USING PACKETCABLE QoS TO DELIVER CARRIER-CLASS TELEPHONY SERVICES

November 11, 2003

WHITE PAPER

Overview
Cable operators face tremendous opportunities to deliver residential and business-class telephony services, but this requires the ability to ensure end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS). Operators seeking to capture voice revenues from incumbent carriers can deploy PacketCable solutions that ensure interoperability and provide the real-time capabilities needed for telephony services. According to IDC, worldwide retail IP telephony services revenue is growing from $.4 billion in 2000 to $19.5 billion in 2005. In the United States alone, households with broadband connections already spend an average of $102 per month on local and long distance voice services. So operators are anxious to garner these incremental revenue streams by deploying VoIP services that increase revenue and profits. There are two approaches cable operators can deploy today to deliver packet-based telephony services: The first is to outsource telephony services to a turnkey Internet phone service supplier, but this approach generally supports only best-effort QoS. The alternative and the one being increasingly adopted by major operators is to create a telephony infrastructure using PacketCable standards and carrier-grade platforms with proven interoperability so they can provide the end-to-end QoS control necessary to prosper.

Outsourcing Provides Limited QoS Control

At first glance, the idea of partnering with an Internet phone service provider can be appealing. In this model, the cable operator creates a high-speed connection to a managed network operated by the Internet phone service provider and backhauls the voice traffic to that provider for call routing and management. The cable operator can therefore accelerate the deployment of revenue-generating VoIP services, but there are major drawbacks to this approach. Because the traffic is going off the cable operators network, the operator does not have call management control, and consequently, can provide only best-effort service. The operator also has limited capability for integration with existing Operations Administration, Management, and Provisioning (OAM&P) infrastructure, and margins are of course diminished because of the revenue-sharing agreement with the outsourced telephony provider. A subscriber accustomed to carrier-grade voice services will be at times disappointed with best-effort services. National security is another major concern for operators who consider outsourced telephony services. There is limited ability to trace calls, and regulatory requirements for legal intercept may not be addressed properly. For example, operators in the United States would need to comply with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that requires the provider to comply with authorized electronic surveillances. Most outsourced services have limited ability to support emergency 911 calls because of the need to redirect them to the local emergency service of each individual caller. Because these calls are running over a besteffort service, critical public safety calls can be lost or dropped. The operator has limited ability to prioritize potentially life-critical calls, and this naturally raises public safety concerns. For example, a call to the local police department to report a home invader could potentially be dropped if the operator is experiencing a high level of traffic, such as if neighbors are downloading videos. Emergency calls are further complicated if a subscriber selects a telephone number from a different area code or exchange. Most burglar alarm systems utilize phone lines to send alarm messages to centralized security firms, and with best-effort service some of these calls may not reach law enforcement officials before harm is caused to people or property.

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

Yet the opportunity to offer the triple play of data, voice, and video services offers tremendous opportunity to cable operators that implement PacketCable solutions that not only comply with industry standards but are also delivered using proven platforms with demonstrated interoperability.

QoS Requirements
With the delivery of packet-based voice services over HFC networks, broadband network operators can become full-service providers of the triple play of data, voice, and multimedia services. They can create new revenue streams and develop long-term relationships with both residential and corporate subscribers. VoIP services allow MSOs to capture market share from phone carriers and amortize HFC investments over a broader range of services. To successfully deliver VoIP services via HFC networks and to simultaneously maximize return on investmentoperators can smoothly design, develop, manage, and maintain their own telephony offerings. This requires the ability to treat voice calls on a per-flow basis so that operators can prioritize real-time traffic and deliver the end-to-end QoS control necessary to enable two-way, real-time voice communications. Operators need to be able to measure voice metrics and continuously improve service quality. For example, they need to track: Latency Jitter Packet drop More importantly, they have to be able to meet the perceived service quality requirements of both residential and business customers. This means taking subjective measurements, such as surveying subscribers to determine the mean score of their perceived view of the quality of the voice service offered.

