White Box Platform provides full network functionality and internet traffic offload at cell site edge

RICHARDSON, TX., January 17, 2018 – Mavenir , focused on transforming mobile network economics for Communications Service Providers, today announced its virtualized Media Breakout Controller (vMBC), a single white box routing platform that enables carriers to host virtual Routing, Firewall, and User plane data offload.

Today’s networks, whether 3G, 4G or 5G, are under pressure to provide increased bandwidth in support of LTE and its frequency combinations, and reduce latency for network interaction, resulting in a continual need to increase capacity for traffic transported through the core of the network.

Multi-Access Edge Computing standardization (MEC) is trying to resolve some of these issues by placing compute functionality at the edge but it is still mostly controlled from the core, based on conventional centralized architectures. The ability to scale network functionality using virtual elements and COTS HW platforms allows network functionality to be deployed at any location.

Mavenir's innovative solution offers the ability to host virtual Routing, Firewall, and User Plane data offload in a single white box routing platform, deployable anywhere at the network edge including cell sites, local data centers and at enterprises. The virtualized Media Breakout Controller enables direct replacement of existing ‘Cell Site Router’ with the same physical dimensions, ensuring integrity of the existing network and seamless integration into next generation MANO operational systems.

The vMBC is a subset of Mavenir’s Access Product portfolio extending virtualization to the edge of the network and provides strategic differentiation by enabling local break out of user traffic. The solution can be combined with additional virtual functions that provide video optimization, caching, and virtualized Base Band Units (vBBU) for Cloud RAN. This solution opens the door to using previously excluded fronthaul solutions and to processing of the radio interface on COTS processors, all having a significant impact on the TCO.

“All operators are challenged to remain profitable while facing the dilemma of investing in network capacity. When considering that most of the user traffic is over the top encrypted video, for the carrier supplying the network, this has zero revenue associated with it,” said Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO, Mavenir. “Our vMBC, through a small architectural change, allows this traffic to be offloaded to the cloud as soon as physically possible.”

“Given that nearly 80 percent of user data is currently video (and the vast majority is encrypted), providing breakout solutions allows for the redeployment of network assets from both Control and User plane. i GR estimates that approximately 40 percent of video content could also be cached at the edge,” said Iain Gillott, President and founder of iG R. “The trick is to be able to benefit from the feature and operational cost benefits without having to upgrade to 5G architectures – this is now possible with a white box platform at the edge of the network.”