2/13/2007 -- Cisco Systems Inc. last week announced two additions to its mobile IP Next Generation Network (NGN) portfolio. Cisco officials claim that the new features -- which consist of a mobile transport over pseudowires (MToP) offering and a second-gen overhaul of its Content Services Gateway (CSG2) -- will enable mobile service providers to support multigenerational mobile traffic backhaul and manage content access and billing more effectively.

Analysts see both additions as important, if somewhat overdue, deliverables from Cisco. "[I]ts mobile transport over packet ... enhancements provide a converged solution that extends the attributes found in the mobile core to the RAN aggregation layer to address scalability and resiliency," comments Glen Hunt, principal analyst for carrier infrastructure with consultancy Current Analysis. "The release of the second-generation Cisco Services Gateway ... provides enhanced content management support for access control, packet inspection and flexible billing scenarios to assist the mobile operator in meeting growing customer expectations and offering innovative features to its subscribers."

Cisco's new additions should help strengthen its position in the mobile routing and transport market segment, Hunt speculates. "The new capabilities provide a complete model to transport multigenerational mobile traffic over a converged MPLS-based network infrastructure, strongly improving [Cisco's] position in mobile network routing and transport," he says. "With the rapid build-out of mobile IP infrastructures, the 7600's position is strengthened by new channelized interfaces that can bring legacy mobile traffic onto a more cost-effective Ethernet/MPLS infrastructure. Furthermore, the addition of the CSG2 shows Cisco's continued commitment to providing network and service layer functionality to support the requirements of NGN mobile applications."

Few product deliverables ever amount to bona-fide slam dunks, and -- in this respect -- Cisco's new additions aren't any different. For one thing, Hunt notes, they're targeting a scenario -- the introduction of MPLS into the RAN -- that is anything but a fait accompli. "MPLS may be perceived as overly complex for providing backhaul support for mobile traffic. Mobile operators may need to be assured that pseudowire technology [PWE3] will provide the synchronization and tight timing required to satisfy traditional circuit traffic," Hunt indicates. "Operators will be attracted by the potential cost savings that would result in running a single core and RAN access network, but they may take a 'show me' approach before they move to mainstream deployment."

Hunt flags other concerns, too. "Although the integration of TDM and ATM RAN traffic onto a single converged access network has merit, operators may already be using traditional multiservice WAN switches from Cisco [such as the MGX 8830] and others," he concludes. "Mobile operators may opt to keep the billing processes separate from the network even though they may not have the billing granularity and flexibility that can be offered by leveraging the CSG2’s strong feature set." Nevertheless, he sees the announcement as mostly upside for Cisco: "Cisco's MToP and CSG2 will have a high impact on the mobile backhaul market, since the 7600 gains yet another feature/capability boost to address any type of mobile traffic, extend a common MPLS control plane to the RAN, and offer a full suite of content management and traffic analysis support." --Stephen Swoyer