Toll-Quality Voice
Operators also need to provide the bulletproof reliability and the clear and crisp bi-directional communications that we have all come to expect from the phone network. The subscriber does not care whether the carrier outsources telephony services to a third party or builds a PacketCable QoS infrastructure; but each subscriber cares deeply about the reliability and quality of his or her phone connection. These expectations have been established because of QoS considerations that went into the building and evolution of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Therefore, operators must meet or exceed these expectations to be successful in the delivery of VoIP services. A subscriber who migrates from the PSTN to the cable network and is disappointed in the service may never again try another new offering from the cable operator. Worse yet, the dissatisfaction with the voice service could lead that subscriber to become disillusioned with the cable operator and potentially migrate his or her data or Internet access services to alternative providers, such as DSL carriers or satellite providers. The key for operators to successfully and profitably deploy VoIP is to ensure end-to-end QoS according to industry standards using carrier-grade switching platforms to ensure the highest levels of reliability. However, MSOs can not only create new revenue streams from residential subscribers but they can offer compelling bundles of data, voice, and video services to enterprise customers to entice them to migrate from the PSTN. VoIP made up just 6 percent of all corporate phone lines in the second quarter of 2003, according to UK-based research firm Canalysis, but thats up nearly 100 percent compared with the same period a year ago, when VoIP lines accounted for slightly less than 3 percent of all deployments. This makes VoIP the fastest growing segment of the enterprise voice market, and the ability to offer attractively priced and far more flexible voice services than available through the PSTN will allow cable operators to penetrate the enterprise market with compelling bundles of data, voice, and video services. Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services 3

Developing a PacketCable Solution

Cable operators can cost-effectively build out their own infrastructure using carrier-grade platforms compatible with PacketCable specifications. PacketCable is a CableLabs-led project to define a common platform to deliver advanced real-time multimedia services over two-way cable plant. It is built on top of Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) cable modem infrastructure. PacketCable networks use IP as the basis for robust multimedia architecture. A DOCSIS 1.1 network with PacketCable extensions allows MSOs to deliver the triple play of services efficiently and economically using a single, high-speed network architecture with QoS control. The PacketCable project addresses issues such as device interoperability and product compliance with the PacketCable specification. It also seeks to help build international standards to foster interoperability. Together, PacketCable and DOCSIS 1.1 provide an integrated solution that enables high-quality voice and data services to be delivered over the same two-way HFC cable plant. The PacketCable architecture supports several end-to-end functions, including signaling for services, media transport at variable QoS levels, security, provisioning of the client device, billing, and other network administration functions. PacketCable specifications for Voice over IP (VoIP) describe the basic functions that are typically consolidated onto a single, expensive Class 5 central office switch. These functions can be implemented across multiple elementsor can even be consolidated onto a single element, which leads to a low-cost, highly flexible, scaleable distributed architecture. Operators that build out infrastructure according to the DOCSIS and PacketCable specifications can future-proof their network by enabling support for advanced real-time multimedia services. The PacketCable team at CableLabs offers a testing program that provides a comprehensive environment in which vendors conduct multi-vendor interoperability testing as well as certification testing to ensure compliance with PacketCable specifications. Platforms that are graded as PacketCable 1.0 qualified by CableLabs technical staff have passed rigid interoperability and certification testing, and they allow operators to build telephony infrastructure that enables end-to-end QoS control.

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

Implementing Telephony Services

To best understand the value of PacketCable QoS for providing real-time telephony services, it is important to understand call flows and where-and-how QoS is applied.

Outsourcing with Best-Effort QoS

In the outsourced telephony service provider model, the subscriber connects an existing or new telephone to an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), which converts the call to a best-effort DOCSIS traffic flow. The ATA and any PCs feed into a cable modem, which in turn connects to a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) in the operators distribution hub. Internet telephony provider partnership with best-effort QoS
ATA

Cable Modem

Headend
Internet ATA Leased lines Cable Modem BSR 64000 CMTS Third-party Service POP PSTN

Best Effort DOCSIS QoS

The telephone calls on the access network are carried with other best-effort services such as Internet access. The CMTS then routes the various traffic flows accordingly. Voice calls are routed to a gateway either in that distribution hub or in a centralized headend that connects to the telephony service providers Point of Presence (POP). The connection between the regional headend and the third-party POP can be either over the public Internet or over leased lines. The call is then routed over the telephony providers managed IP networks to another POP near the destination, where it is then offloaded through a gateway to the PSTN for transmission over analog phone lines to the called party. Alternatively, the telephony provider could route the calls from a distribution hub or regional headend to the service POP over the public Internet.

