Nokia Networks IMS Portfolio

Product Assessment - IP Multimedia SubsystemsNokia Networks IMS Portfolio Snow, David | December 27, 2016 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems JJ Summary David Snow Current Analysis Principal Analyst, IP Services Infrastructure Competitive Strengths • Nokia’s new Telephony Application Server (TAS) enhances Nokia’s comprehensive IMS application portfolio for both carrier and enterprise services. • Nokia’s HSS is widely deployed, very high capacity and includes a virtualized version. • Nokia’s IMS portfolio has a leading array of interworking capabilities, from legacy networks through to vIMS and MANO. • Nokia’s vIMS had earlier commercial availability and supports live vIMS deployments at a higher scale than rivals. • Nokia has a single IMS network management system deployable in the cloud. Competitive Weaknesses • Nokia’s IMS portfolio has less presence in fixed networks than its major telecommunications manufacturer peers. • Nokia’s border and policy control products have had less exposure to VoLTE network applications than other compared vendors. • Although a target market, Nokia’s IMS has yet to gain traction as a standalone enterprise IMS offering. © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 1 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems Current Perspective Nokia’s IMS portfolio is a leader in the market. As Nokia Siemens Networks, the company broke with most of its major IMS rivals by focusing its portfolio almost exclusively toward mobile network operators, positioning it as an enabler of voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) services. The Nokia IMS functional strengths were also restricted to the SDM and CSCF domains. However, following the integration of Alcatel-Lucent’s products, the Nokia IMS portfolio immediately became more balanced functionally and significantly extended its reach across both fixed and mobile markets. Since then, the company has successfully executed on its plans to rationalize and re-architect the two IMS portfolios for the cloud. During 2016 Nokia launched the new Nokia TAS and SBC, and the Dynamic Diameter Engine (DDE). It has also improved its multivendor IMS and legacy network interworking capabilities to a leading level which persists into the vIMS domain. All in all, Nokia’s IMS is now a far more rounded offering with some of the largest live virtual IMS (vIMS) deployments in the world under its wing. The company is also gaining mind share in evolving IMS core networks to support 5G, for example in using cloud-native VNFs and stateless operation based on the evolution of its SDM offering into the “Shared Data Layer.” Nevertheless, despite the acquisition, Nokia’s IMS portfolio still has less installed base in fixed and converged networks than its major telecommunications manufacturer peers. On the mobile side, Nokia’s SBC and PCRF offerings are less visible than most rival’s products in the more demanding environment for VoLTE. The company has also yet to break into its target market for standalone enterprise IMS in a significant fashion. Nevertheless, the company is more advanced than most in identifying an evolutionary path from IMS to the new 5G core network, which has the potential to radically reshape the market and Nokia’s position in it. JJ Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses • Nokia has one of the most comprehensive • Nokia’s IMS portfolio has less presence in fixed IMS application portfolios in the market. Its networks than its major telecommunications portfolio ranges from basic public switched manufacturer peers. Despite the assimilation telephony network (PSTN) replacement through of Alcatel-Lucent customers, Nokia still has to VoLTE, voice-over-WiFi (VoWiFi), Rich fewer fixed, cable and converged network IMS Communication Services (RCS) and Web Real- deployments; a profile that persists into the vIMS Time Communications (WebRTC) applications, market. Nevertheless, Nokia’s 5G offering may with both consumer- and business-oriented provide the company with the opportunity to services represented. This provides carriers with a leverage its fixed access strengths into more core wide selection of revenue-generating opportunities network deployments. from the early stages of infrastructure