscription will drive a huge revenue
opportunity. Achieving this would require multiple devices and
identities to be enrolled into a single user subscription using a
central subscriber identity. The eSDM solution would need to have
limitless scalability with limitless profiles per subscription.
3. USERS WILL EXPECT SERVICE UBIQUITY AND CONTINUITY
Services available on 3G, such as voice and SMS, will need to be
available in LTE. Several 3GPP work items are attempting to address
such topics and are basing their architecture on IP Multimedia
Sub-System (IMS). While this is an interesting long-term goal,
today’s service deployments are mostly pre-IMS-based. An eSDM
solution for LTE will have to cope with web-based (SOAP) and
pre-IMS SIP-based (IETF) service frameworks, and enable voice and
SMS continuity across the CS domain and LTE’s IP-based access pipe.
4. THE LTE USER WILL DEMAND SEAMLESS MOBILITY
For the years to come, LTE coverage will consist of small 4G islands
surrounded by a sea of 2G/3G coverage. The eSDM solution will be
required to consolidate and seamlessly share real-time subscriber
information, such as subscriber context and location, across all
access domains.
5. THE LTE-USER WILL REQUIRE AN ALWAYS-ON AND
ALWAYS-CONNECTED EXPERIENCE
Social networking has cultivated an expectation to communicate
freely with whatever they want, whenever they want, with
whomever they want, using whichever mode they want.
Service providers will need a supremely reliable eSDM solution with
a high-availability architecture offering all scenarios of internal and
geographic redundancies. The solution would need a distributed
and layered database structure.
6. USERS WILL CONSUME “DATA APPS” MORE
THAN EVER
With the influx of applications for mobile devices and the
increased demand for real-time content delivery; new online
applications and ‘App Stores’ will drive monthly spending
and become a major component of service provider’s ARPU.
Apple and Google have demonstrated how much money
service providers leave on the table by not properly
addressing the end-user application space.
Rapidly engineering and introducing such applications will
become a critical competitiveness element. An eSDM
solution should support a relational global schema that can
be easily customized and extended by the service provider
while being in-service, to support in-house and third-party
applications.
7. THE LTE USER WILL SEEK A PERSONALIZED
MOBILE EXPERIENCE
As more aspects of the user’s day-to-day life get
connected to the network, ranging from home
electronics and mobile devices to cars and security
systems, there will be a pressing demand for a more
personalized end-user experience. The service provider
would need to know the subscriber in order to meet their
demands and sustain market share.
The service provider’s goal is to leverage the richness of
subscriber information and manage the ability of
applications to blend together, to create a truly
personalized 4G end-user experience.
1 | Page
 THE LTE SUBSCRIBER: UNRAVELED
8. THE LTE USER WILL BE MORE EDUCATED There is a delicate balance that can only be achieved by a flexible multiple domains and create a platform for hosting
ON THEIR PRIVACY RIGHTS eSDM system that manages per-subscriber rules and preferences. next-generation services. New vendor-agnostic applications and
services can be easily added using open-standard interfaces and
Social networks and other online applications have MANAGING AND SERVING THE LTE SUBSCRIBER flexible in-service global schema modifications. The eSDM
taught us that end-users are not going to accept solution will consolidate and seamlessly share subscriber
infringements on their personal life, and will seek It is evident from the demands of the LTE end-user that the success
of LTE will be underlined by the intelligence of the network to information across all access domains (2G, 3G, IMS, VoIP, 4G etc.).
more control on what they accept to share publicly.
manage and serve the LTE subscriber. For this purpose service
3G service providers currently benefit from an providers are seeking a best-of-breed and future-proof solution BENEFITS OF THE CSP 3000™ FOR LTE
unequaled ‘trust relationship’ with their end-users. termed as evolved Subscriber Data Management (eSDM). Centralized subscriber provisioning across all access
As a trusted provider, they will also have to ensure domains.
that efforts to leverage subscriber data for mobile The proposed approach will go beyond traditional Subscriber Data
personalization will not cross the privacy Management by integrating the shared and centralized subscriber Centralized Authentication and Authorization
boundaries of each user. data under a single, central subscriber identity. The eSDM solution
will enable support for enhanced multimedia applications across Common ngHLR for shared subscriber context and volatile
data in 2G, 3G and 4G networks
Figure 1: The LTE Architecture
A converged eSDM approach can manage 2G, 3G and 4G subscribers in a single logical solution. eSDM consolidates and seamlessly shares subscriber
Flexible and modular solution
information across all domains. Service provider customizable subscriber templates.
LTE User Devices Pre-Release8 Core evolved Subscriber Data management (eSDM) Unlimited scalability without “central index” bottlenecks
Unified subscription for all combinations of end-user
devices.
Blueslice CSP 3000™ Shared user presence between domains
GERAN
SGSN
MSC Guaranteed call-termination across networks using
PC Card and Personal VLR redirection techniques.
USB dongles Electronics SDS 3000™
Support for Single-sign-on
D
Gr Ability to host several value-added services and applications
ngHLR AAA HSS on a single logical platform.
evolved Packet Core (EPC) 3000 3000 3000
Mobile Devices CPE & Router
UTRAN A future-proof solution with the flexibility to add
2G 3GPP 3GPP next-generation technologies
S6d
3G WLAN TISPAN
SGSN S6a Blueslice Networks, Inc.
MME 1751 Richardson Street, Suite 7500
4G WiMAX PktCbl
Smartphone Cars
Montreal, Quebec, H3K 1G6 Canada
Tel: +1-514-935-9700
E-UTRAN Gc Fax: +1-514-932-9701
Gi
SIP-AS www.blueslice.com
S6b 3000 AuC ENUM
Multimedia Home PGW
handheld Appliances SGW GGSN
devices FMC
SLF PRE-
IMS IMS

SIP MNP- 3rd

Non-3GPP SRF Party
e.g. WiFi
Laptops & Security
Notebooks Devices
ePDG PCRF © 2010 Blueslice Networks, Inc. The material contained in this document is for
informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. No part of this
And More... document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, or stored in a retrieval system in
any form or by any means without the written permission of Blueslice Networks.

Blueslice Networks 2 | Page

Global Leaders in evolved Subscriber Data Management Solutions