Transcoding in the telecom business is the process of converting the media stream from one codec to another. This is performed in order to bridge differences in capabilities between the telecommunications systems supporting the caller and the recipients.

There are some circumstances when transcoding in the telecom business is very useful. One such situation is when the two endpoint devices in a call do not share a common codec among their codec sets. Also, if the termination part only supports G.723 codec and the origination end supports G.729 codec then the audio in the call would stop working in a direction if the VoIP provider is not transcoding between the codecs.

In the SIP world, a commonplace to perform transcoding is the Session Border Controller (SBC).  However, not all SBCs support transcoding. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to which ones do and which does not.

Transcoding and SBC

An SBC or Session Border Controller is a dedicated network element that helps to control real-time communication sessions over SIP-based VoIP infrastructures. SBC not only offers full control of the sessions but also conceals the internal network from outside. While SBC is available in both hardware and software forms, here the focus is on the software version.

REVE SBC has a built-in capability to handle various codecs and to do automatic transcoding in the telecom business when necessary. It supports transcoding to and from the most popular codecs used in IP telecommunication like G729, G711, AMR etc.

Finally, it is important to consider what you want to transcode to and from.  There is plenty of codecs present (G.711, G.722, G.723.1, G.726, iLBC, AMR-wb, etc.) and not every SBC will transcode to and from every codec. It is not just enough to ask if an SBC supports transcoding.  The important part is to determine the list of codecs it is compatible with and works with smoothly.

The post What is the Role of Transcoding in Telecom Business appeared first on Revesoft Blog.

Mobile Data usage has reached a new height because of bandwidth-hungry apps and streaming applications. But contrary to that, the Mobile Operator’s network infrastructure has remained stagnant as it is very expensive.

According to the research by Cisco regarding their Visual Networking Index (VNI), global mobile data traffic is expected to grow from 3.7EB (1 Exabyte = 1 million Terabytes) today, to 30.6EB in 2020, at a compounded annual growth rate of 53%.

Mobile Data Offloading

To address this ravenous demand for mobile data, mobile network operators need ample time to develop their new cellular network which is also very expensive. Therefore, they are turning to solutions like Mobile Data Offloading. This enables them to deliver the best mobile experience possible along with dropping stress on their networks.

Because of the explosion of Internet data traffic especially in metro areas in peak hours, network congestion takes place. This, in turn, causes connection slowdown. To ease this congestion in the network, the Operator shifts a major part of data traffic to Wi-Fi. This is referred to as Mobile Data Offloading or 3G data offloading or just Offloading.

How does Offload GSM work?

So, how does the Mobile Data offloading work? It works seamlessly and so quickly that users even don’t notice. To create the best user experience, providers of Wi-Fi services try to deliver secure and automatic authentication as possible.

For some cases, users may need to go through authentication processes for the first time. But at times nothing is required as  the operator authenticates by SIM information. Thereafter, the Network/Services remember the user for further future usages.

Services for Data Offloading

Different types of services can be used for Data Offloading like Wi-Fi services and Femtocell. Femtocell is a small, low-power cellular Base Station (BS). Its design is suitable for usage in a home or small business. This is also called Femto Access Point (AP).

The radical growth of SMS traffic is also a concern for the MNO which turning them to an IP-based solution like other Data. This solution will enable Operators to divert SMS messages selectively to an IP-based overlay networks.

There are two aspects that require attention while using the services:

• Data Security
• When to select a Wireless Provider

Data security is the main concern. While the second aspect, when to select the wireless provider selection is a key consideration for the provider, despite the fact, that, there are various models already available and proposed.

Some estimations show that Wi-Fi networks will carry up to 60% of smartphone and tablet data traffic by 2019, and North America and Western Europe will account for more than half of the global mobile data being offloaded in 2019 (Juniper).

The Usefulness of Mobile Data Offloading

Mobile Data Offloading not only reduces the cost for the providers but also for the end-users as well. Moreover, it facilitates the flexibility of the Operator code. This, in turn, allows the addition of more bandwidth where it is necessary like in the metro area, the university campus, railway stations etc. in a very short time. Operators further have the flexibility to add a constantly increasing number of Wi-Fi providers to their network.

In a nutshell, it is predicted that mobile data offloading is going to be a new industry segment due to the surge in mobile data traffic.

Editor: Mir Monsoor Hussain

The post All You Need to Know About Mobile Data Offloading (Offload GSM) appeared first on Revesoft Blog.