conversion, assisting in the investment case for IMS and to which the new converged fixed/mobile/enterprise Nokia TAS adds further weight. © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 2 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems • The Nokia Home Subscriber Server (HSS) is • Nokia’s border and policy control products one of the most widely deployed HSS products have had less exposure to VoLTE network available. Nokia claims that its Subscriber Data applications than other compared equivalents. Management (SDM) has 209 deployments VoLTE represents a step change in feature and (including those from former Alcatel-Lucent) and, performance support, with, for example, the more significantly, it supports a market leading PCRF becoming an essential component of 450-900 million subscribers per rack. In addition, VoLTE call support by setting up and tearing Nokia was one of the first vendors to have a down voice bearers to preserve voice QoS over IP. virtualized HSS (vHSS) deployed with operators, With all Nokia’s VoLTE-enabled PCRFs being overcoming operator concerns over vHSS security, deployed solely in conjunction with its CSCF, and is leveraging the company’s SDM competence Nokia’s PCRF may be seen as less of a best-of- for the emerging 5G Core Shared Data Layer. breed IMS component. • Nokia has equipped its IMS portfolio with a • With only a single deployment, Nokia has yet leading array of interworking capabilities, many to gain traction in the standalone enterprise of which are built-in to the new Nokia TAS. By IMS market despite Alcatel-Lucent having its very nature, IMS is designed to bridge network addressed this opportunity for several years. technology generations, and for the carrier this Standalone, enterprise IMS is rapidly becoming usually implies the need to operating across a far more viable market for IMS vendors now multivendor networks. Nokia’s TAS supports that virtualization facilitates more cost-effective extensive network interworking, with multiple solution scale down and simpler solution IN variants, softswitch and legacy access, existing packaging. Company officials, however, remain IMS multivendor interoperability and more confident that extra-large enterprise vIMS remains recently, multivendor VNF interworking and a key area of opportunity for Nokia. vIMS deployment with a customer NFV MANO system. • Nokia’s vIMS solution was early to market in 2014, and now has a complete suite of IMS virtual network functions (VNFs) deployed with operators. The company has been more active than most in re-architecting its IMS VNFs for the cloud, with the launch of the Nokia TAS, the Nokia SBC and the Dynamic Diameter Engine (DDE) during 2016. The company was also among the first to claim commercial VoLTE/ VoWiFi service, and has IMS deployments supporting over 64 million live subscribers. • Nokia has a single IMS management system, NetAct, that manages not only the physical IMS, the radio access network, mobile softswitch and packet core but has also been extended to include VNFs and is itself deployable in the cloud. While this approach is not unique among vendors, the clear functional separation of NetAct from Nokia’s CloudBand Application Manager likely provides more multi-vendor network management flexibility across hybrid networks than more integrated offerings. © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 3 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems Metrics JJ Application Strategy IMS: Portfolio VoIP, VoLTE, RCS/e, VoWiFi and Multi Device, MMTel, IP-SM-GW, USSD Solution Sets GW, Location server, IP Centrex, Conferencing, Enterprise solution, access and interconnection SBC, Core modernization,Cloud Communications (NFV), Service Innovation (APIs, SDKs, WebRTC), Residential Communications (cVoIP, PSTN replacement) across various networks - e.g. fixed, mobile, cable, hybrid networks. Multimedia Nokia TAS Application Server (AS) Telephony Nokia TAS Application Server (AS) AS: Other IMS VoLTE, VoWiFi, multi-device, RCS/RCSe, IP-SM-GW, USSD GW, WebRTC GW, functionality IMS Centralised Services, T-ADS, SRVCC/eSRVCC, SHD/HD Voice/Video, LBS, supported IMS Roaming (LBO, RAVEL), Automated MAP based service synchronisation. Social Messaging’s presence and multimedia instant messaging functions to support GSMA