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

End-to-End PacketCable QoS

However, operators can choose to build their own telephony infrastructure so they can become the phone company for their customers. The operator gains control over call flows and can ensure that QoS polices are applied throughout the infrastructure. Provisioning and billing systems can be fully integrated into existing OAM&P applications, and the operator can offer a more robust, predictable, and carrier-grade suite of VoIP services with the QoS control necessary for real-time voice. PacketCable telephony services with end-to-end QoS control
SBV5100 MTA

Headend

SBV5100 MTA

PSTN

BSR 64000 CMTS

SAFARI C Media Switching System

DOCSIS 1.1/PacketCable 1.0 QoS

In this scenario, the voice call is connected through a Multimedia Terminal Adapter (MTA) at the subscriber location. Once the phone goes off-hook, the MTA signals to the CMTS that it needs priority treatment for a voice call and the CMTS then sets up a service flow and establishes an Unsolicited Grant Service (UGS) that allows the MTA an opportunity to transmit flows about every two milliseconds without the need to solicit bandwidth or contend for bandwidth with best-effort data traffic. Voice flows are transmitted to the distribution hub using the DOCSIS 1.1 and PacketCable specifications. A carrier-grade CMTS platform in the distribution hub aggregates voice, data, and multimedia flows and classifies the traffic on a per-flow basis. Telephony calls from multiple distribution hubs are routed through a regional headend to a centralized switching system. Calls between cable operator subscribers can be routed within the operators network, and all other calls are switched to the PSTN. The policy-based classification of traffic is therefore applied from the access network through the operators infrastructure so that the operator can manage and control QoS treatments. This is the only way that cable operators can efficiently deliver the QoS necessary for telephony services.

VoIP Solutions from Motorola and Cedar Point

While PacketCable-based solutions are essential for the end-to-end delivery of voice services, standards compliance alone is not sufficient to ensure the profitable delivery of telephony services. Motorola Network Infrastructure Solutions (NIS) and Cedar Point Communications offer a joint solution that allows operators to deliver flexible, scaleable, and reliable telephony services.

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

Carrier-Class Access and Aggregation

The Motorola Broadband Services Router 64000 (BSR 64000) provides cable operators with a competitive edge in defining, deploying, and managing broadband services. Based on open system standards, the BSR 64000 is DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS 1.1 qualified, PacketCable 1.0 qualified, and compatible with DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS 2.0. It integrates central office features that lower operational and maintenance costs and it is architected for 99.999 percent availability. The Motorola BSR 64000

With the BSR 64000, operators can deliver converged voice and data services over the HFC network using a scaleable, cost-effective system that provides carrier-class availability. This high-density, fully redundant CMTS/intelligent edge router allows cable operators to rapidly introduce differentiated data, voice, and multimedia services for both corporate and residential subscribers. It offers the robust routing, flexibility, and scalability required to support the emerging generation of revenue-generating services such as VoIP. The BSR 64000 is based on a distributed architecture and offers hardware-based filtering and forwarding to ensure high-performance throughput. It allows operators to deliver measurable QoS levels end-to-end, and Smart Flow features of the BSR 64000 perform content-aware packet classification through layer 4 to provide unprecedented QoS flexibility. Since all the processing-intense filtering, forwarding, accounting, and QoS/SLA functions are performed in hardware at wire speed, the BSR 64000 reduces latency to a fraction of that commonly found in legacy routers. These traffic flows could come from a standard telephone plugged into an MTA such as Motorolas nextgeneration SURFboard SBV5100 MTA. Traffic flows from the subscriber are transmitted using DOCSIS 1.1 and PacketCable 1.0 and they are aggregated by the BSR 64000 in the distribution hub. The BSR 64000 then routes the telephony calls using DOCSIS and PacketCable signaling standards through a call management server in the regional headend to ensure effective QoS treatments for telephony calls.

