Operator Challenges
The operator needed to strengthen control over backbone traffic due to new regulatory requirements and growing service management demands. The existing infrastructure did not allow for deep traffic analysis or application-level identification, limiting traffic filtering capabilities and quality of service management.
There was also a need to implement DPI for traffic and application identification, enable signature-based traffic control, deploy CG-NAT/BNG for efficient IP address management, and ensure service quality monitoring (QoE).
Additionally, integration with the billing system and compliance with lawful interception requirements were considered.
Solution and Implementation
To address these challenges, the Stingray + QoE solution was selected. The deployment was carried out on ITPOD hardware — a manufacturer of enterprise-grade servers and storage systems.
At the initial stage, a pilot deployment was conducted to validate key operational scenarios. The pilot confirmed stable and correct performance of the platform within the operator’s network environment.
Following the pilot, the solution was put into production and integrated into the existing infrastructure. The hardware was supplied by ITGLOBAL.COM, installed by the operator’s team, and configured by VAS Experts engineers in accordance with the network parameters.
At the current stage, the Stingray platform operates as a service gateway (BNG), providing processing and control of subscriber traffic.
The VAS Experts team provided technical support during deployment and configuration, including assistance with setup and service activation.
Scaling and Future Plans
During operation, the operator expanded performance requirements. The Stingray license was upgraded, increasing the platform’s available throughput from 2G to 60G.
An additional ITPOD-ASR201-S08R server was deployed to support scaling and redundancy.
The operator also plans to implement IPv6 support to expand address space and prepare the network for further growth in users and connected devices.
Results
The Stingray solution enabled application-level traffic classification, implementation of traffic filtering policies, and optimization of IPv4 address usage. Service quality monitoring (QoE) was established, and overall traffic visibility improved to support regulatory compliance.
The platform now serves as a foundational component for further development of DPI capabilities and expansion of network policy management.
Customer Feedback
The solution provided the required level of traffic control and service visibility in the network. We would also like to highlight the platform’s stability and the strong support from the VAS Experts team during deployment and configuration.