RCS 5 capabilities and joyn profile AS: 3GPP Release 3GPP Rel-12 and Rel 13 EVS Support AS: Deployments IMS AS commercial contracts for VoLTE/VoWIFI: 65 and fixed/cable/enterprise/ convergence: 52. In total Nokia has 70 commercial VoLTE contracts including 26 in live use. AS: Licenses Over 600M licenses sold and for VoLTE/VoWiFI 430+ million TAS SW licenses sold Installed Base including 198 Million on Cloud AS: Largest The largest deployment is 100M licenses for an IMS solution (TAS). The largest deployment deployment is 60M active subscribers and the second largest 34m, both in North America. The leading deployment outside NAM is in India where active subscriber number has reached 40M, growing beyond 50M before year end 2016. AS: Availability Commercially available now for both VMware and OpenStack with 37 commercial virtualized to run installations. Vodafone Italy, Elisa Finland, Wind Canada as public reference for live on shared IT-based deployment. Nokia TAS is a containerized solution and is available on bare metal infrastructure and cloud based solutions with open interfaces towards cloud infrastructure, VNF Management and Element Management Systems. Preintegration available with Openstack and VMware. Nokia TAS can be delivered with software only model and with e2e Nokia cloud solution. Nokia TAS can be deployed on standard data center servers which are shared across multiple other applications. AS: Availability as Commercially available now for both Vmware (Nokia Cloud Application Manager, a VNF with NFV NCIV) and OpenStack (Nokia CAM, NCIO, CloudBand). The first commercial MANO support TAS VNF was deployed mid 2015. © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 4 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems JJ Session Control Call Session Nokia CFX-5000 Control Function (CSCF) CSCF: 3GPP 3GPP Release 13 and some non-mandatory features. Release Support S-CSCF 38M subs per Rack (on standard IT HW architecture). Capacities per shelf/rack are Performance not applicable to a virtualized or cloud architecture. P-CSCF 45M subs per Rack (on traditional HW architecture). Capacities per shelf/rack are Performance not applicable to a virtualized or cloud architecture. CSCF: 107 commercial CSCF deployments, Nokia has over 146 M live VoLTE/VoWiFi Deployments subcribers using Nokia IMS core and over 40 M fixed live subscribers. CSCF: Licenses Over 800M including VoLTE/mobile/fixed/convergence/cable Installed Base CSCF: Largest Largest capacity deployed 132 M subscribers capacity of CSCF (converged network deployment that includes VoLTE, launched in 1H 2014). Largest contracted VoLTE case cover over 100M subscribers. CSCF: Availability VMware and Openstack with 15 commercial installations. virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure CSCF: Availability Commercially available now for both Vmware (Nokia Cloud Application Manager, as a VNF with NCIV) and OpenStack (Nokia CAM, NCIO). NFV MANO support WebRTC: Session Supported. Control Home Subscriber Nokia Home Subscriber Server (HSS) Server (HSS) HSS: 3GPP 3GPP Rel-11/12 some items from Rel 13 Release Support HSS: Subscriber 450M with 2 enclosures per rack is the recommendation for deployment. Capacity HSS: Nokia 3GPP HSS has 132 commercial references for HSS and overall 182 (209 Deployments including ALU SDM) LTE subscriber access management commercial references (HSS/HLR). HSS: Availability Nokia 3GPP HSS has 12 commerical installations in VMWare and Openstack. virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 5 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems HSS: Availability Commercially available now for both Vmware and OpenStack. Openstack with as a VNF with CBAM and CBIS/NCIO and VMware is with support of CAM V and on NCIV. NFV MANO support Diameter Nokia Dynamic Diameter Engine Signaling Controller (DSC) Diameter Standalone Signaling Control Strategy DSC: Availability Vmware, OpenStack: Kilo and Liberty virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure DSC: Availability CloudBand 3.1 Life cycle managements support: Installation, scaling and healing. as a VNF with VNF Manager integration, VMware Workstation, release 7.0 NFV MANO support Media Resource CFX-5000, Nokia TAS,Nokia Media Resource Function (MRF) Function Controller (MRFC) Media