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

Centralized and Cost-Effective Media Switching

Cedar Point, the NewVoice of the Cable Network, offers a new integrated switched IP architecture tailored 3 exclusively to the needs of cable operators. SAFARI C Media Switching System is the first telephony solution that simplifies the complexity of delivering VoIP services over HFC networks. Calls can be routed in 3 real time from the Motorola BSR 64000 to the SAFARI C using DOCSIS 1.1 and PacketCable 1.0 to ensure end-to-end QoS control. The Cedar Point SAFARI C3

SAFARI C is the only totally integrated carrier class switch that incorporatesat no additional costall of the components that make up the PacketCable voice-switching infrastructure. This eliminates the need for operators to purchase, maintain, upgrade, and regression test separate Call Management Servers, Media Gateways, Record Keeping Servers, Announcement Servers, Signaling Gateways, Ethernet Switches, and CALEA servers. A single SAFARI C located in a regional headend accepts DOCSIS 1.1 and PacketCable flows from BSR 64000s in multiple remote distribution hubs. It replaces the need for a Class 5 switch and also serves as a gateway to the PSTN. In this implementation the QoS is provided throughout the cable infrastructure so that operators remain in 3 control of the delivery of critical voice services. SAFARI C removes operational complexities of existing 3 products, making deployment and management simple and economical. By installing SAFARI C at the headend, operators can establish the connections needed to support calls to the PSTN and they become ready to offer telephony services with QoS control. This space-saving platform eliminates the capital and operational costs of managing multiple devices. The 3 only integrated carrier-class voice-over-IP solution designed exclusively for the cable industry, SAFARI C utilizes a unique set of PacketClass technologies to bring the high quality and reliability of todays Class 5
3

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

voice switches to a packet environment. SAFARI C provides superior performance and reliability, significantly reducing capital expenditures, system integration, and operations costs for cable operators offering telephony services while increasing network integrity, security, and privacy. SAFARI C gives IP telephony the security, privacy, availability, and reliability found in the PSTN with 3 added simplification and unprecedented reductions in cost. In this application, SAFARI C acts as a Class 5 voice switch providing all the functionality needed to successfully complete voice calls in a PacketCablebased network. This functionality includes NCS signaling, Common Open Policy Services (COPS) for QoS enforcement, encryption and decryption of voice calls, echo cancellation for calls going to the PSTN, SS7 signaling, call routing, resource management, LNP queries, CALEA, Protection Switching to ensure the availability of 3 services, and emergency 911 connections. SAFARI C integrates the many functions previously available only through multiple devices into a single platform to simplify the deployment of VoIP services and reduce the cost of ownership. In addition, Cedar Point offers the QuickStart program that is designed to eliminate the complexity of telephony solutions for cable system operators providing voice services. It allows MSOs to rapidly turn up voice services that generate substantial revenue and subscriber-retention benefits. QuickStart combines an 3 integrated and fully tested hardware solution built around the SAFARI C with associated network certification, service turn-up, testing, support, and training.
3

Ensuring QoS for Voice Services

Cable operators can control their destinies by launching and managing cost-effective VoIP services with full QoS control. They can rely on the PacketCable specifications and on carrier-class aggregation, routing, and switching platforms to ensure a successful delivery of a flexible range of telephony services. By choosing a PacketCable solution and selecting equipment from proven vendors with demonstrated interoperability, MSOs can accelerate time-to-revenue for new voice services. The combination of the BSR 3 64000 CMTS edge router and the SAFARI C Media Switching Platform allows operators to deliver these services safe in the knowledge that they are relying on proven platforms with demonstrated interoperability. Motorola also offers the professional services to ensure integration with existing infrastructure so that cable operators can reduce risk and accelerate service deployment. No operator wants to turn away hard-earned margins by outsourcing telephony to a third party provider. By selecting solutions from Motorola NIS and Cedar Point, MSOs can build new revenue streams and deliver the QoS that voice services require to ensure long-term customer satisfaction so they can reap maximum rewards for their investments in HFC infrastructure.

Additional Resources
For more information, please visit the following online resources:
Motorola PacketCable solutions Cedar Point CableLabs PacketCable site http://broadband.motorola.com/nis/ http://www.cedarpointcom.com http://www.packetcable.com/

Using PacketCable QoS to Deliver Carrier-Class Telephone Services

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. BSR 64000 is a trademark of Motorola Inc. DOCSIS is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. Motorola, Inc. 2003
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