Chris Koopmans, VP and GM, Service Provider Platforms, Citrix: "LTE does not itself guarantee a good user quality of experience for all services all of the time"

Following the successful LTE Awards 2013, we speak to Chris Koopmans, VP & GM Service Provider Platforms, Cloud Networking for Citrix, winners of the ‘Best LTE Traffic Management Product’ category.

Tell us more about your entry to the LTE Awards 2013.

Citrix ByteMobile entered the T3100 into the Best LTE Traffic Management Product category for the LTE Awards 2013. LTE promises a better user experience to subscribers, from superfast web browsing to stall-free HD video. For the operator, this means the opportunity to deliver new mobile services, generating extra revenue from content such as premium streaming movies, TV, music and video calls. However, the move to LTE does not in and of itself guarantee a good user quality of experience for all of these services all of the time. All too often, the very services that delight us can severely hamper network performance, degrading the experience for many – and immediately breaking the operator’s promise to the subscriber.

In the past, operators have waited for traffic to impair network performance and then sought to fix it. With LTE, they have the opportunity to get the quality of experience (QoE) right from day one by managing not just the traffic, but the entire user experience.

We entered the T3100, now with adaptive optimisation capabilities, as it helps operators deliver on their QoE promise by optimising traffic when and where needed. The T3100 gathers user experience data such as video quality, video delivery and download rates. A User Experience Index (UXI) is then calculated for each user, enabling operators to detect and address poor QoE on a per subscriber basis in real-time, preventing user abandonment of data and video services. UXI also enables operators to enforce plan service levels and enable a higher-performing network that enables them to differentiate their networks to both users and content providers.

The entry reflects the fact that the T3100 Adaptive Traffic Manager gives operators the tools they need to collect and monitor subscriber and application traffic in real time and to take the appropriate action to reduce network congestion and improve QoE. This is crucial as operators deploy LTE, enabling them to maintain QoE and manage network congestion from day one and to create profitable networks and reduce customer churn.

What do you think made your entry stand out from the crowd?

Citrix ByteMobile’s T3100 Adaptive Traffic Manager offers operators an all-encompassing view of network traffic, enabling them to manage their data traffic holistically across all applications and subscribers. Featuring a full complement of web and video optimisation techniques, value-added services and deep packet inspection, the T3100 delivers the most comprehensive solution set in the industry.

ByteMobile was originally founded in 2000 to solve the problem of high-bandwidth data applications on low-bandwidth voice networks. In 2012 ByteMobile was acquired by Citrix with the vision of continuing to deliver an unparalleled user experience to mobile subscribers, while managing exponential growth in network data traffic with high performance, visibility and efficiency. Citrix ByteMobile leads the field with its scalable, comprehensive solutions aimed at solving these problems. The T3100 is a great example of this. We created the T3100 to help operators deliver on their QoE promise while simultaneously supporting the tremendous traffic volume associated with the widespread use of video on LTE networks. So not only does the T3100 deliver the fine-grained ability to actively manage per subscriber QoE, it delivers the ability to do so at Tbps-scale traffic volumes.

How will your product evolve and improve in the future?

We are always looking for ways in which we can better the user experience and enable operators to provide better performing and more profitable networks. As we see new trends and business models come to light, the T3100 will enable operators to manage these and Citrix ByteMobile is constantly working to adapt our technology to meet the growing demands of the user and the ever-changing nature of the content and protocols that traverse the network. Our end goal is to help operators ensure the best user experience by managing the demands on the network in an intelligent, profitable way.

What are the biggest challenges the lie ahead for LTE?

The defining challenge for LTE will be ensuring QoE is maintained at all times. At the moment in some countries such as the UK, 4G networks are still in their infancy, therefore operators have yet to experience the full throttle user demand for this service. Once users flood the network it is imperative that operators ensure users still experience 4G benefits rather than reverting to the poor experience that has plagued so many overtaxed 3G networks. Managing the user experience will be the defining challenge of LTE.

what impact has winning this award had for your business?

Winning an LTE award is a great honour for our company as it recognises our expertise in the field of traffic management. The LTE focus in particular gives us great industry recognition for managing data in an era where 4G data use will rise astronomically. The LTE award will increase our visibility in the space and solidify our position as the market leader in this field.