Implementing Stingray service gateway into IDC CSP networks
ITGLOBAL.COM supplied the DPI system to Trans-Dniester communications service provider Interdnestrcom (IDC). The IDC subscriber base has 250,000 landline and mobile customers.
About IDC
Interdnestrcom (IDC) provides wired Internet access, mobile communication, including 3G and 4G, and television services in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Moldova). The main office is located in Tiraspol. IDC has been on the telecom market for 20 years, making its journey from dial-up and analog telephony to GPON, 4G and DVB-T2. The provider has 17 customer care centers in 9 cities of Transnistria.
Problem
IDC used Cisco SCE8000 to work with traffic for a long time. Replacement was required after Cisco stopped supporting SCE, developing functionality and updating protocol signatures in 2015. A significant traffic increase was the second reason.
Anew DPI solution should capable to:
- Filtering websites according to the Ministry of Communications lists
- Billing subscribers having per-megabyte plans (3G-subscribers)
- DSCP prioritization of different protocols
- Quality of Experience (QoE)
- Analizing resources of those competitors, which subscirbers visit (for marketing needs)
Solution
In addition to Stingray SG, IDC considered Allot and Proteus DPI platforms. Allot was decided against due to its high costs, and the need for a license for additional functions and a separate hardware solution for which spare parts were necessary. Proteus was decided against because its services cost more than the services of DPI system, and it also needed a partial hardware implementation.
Vladimir Pisarenko, Senior Engineer, IDC IT Service:
Stingray SG passed all our tests. ВA few issues, detected during testing, were quickly fixed. Relative cheapness of the system and the ease of licensing were also quite important. By purchasing the Complete license, you get access to all the functions with no further need for increased costs.’
Vladimir also noted that the final choice was partially based on the opinion of CSPs, who already used the system: ‘Engineering colleagues described it as a reliable product with a quick and easy setup.’
In the future, IDC plans to combine the system with billing by means of API in order to apply system services (Mini-Firewall, black and white listing) to subscribers. The plan is to move from the current NAT servers to the NAT option, implemented in the system, and use QoE in marketing research more extensively.
Vladimir Pisarenko on using QoE in the IDC network:
‘We provide IPTV services. Our marketing specialists make lists of those subscribers who use alternative products—and convince them to use our TV.
We also check how many devices our subscribers have. This helps to understand who uses the account—one subscriber or everyone living in the building.’