Big data and analytics have been hailed as the next technology trends for telecom operators. As carriers feel the pressure to mine the huge amount of data they already have in both their customer base and their networks, they are seeking tools to help analyze and manage this information. Aware of this need, vendors are responding by offering big data solutions to carriers. At last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, several companies made announcements about their analytical and intelligence tools that enable mobile operators to better understand customer and network behavior.
In addition to these announcements, it is interesting to note the latest move by Gigamon. The firm which specializes in traffic visibility solutions announced “a holistic approach to the current big data challenge” facing mobile carriers.
The company stated that since carriers continue to increase not only the number of pipes in their networks but also the speed of existing pipes from 10Gb and 40Gb to 100Gb, they require a solution that can enable the efficient management and monitoring of this rising volume of data.
“Big Data is no a longer a problem unique to enterprise data centers. Mobile carriers are now facing a deluge of traffic in their pipes, from an increasingly mobile workforce and the proliferation of smart devices and applications,” Andy Huckridge, director of service provider solutions at Gigamon, noted in a statement. According to Huckridge, mobile carriers must have the capacity to connect pipes to individual analytics tools at the network core and concentration points to ensure accurate data processing and analysis, since carriers have already invested a tremendous amount on their existing tools.
Intel is also looking at the big data phenomenon. The company announced the availability of Intel distribution for Apache Hadoop software aimed at allowing organizations and individuals to use the vast amounts of data being generated, collected and stored every day.
Hadoop, an open source framework for storing and processing large volumes of diverse data on a scalable cluster of servers, has emerged as the preferred platform for managing big data. Intel said that Apache Hadoop can keep pace with the rapid evolution of big data analytics, since the software expands Intel’s extensive portfolio of datacenter computing, networking, storage and intelligent systems products.
What’s happening in the market:
- GoodData, a provider of a cloud-based analytics platform and apps to monetize big data, announced its participation in StackMob’s new enterprise marketplace. They said that by using GoodData’s end-to-end platform, enterprises and mobile developers can measure adoption, engagement and product features of their applications built on the StackMob platform.
- Big data is the subject of three new books which examine its impact on different sectors.
- Dan Hays, principal U.S. wireless advisory leader at PwC, talks about some of the greatest challenges facing wireless carriers and which strategies currently being used are most effective in battling those challenges. During this video interview at MWC, he highlighted big data and how carriers should monetize it.
- Rahul Sharma, president and CEO at Celcite, shares his views with RCR Wireless News on data analytics and current industry trends and how these trends shape CelCite product roadmap.
- Sandvine co-founder, president and CEO, Dave Caputo, talks about network analytics and he provides RCR Wireless News with an update on how Sandvine differentiates themselves in the real time intelligence marketplace.
- Smarter telcos: Openet’s Chris Hoover says carriers are expanding ARPU and profit margins by making data available to customers through one-off purchases.
The telecom analytics series provides weekly insights on trends, new products and other topics that touch on the advantages and monetization opportunities of analytics tools for telecom operators, including big data, business intelligence, customer experience analysis and management, business analytics and network analytics.