Resource Nokia Media Resource Function (MRF) Function Processor (MRFP) Media Resource The Nokia MRF-C is a MRB first step implementation; it hides 20 MRF-P to the Broker (MRB) AS; and up to the MR-C to route the incoming calls from AS to the right MRF-P. MRF: 3GPP 4 Release Support Advanced Codec Support for advanced voice codec such as AMR-WB, AMR-NB, G711, G729, Support G726, G722, OPUS, EVS. Support for video codec such as H263, H264, VP8, MPEG4. Video resolution from QCIF to 720p MRFC: Nokia MRF has deployed over 200 MRF units in the past three years with additional Deployments deployments before that time. MRF: Availability Yes virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 6 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems MRF: Availability Yes as a VNF with NFV MANO support JJ Border Control Border Gateway Nokia Session Border Controller (SBC) Function (BGF) aka SBC SBC: 3GPP 3GPP Release 12 and Rel 13 EVS (phase 1) Release Support SBC: VoLTE Nokia Session Border Controller has 40 VoLTE customers. Deployments SBC: IMS 64 SBC for access and peering deployments across 50+ customers in all regions with Deployments public customers including APT, AT&T, Bouygues Telecom, China Mobile, China Telecom, KPN, SFR, VNPT. SBC: Availability Yes virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure SBC: Availability Yes as a VNF with NFV MANO support Policy Charging Nokia Dynamic Services Controller (DSC) & Rules Function (PCRF) PCRF: 3GPP Release 12 Release Support PCRF: Performance is highly dependent on the call model (e.g., # of attachments vs. Performance updates, Policy interfaces used) and the deployment (e.g., network/ external system latency, Redundancy mode). Performance starts for baremetal or for large VM at 32vCPU per VM: CS 10,000 TPS, PS 2000 TPS (Weighted TPS rate).The call model usually results in less TPS rates. Note that different VM sizes will obtain different TPS rates. PCRF: IMS Nearly 90 PCRF deployments (included multivendor environments) Deployments PCRF: VoLTE 15 with Nokia IMS core. Deployments © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 7 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems PCRF: Availability Yes virtualized to run on shared IT-based infrastructure PCRF: Availability Dynamic Services Controller R9 (current release) supports as a VNF with • CloudBand 3.1/3.2 NFV MANO support • VMware ESXI 6.0 • KVM/OpenStack RHEL 6.6/7.2 • VNF Management Support using CAM-V andSAM-VNFM provides LCM Support (Instantiation,manual Scaling and manual Healing) JJ IMS Interworking AS: Services Nokia CFX-5000 Capabilities Interaction Manager (SCIM) AS: IM-SSF Nokia TAS has in-built IM-SSF with wide support for interfacing existing SCPs Support (Camel4, INAP, SINAP, Nokia INAP). Another architecture consists in directly trigger IN services through Nokia TAS Call Management APIs. Alternatively Nokia TAS can be integrated with external IM-SSF. AS: IMS Both I2 and Camel homing based ICS architectures including interworking with Centralized eSRVCC (ATCF/ATGW) are supported from MMTel AS and SCC-AS roles Services (ICS) perspective. Support AS: Service Nokia TAS IM-SSF - (CAMEL ph1-4, Siemens INAP 7m+, Nokia INAP CS-1) Broker (non IMS domain) Fixed AGCF Supported for MSAN IMS: Third Has been IOT verified against BroadSoft, Radisys and Huawei MRFs. Additional party MRF testing with other vendors likely to have taken place before IOT database was created. interoperability Breakout Gateway CFX-5000 Control Function (BGCF) BGCF: 3GPP 3GPP Release 13 besides some non mandatory features. Release Support Media Gateway Nokia Open Mobile Softswitch Control Function (MGCF) © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 8 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems Fixed Media Nokia Open MGW Gateway (MGW) Mobile Media Nokia Open MGW (convergent MGW) Gateway (MGW) Third party Various vendors BGCF-MGCF interoperability IMS: All major vendors.Public live in Vodafone Italy with Huawei. Interworking with other vendors’ virtualized IMS functions JJ Deployability IMS: Latest IMS 17 General availability targeted to Q1 2017 Deployed Release Common IMS Nokia NetAct, fully capable of managing network elements implemented in the Management cloud. Solution Management No exceptions. Exceptions IMS-specific