Network infrastructure for IPTV

Peter Arberg, Torbjörn Cagenius, Olle V. Tidblad, Mats Ullerstig and Phil Winterbottom

Millions of people around the world already subscribe to IPTV over broad- gigabit passive optical network (GPON)
band networks, and looking ahead, the anticipated uptake in subscribers technology;
is substantial. • metro aggregation nodes – metro net-
Two factors an operator should take into account when designing an works transport traffic between access and
IPTV-capable broadband network are the expected mix of unicast and IP edge nodes and provide transport-based
multicast content and the range of combinational services, including com- connectivity services in their own right;
munication services. and
The authors describe Ericsson’s IPTV solution, calling special atten- • IP edge nodes – a versatile IP edge plat-
form for enhanced network efficiency and
tion to the network infrastructure, which emphasizes recent additions of
simplified operations in a single MSER
GPON fiber access and Multi Service Edge Routers (MSER) to the product platform.
portfolio. They also highlight experiences garnered from several years of There is also a policy-control function
deploying broadband networks for IPTV delivery. that manages per-user policy profiles and
QoS settings (Figure 2). The addition of
Entrisphere (GPON) and Redback (MSER)
products to an already comprehensive broad-
band access portfolio (which includes the for-
Introduction to IPTV The broadband access mer Marconi access and transport products
as well as Ericsson’s own access products) en-
IPTV, as an operator service over broad-
network ables Ericsson to offer a highly competitive
band networks, has been available for some The broadband access network must support portfolio that supports the requirements of
time. Until recently, however, it has mainly quality of service (QoS), multicast, the separa- IPTV service and the evolution toward Full
been offered in small networks or in parts tion of end-user traffic, and differentiate be- Service Broadband.
of networks. Figure 1 shows the anticipated tween services; it must be secure and robust
increase in traffic over broadband access net- (with high in-service performance); and it
works. This increase will largely be driven by must have a telecommunications management
Supporting features
IPTV service. solution that supports network operation and The IPTV service puts unique demands on
Even though today’s networks have been maintenance (O&M). Many of these features every node in the broadband network. For
built to support triple-play service, upgrad- have been standardized in DSL Forum speci- instance, to deliver unicast and multicast
ing them to support mass deployment of fication TR-101, which calls for an Ethernet- video services, the network must provide
IPTV service will be a major challenge. This based aggregation network.3 Figure 2 shows a continuous bandwidth, IP control features,
is because the new media experience this simplified view of the network architecture. and scalability. In addition, it must provide
service provides is not restricted to passively The key network elements in Ericsson’s the same level of flexibility and reliability as
viewing broadcasted content but rather pres- broadband portfolio are are associated with telecom carriers’ services.
ents end users with interactive and person- • access nodes – the network must support a
alized media, including on-demand content large range of access technologies, includ- Efficient and reliable multicast
and combinational communication services.1 ing a variety of DSL technologies, point-to- To enable cost-effective distribution of linear
To meet these challenges, operators are in- point Ethernet over fiber or CAT5/6, and TV over the broadband network (by reduc-
vesting in deep-fiber access2 and upgrading
their IP edge capabilities.
Ultimately, the network must support an
increasing portion of unicast traffic (that is,
dedicated media streams to individual us-
ers). Notwithstanding, multicast traffic will TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
continue to be an important feature for ef-
ASP Application service provider Standardization Sector
ficiently distributing content to many users. BFD Bidirectional forward detection MPLS Multiprotocol label switching
Another challenging issue relates to the DLNA Digital Living Network Alliance MSER Multi Service Edge Router
efficient distribution of content while guar- DSL Digital subscriber line nPVR Network PVR
anteeing the quality of the IPTV media ex- DVB Digital video broadcasting OS Operating system
perience. In summary, to successfully deliver ETSI European Telecommunications PIM-SM Protocol-independent multicast
Standards Institute – sparse mode
this service, the network must scale well and FRR Fast reroute PIM-SSM Protocol-independent multicast
be flexible in order to account for user uptake GPON Gigabit passive optical network – source-specific multicast
and future services. HDTV High-definition television PVR Personal video recorder
This article describes the IPTV network IGMP Internet group multicast protocol QoS Quality of service
IMS IP Multimedia Subsystem TISPAN Telecommunications and Internet
infrastructure as currently deployed by IPTV IP television converged Services and Protocols
Ericsson and how it can evolve into the Full ISP Internet service provider for Advanced Networking
Service Broadband architecture, thereby sup- ITU-T International Telecommunications (a technical committee of ETSI)
porting the new media experience of IPTV. Union – Telecommunication VDSL2 Very-high bit rate DSL

