Wireless infrastructure providers are increasingly turning to software to differentiate their networks, and video optimization software is a particular focus. Mobile video now represents more than 40% of wireless network traffic, according to Ericsson CTO Ulf Ewaldsson.
Ericsson has announced a unified software solution targeting operators who want to deliver video in a variety of formats. The company’s virtualized encoder is meant to help operators dynamically select the best encoding method and platform based on the priorities for deployment speed, video quality and output.
“Ericsson’s new virtualized encoding solution provides an answer for customers who increasingly need to prepare content in more formats for more screens than ever before,” said Michelle Abrahams, senior analyst at SNL Kagan. “It will allow them to choose their encoding infrastructure based on factors important to them such as performance, density, and time to market.”
Video delivery is key priority for Ericsson, which has recently added Microsoft Mediaroom and Azuki to its portfolio of video software providers. The company bought IPTV equipment vendor Tandberg Television in 2007.
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Meanwhile Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) has inked a deal with ChinaCache to incorporate ChinaCache’s content delivery network (CDN) technology into NSN’s Liquid Applications solution. Liquid Applications is NSN’s name for technology that moves content to the edge of the network, inside the base station. ChinaCache is a carrier-neutral service provider in China which works with carriers and Internet service providers to deliver content.
Content caching is helpful to mobile operators because it can reduce network traffic by storing popular content near the end points. For example, when a video goes viral or a new movie is released, demand may spike and may be most intense in certain locations. By caching the title near the end users, an operator can deliver it repeatedly without burdening the rest of the network.
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