Nokia CloudBand Application Manager, and Nokia Cloud Application Manager. It is VNFM a generic VNFM but also used to manage Nokia IMS VNFs IMS-specific VNF CBAM and CAM are VNFMs, no adapter needed. The IMS EMS has open APIs that adaptor towards can be accessed by third party VNFMs. generic VNFM EMS support for Cloud VNF management consists of both VNFM and EMS. CAM/CBAM and vIMS VNFs NetAct fulfills all requirements. Orchestration requires CloudBand Network Director. NFV MANO The Nokia CloudBand portfolio includes: NFVO - CloudBand Network Director, Solution VNFM - CloudBand Application Manager, VIM - CloudBand Infrastructure Software VoLTE Service Nokia Real Time Network Analytics suite. Nokia MANO and EMS products include Assurance service assurance capabilities for each domain respectively. Nokia Service Assurance Solution provides end-to-end quality and performance management and automated assurance. Nokia Traffica can be used for services assurance. IMS: ATCA-based Nokia COTS ATCA Platform Control Platform (s) IMS: ATCA-based Nokia COTS ATCA Platform Media Platform (s) © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 9 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems vIMS: COTS IT/ Reference IT: Nokia AirFrame Data Center, HP C7000 Blade System. Nokia NFVI platform (s) products are compliant with any IT HW. vIMS: VIM (VIM offering in order of preference): - CloudBand Infrastructure Software (based Support on RedHat OpenStack Platform), supported for both NFVI HW options a & b. - VMware vCloud NFV, supported for both NFVI HW options a & b. IMS: Compact/ Compact Core provides: prepackaging of best-in-breed products, optimized for Simplified small footprint and rapid deployment, end-to-end solution which includes IMS, and Solution optionally, EPC & VoWiFi, pre-integrated,turnkey solution which allows for rapid deployment. IMS: Maximum From 10 K to maximum 3M subs subscribers (compact/ simplified) vIMS: 46 commercial customers where all CSCF and SBC are from Nokia Application- & Session-based Deployments (AS, CSCF and SBC) IMS & vIMS: 47 commercial customers where all AS,CSCF and SBC are from Nokia Application- & Session-based Deployments (AS, CSCF and SBC) IMS & vIMS: 52 commercial customers (fixed/cable/business/convergence) Fixed Network Deployments IMS & vIMS: 70 commercial customer (mobile/convergence) Mobile Networks Deployments IMS & vIMS: 2 Commercial customer (cable) Cable Networks Deployments IMS & vIMS: 12 commercial customer (convergence i.e. same IMS system part used for mobile as Converged well for fixed) (Fixed & Mobile Networks) Deployments IMS & vIMS: 1 commercial customer Standalone Enterprise Networks Deployments © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 10 Product Assessment - IP Multimedia Subsystems IMS: Compact 40 deployments / Simplified IMS solution deployments IMS & vIMS: 50 commercial customer networks including sole LTE Nokia radio and multivendor VoLTE Networks radio networks deployments (own RAN) IMS & vIMS: 20 comercial network with other than Nokia LTE radio VoLTE Networks deployments (other vendors’ RAN) IMS & vIMS: Nokia IMS products support IMS roaming with Local Break Out (LBO) and RAVEL VoLTE Networks loopback routing. In addition S8HR supported with country specific adaptations. deployments IMS roaming contracted with 50+ VoLTE customers, S8HR with 2. supporting VoLTE roaming vIMS: Over all 37 commercial contracted cloud customers (Openstack and VMware), 3 Session-based commercial customer having Nokia virtualized CSCF and SBC. Deployments (CSCF and SBC) IMS: Virtualized 3 commercial customer having Nokia virtualized AS, CSCF and SBC. Wind Canada deployments is a public example. vIMS: Largest 100 Million (TAS). Virtualized deployment vIMS: Virtualized IMS, TAS, ENUM, HSS, AAA, SBC, MRF, MGCF, Rf offline charging gw, IP-SM- IMS functions GW, EMS, Diameter Signaling Control, Policy Control deployed vIMS Licensing PAYG, PAYU, SW subscription. model vIMS: vIMS CBIS plus CBAM for VIM and VNFM & own/ partner MANO Deployments vIMS: vIMS & third party MANO Deployments © 2016 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please call +1 703 404 9200, toll-free +1 877 787 8947 Europe +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15. Or visit our Web site: www.currentanalysis.com 11