CellHeads and AirHeads: Defining the Mobile Internet Core Tom Lyon C.T.O. Nokia Internet Communications

Disclaimers • The products for which I have some responsibility do not intentionally emit radio signals.. • I am a NetHead sympathizer. • The NetHeads consider me a traitorous BellHead; The BellHeads consider me a traitorous NetHead. • Your mileage may vary.

BellHeads vs. NetHeads* BellHeads: • Circuits • Connection Oriented • Quality of Service • Busy Signals • Smart Network, Dumb Terminal • Supported Terminals • “I’ll help you use my network.” NetHeads: • Packets • Connection-less • Connectivity • Poor Performance • Smart Terminal, Dumb Network • Supported Protocols • “I’ll help you connect to other networks.” *Theme from “Netheads vs Bellheads” by Steve Steinberg, Wired 4.10, Oct. 1996 http://www.steinberg.org/copy/feature1.html

• Cellular Data • My Network • My Users • My Services • IP is a service • Mobility below IP • IPv6 – why not? • Peering/Roaming at a cost • Regulated Assets • Well funded • Proven business models • Wireless LAN • One Internet • Any Users • Any Services • IP is a transport • Mobility with IP • IPv6 – why? • Peering/Roaming assumed • Assets? • Poorly funded • “Searching…” CellHeads vs. AirHeads

What is the Mobile Internet? • CellHeads: My Mobile Network (with a gateway to the Internet). • AirHeads: The Internet (with a few antennas). • Reality: Nobody knows, but it won’t be simple or homogeneous. © 2001 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

What is 3G? Everythin g! +WAP Voice+ SMS Services +VoIPv6 +GPRS BSCs+ MSCs Network GPRS++ GPRS HSCS D Data W-CDMA EDGE GSM (tdma) Radio 2100Mhz 1800Mhz 900Mh z Spectrum 3G Any of… 2.5G Any of… 2G Any of… © 2001 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

Why 3G? • AirHeads: “At Last! High Speed Mobile Packet Data!” • CellHeads: “At Last! More Spectrum!” © 2001 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

Border Gateway (BG) Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) Lawful Interception Gateway (LIG) Customer Care and Billing Charging Gateway (CG) Local Area Network Router/Firewall Corporate Customer Router/Firewall Mobile ISP Data network (Internet) IP backbone Inter-PLMN network Network Management Service platforms Gb RNC BS Iu-ps Packet Core Infrastructure IP based BSC GPRS Network Architecture BTS 2G Not IP based 3G

GPRS Protocol Architecture GGSN SGSN Mobile Terminal User PPP SNDCP IP TCP… PPP L2 TCP… GTP GTP IPv4 UDP IPv4 UDP L2 L2 Back- bone layers SNDCP Gn Um R Gi End user IP connectivity IP Mobile Termina l Radio and R.A.N. Carrier IP Backbon e IP Services & external

GPRS / IPv6 Architecture Mobile Termina l Radio and R.A.N. Carrier IP Backbon e GGSN SGSN Mobile Terminal User PPP SNDCP IPv6 TCP… PPP L2 TCP… GTP GTP IPv4 UDP IPv4 UDP L2 L2 Back- bone layers SNDCP Gn Um R Gi End user IPv6 connectivity IPv6 IPv6 Services

The Carrier IP Backbone • CellHeads: Smart Network, Dumb Edge • “Can I risk the future on this rapidly changing technology, with unproven reliability, unknown Q0S, unfamiliar vendors, and short equipment lifetimes?” • AirHeads: Dumb Network, Smart Edge • “It’s just an Ethernet switch! Ok, maybe two.” IP backbone

SGSN in 2G and 3G Packet Core Different tasks - different requirements Tunnel processing Ciphering Compressing GSM radio network specific protocols 2G SGSN Protocol conversions MM 3G SGSN IP Tunnel processing MM IP MM = Mobility Management IP

Obstacles & Opportunities • Each faction has a view of how things should be • Convincing them otherwise is not a business opportunity • The opportunities are in mediating between the differing network technologies and business models • Where is the “core” of the Mobile Internet? • Not in a single carrier’s core • Not in the fixed Internet • A new type of network – technologies and business model

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