Ericsson Review No. 3, 2007 79

Review3.07.indd 79 07-10-08 10.26.40

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ing network load), the service makes use of of end-users who receive the same data at the streams (a multicast stream is equivalent to
IP and Ethernet multicast throughout the same time without overloading the network a TV channel). For efficient multicasting,
network. Multicast begins as a single stream or video server. IGMP needs to be implemented throughout
that is transported through the network to The switched nodes in the IPTV network the access network and as close as possible to
a point as close to the intended recipients must support the internet group multicast the intended end users.
(end users) as possible. The stream is then protocol (IGMP), which hosts (for example, Moreover, to support a variety of carrier
duplicated for hundreds or even thousands set-top boxes) use to join or leave multicast network modes, every node in the IPTV
network must have a flexible and scalable
multicast implementation. To limit the
number of IGMP reports processed in the
network, some carriers choose a model which
suppresses IGMP reports or which uses an
Figure 2 IGMP proxy in the access node. Other car-
Architecture of the broadband access network. riers choose a transparent IGMP snooping
model which enables the IP edge router to
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protocol label switching (MPLS) fast reroute
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and reroute traffic without disrupting the
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Apart from the multicast features men-
tioned here, Ericsson’s IPTV multicast so-
lution supports GPON-specific multicast,

80 Ericsson Review No. 3, 2007

Review3.07.indd 80 07-10-08 10.26.41

 according to ITU-T standard G.984.4 In this
case, the passive splitting of the optical net-
work is used to deliver a single video stream
(TV channel) to every viewer served by the
passive optical network in question. This
feature can be used in combination with
the IP and Ethernet multicast techniques to
further enhance the efficiency of bandwidth
usage over the passive optical network.
Unicast services
A unicast delivery model is required to de-
liver unique content to a single user. Unicast
service establishes a point-to-point connec-
tion between a user’s set-top box and the
media in the network. The service request
establishes several parameters, including
bandwidth, quality of service, and latency.
In many instances, unicast services, such
as video on demand (VoD) and network per-
sonal video recorder (nPVR), are delivered
from a central media server in the service
layer network. And it is anticipated that a
greater share of services, driven by inter-
activity and personalization of the IPTV
service, will be delivered as unicast traffic
– that is, as an individual media stream to
each end user. As a consequence, it will be-
come necessary to distribute content closer
to end users, in order to minimize the num-
ber of unicast streams and thereby traffic
load on the backbone network. For simple
use cases, the solution might be to add a
PVR in the home. To cover a broader range
of services, however, a network-based media
cache is required. Media cache servers are
already being distributed to some extent,
but to attain scalability, more efficient solu-
tions are being investigated. One solution
is to integrate the distributed media cache
with nodes in the broadband network – for
example, the IP edge node, which has been
optimized to transport user data, including
video streams. Figure 3 shows the difference
between unicast and multicast video deliv-
ery in the broadband access network.
Scalability and flexibility for increasing
traffic demand
To support the evolving IPTV service, the
broadband network must be scalable in
several dimensions, the most important of
which are service penetration (for support of
up to 100% service uptake), network capac-
ity (driven by high definition TV, HDTV,
and unicast services), and service mix (scal-
able and flexible support for the introduction
of new services).
Ericsson Review No. 3, 2007
Review3.07.indd 81
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Figure 3
Broadband access networks must support the delivery of unicast and multicast services.
Although the initial service penetration
rates may be moderate, on average, the net-
work architecture must, from the outset,
be flexible enough to handle substantially
higher penetration rates in smaller sections
of the service area, driven, for example, by
local word-of-mouth reports of the service.
Obviously, network capacity is directly
related to service penetration, but it is also
a matter of network architecture (degree of
flexibility). To support high levels of pene-
tration, heavy simultaneous usage, multiple
channels per home, and high-bandwidth
services (driven to a large extent by unicast
and HDTV traffic) the broadband network
must provide sufficient bandwidth both for
switching capacity and transport connec-
tions.
One must also be able to police viewers’
bandwidth requests. Indeed, a network with
sufficient capacity for multicast video might
not scale well as the service mix transitions
from multicast to unicast combined with an
increasing ratio of high-definition content.
To meet the anticipated demand in traffic,
the broadband network architecture must
flexibly and efficiently be able to move ca-
pacity where it is needed most, for example,
by means of flexible VDSL2 drops in com-
pact outdoor cabinets.
The scalability dimension pertains to the
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evolution of the service mix. Over time,
IPTV will give end users an interactive and
personalized media experience that includes
on-demand content and combinational com-
munication services. At present, however, it
is difficult to say what the rate of service up-
take will be or what requirements a future
service mix will put on the network.
The network design must facilitate mov-
ing services further out in the network – for
example, by moving video-on-demand serv-
ers closer to end users to free up bandwidth
in metro and backbone networks. In many
instances, this will mean placing the IP edge
routers further out in the network.
IPTV network
infrastructure deployments
Ericsson’s IPTV network infrastructure
portfolio plays a key role in many major
commercial IPTV deployments. Custom-
ers who have leveraged Ericsson broadband
infrastructure for IPTV include Belgacom,
China Netcom, China Telecom, Chunghwa
Telecom, KPN, and TeliaSonera. The top
reasons given for selecting Ericsson’s solution
include flexibility, reliability, scalability, and
a migration path from existing infrastruc-
ture.
81
07-10-08 10.26.43
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Functional blocks of the IPTV architecture.

