Software Provides Outstanding Time-to-Value for Mobile Operators

Historically, in-network deployment of software solutions for mobile data networks has been (for the most part correctly) perceived as laborious, complex, and time consuming. There are several drivers of this complexity, including the number of integration points, amount of custom code required, size of the bill of materials, and third party software requirements. The latest release of the SEVEN Networks Open Channel product family now features plug-and-play in-network deployment, minimizing these sources of complexity.

The Open Channel platform now gives mobile operators an additional option alongside hosted deployment, which was offered in the previous version of the software. Both hosted and in-network implementations include the Open Channel client, which extends mobile traffic management and optimization from the network to the handset. Managing data traffic at the client is a superior model compared to traditional approaches, because it occurs before the traffic can impact the radio access network.

The server component is what differs between the two deployment models. The in-network model enables the server component to reside in the carrier’s data center, where the product is managed with hands-on carrier control via a simple administrator interface. Most carriers will choose this model for long-term, large-scale use. In the hosted model, the server component resides in the SEVEN Networks data center, where the SEVEN technical team manages the product based upon carrier-defined parameters. The hosted model is recommended for initial device launches while in-network deployment is being prepared, and offers the shortest deployment time of all.

Our in-network deployment model is different than what carriers have come to expect from most infrastructure software solutions in that it is truly plug-and-play. It streamlines the deployment process by addressing the drivers of complexity. The software can run on two single rack unit servers for an initial deployment, and additional servers can be added to scale to tens of millions of users. It uses industry standard open source operating system and database software, and requires minimal network integration and no custom coding. As you might imagine, all of these design choices streamline the deployment process significantly.

The SEVEN Networks development team really did their homework to make this new in-network option simple to deploy, with outstanding time-to-value for carriers.

Visit the Open Channel product family page to learn more.

Network Diagram

SEVEN Networks Open Channel software products include a client component and a server component. This diagram illustrates the recently announced plug-and-play in-network deployment model for the server component. Regardless of the server deployment model, the Open Channel client extends carrier control to the mobile client.