Mobile Network Monitoring and Technology Challenges
Network Monitoring and Technology Challenges
Network monitoring is a primary type of monitoring activity taking place today. Monitoring connections across a network, whether packet-based or circuit-based, can include such diverse activities as supporting network management, sending mobile subscribers location-based messages, and providing law enforcement with lawful interception capabilities. The challenges for monitoring are two-fold: capturing and storing vast amounts of data, and decoding (so that data can be analyzed) the many different data types being transported, including Instant Messaging, email applications, video streaming, and P2P connectivity, such as Skype.This white paper presents a brief overview of network monitoring. It also discusses different network monitoring types and technologies: TDM (T1/E1, BRI, and analog), SS7 (monitoring within the service provider network), and session monitoring (IP and web). Emphasis is placed on the benefits of monitoring as an adjunct to the network (passive monitoring) or as part of the network (active monitoring). The challenges in determining data types are discussed in the context of wideband audio and video monitoring.
This white paper includes a section on Dialogic® products that are widely used to enable monitoring applications for both TDM and SS7 monitoring. Also, more information on call logging in an IP environment and call monitoring applications are provided in Dialogic application notes and technology brief.