Customer reference case ing across existing access technologies, such MSER subscriber functionality coupled with
Some of the largest and most challenging as various DSL technologies, and new and the EDA 1200 broadband access nodes and
IPTV deployments to date comprise the TV emerging access technologies, such as GPON EDA 1500 GPON systems, which support
service offered by incumbent telephone op- and point-to-point fiber, will have a decisive per-subscriber multicast replication and per-
erators. Although the first commercial IPTV role in any IPTV rollout plan. To compete subscriber service utilization visibility. This
services were launched only a few years ago, with existing cable, satellite, and terrestrial combination provides optimal bandwidth
they have already gained tremendous sub- TV providers, one must secure reliable deliv- and a very secure network infrastructure,
scriber acceptance. TeliaSonera, for example, ery of video and the flexibility needed to in- giving operators control through an individ-
has more than 200,000 IPTV subscribers. troduce complex new services over different ual subscriber view of voice, video and data
Likewise, Chunghwa Telecom intends to access technologies while still fulfilling the delivery, and making certain the correct data
increase its IPTV subscriber base to around demand for personalization, service bundling rate and priority are assigned to each service.
600,000 by the end of 2007. and interactivity.
The requirement for rapid scalability and Besides functionality to ensure carrier-
the need to limit financial expenditures mo- class reliability through a modular operat- Evolution toward Full
tivate carriers to focus on a shared Ethernet ing system and advanced QoS feature sets,
network infrastructure5 for all their services, key network components to secure a success- Service Broadband
including IPTV. A consistent service offer- ful IPTV deployment include SmartEdge The broadband network infrastructure de-
scribed above will be the basis of, and a
prerequisite for, the new IPTV media ex-
perience, taking it beyond linear TV and
sporadic video-on-demand services. The IP
Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a standard
BOX A, SMARTEDGE MSER
for establishing and controlling communica-
tion sessions. By adding an IMS control layer,
The SmartEdge Multi Service Edge Router (MSER) family integrates three key functions into a IPTV operators can accelerate the introduc-
single, multi-functional platform that includes edge routing, Ethernet aggregation, and subscriber tion of new services, efficiently combine TV
management. Designed from the ground-up with availability, scalability, programmability, and service with communication services, offer
high performance in mind, the product supports 99.999% availability, and scales both physically
and logically to thousands of sessions. It is flexible enough to be upgraded to support new servic-
the service over multiple access networks,
es and can forward packets at line rate even with features enabled. All common equipment and and deliver IPTV to any end-user screen. In
line cards are hot-swappable, and critical components, such as the Route Processor, can be put essence, the broadband network infrastruc-
in service in redundant configuration. To improve system reliability, the SmartEdge OS is highly ture becomes part of the Full Service Broad-
modular. Every protocol is implemented as a separate process. Innovative software enables fast band architecture.6
failover to a hot standby Route Processor with no interruption to forwarding and near-hitless soft-
ware upgrades. The packet-switching mesh, which employs high-performance ASICs developed
The target IPTV architecture gives users a
by Redback, is distributed to every line card – in other words, there is no single point of failure. A mix of broadcast TV, interactivity with TV
dedicated processor handles time-critical input/output (I/O) functions, such as fault and perfor- programs, video on demand, and network-
mance monitoring, and alarms. Power and return lines are diversely routed across the backplane based recording. It also supports the integra-
to every slot in the chassis.
Optimization for video service delivery on the SmartEdge MSER is showcased with highly scal-
tion of TV service with personalized infor-
able multicast for traditional broadcast video services, as well as support for advanced video-on- mation (including emergency messages) and
demand services via application-level traffic control on a per-user basis. A single platform for deliv- communication services.
ery of multiple services minimizes capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). The architecture uses session initiation

82 Ericsson Review No. 3, 2007

Review3.07.indd 82 07-10-08 10.26.46

 protocol (SIP) for session control signaling,
and IMS for authenticating and authorizing
subscribers, controlling admission, and re-
serving resources.
The benefits of using IMS as a control
mechanism are
• integration with communication services,
such as multimedia telephony, and mes-
saging, which greatly enhances the user
experience;
• security – thanks to built-in identity
management, authentication, authoriza-
tion and service-access-protection func-
tions;
• mechanisms for supporting the delivery
of multiple services with controllable QoS
over the common managed transport;
• mechanisms for supporting interactivity
and the personalization of IPTV services;
and
• ability to deliver the service over multiple
types of access networks.
In summary, the IMS-based IPTV solution
brings interactivity, personalization, and
mobile convergence to the TV service.
Figure 4 gives an overview of the func-
tional blocks of the IPTV architecture, in-
cluding the IMS control layer as an enabler
of the Full Service Broadband architecture.
The interfaces between the IMS layer and
the broadband network are primarily for
controlling session QoS and policies.
Standardization
The DSL Forum TR-101 and ETSI TISPAN
Release 1 specifications define interfaces for
QoS and resource control, ensuring adequate
QoS, traffic separation, and resource allocation.
The Full Service Broadband IPTV archi-
tecture is based on standard IPTV protocols,
as specified by DVB (Digital Video Broad-
casting Project), and complemented with
standards, such as IMS and DLNA (Digital
Living Network Alliance), to achieve an end-
to-end IPTV architecture.
The Open IPTV Forum was launched
in March 2007 to harmonize the IPTV
standard by defining an interoperable,
end-to-end specification for the delivery
of IPTV services. The forum, will em-
phasize the development of open stan-
dards that help to streamline and acceler-
ate the deployment of IPTV technologies.7
Conclusion
As an operator-provided service over broad-
band access networks, IPTV has been avail-
able for some time but only in small net-
works or parts of networks.
Today’s broadband networks can support
the introduction of triple-play services, but
upgrading them to support mass deployment
of IPTV service will be a major challenge
because the new media experience that
IPTV service provides is not restricted to
passively viewing broadcasted content. On
the contrary, it presents end users with inter-
active and personalized media. IPTV service
thus puts unique demands on every node in
the broadband network. For instance, to de-
liver unicast and multicast video services,
the network must provide high bandwidth,
IP control features, and scalability. It must
also provide the same level of flexibility and
reliability that are associated with telecom
carriers’ services.
To optimize the customer experience and
enable cost-effective delivery of linear broad-
cast TV, the service makes use of IP and
Ethernet multicast throughout the network.
To support the evolving IPTV service, the
broadband network must be able to scale in
several dimensions, the most important of
which are service penetration, network ca-
pacity, and service mix.
By adding an IMS control layer to the
broadband network infrastructure, opera-
tors can accelerate the introduction of new
services, efficiently combine the TV service
with communication services, and offer the
service over multiple access networks. In
essence, the IPTV network infrastructure
becomes part of the Full Service Broadband
architecture.

REFERENCES

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Anytime, anywhere, any device. Ericsson Review, Vol. 83(2006)3, pp 107-111
2. Baker, J., Cagenius, T., Goodwin, C., Hansson, M. and Hatas, M.: Deep-fiber broadband
access networks. Ericsson Review, Vol. 84(2007)1, pp 4-8
3. DSL Forum TR-101 - Migration to Ethernet-based DSL Aggregation, April 2006
4. ITU-T Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network standards G.984
5. Green, H., Monette, S., Olsson, J., Saltsidis, P. and Takács, A.: Carrier Ethernet: The native
approach. Ericsson Review, Vol. 84(2007)3, pp 84-89
6. White paper on Full Service Broadband: www.ericsson.com/technology/whitepapers/
3098_Full_Service_Broadband_Arch_A.pdf
7. Cedervall, M., Horn, U., Hu, Y., Ivars, I. and Näsström, T.: Open IPTV Forum – Toward an open
IPTV standard. Ericsson Review, Vol. 84(2007)3, pp 74-78

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