Aricent's wireless data solution, GSN-Lite is a cost-effective and user-friendly, compact GPRS support node designed to be deployed in GPRS or EDGE networks as SGSN / GGSN or both.

GSN-Lite provides an ideal standardized solution to enable wireless access to the Internet anytime and anywhere. It offers unprecedented flexibility and scalability in the most efficient and cost-effective manner allowing operators to offer high-speed Internet services in portable, wireless or wireline environments. GSN-Lite is targeted at all market segments - mature as well as emerging–being especially suitable for those with a strong demand for cost-competitive and high-speed wireless data services.

Its special features lend GSN-Lite to be quickly and easily deployable in challenging installation environments including mission-critical situations.

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Certain typical deployment examples of GSN-Lite include:

• Military bases
• Emergency disaster recovery sites for restoring communication services quickly and cost effectively
• Critical industrial zones, such as oil rigs, mines, construction sites
• Maritime communications to enable connectivity for passengers and crew on cruise ships/ferries.
• Remote villages and communities
• Portable networks
• University campuses
• Defense applications
• Airspaces

In fact, GSN-Lite is especially useful for:

• OEMs providing equipment to rural sector in developed countries for launch of data services, such as Internet and e-mail
• Rural operators who need to upgrade to the GPRS air-interface in order to maintain roaming agreement with regional or national carriers
• Operators in developing markets, such as Africa which require entry level GPRS solutions
• Scattered Islands, such as the Caribbean, the Micronesia, and Iceland as well as low population density countries, such as some CIS countries that may require a low subscriber density solution

GSN Lite’s all-IP architecture in the core network and its ability to run on any off-the-shelf personal computer running the Linux OS offers service providers an immense opportunity to reduce capital expenditure by using commercially available routers and network elements. Service providers can further lower their operating expenditure by taking advantage of the decreasing prices in the IP backhaul. Being a software solution, Aricent’ GSN Lite interfaces with legacy solutions especially with radio networks using Frame Relay/E1/T1 interfaces and with other network elements, such as HLR and MSC/VLR using MTP2/E1/T1.

Some distinguishing features of GSN-Lite are as follows:

• Deployed by several OEMs in multiple global GPRS networks as well as within laboratories and other such controlled networks.
• Field tested and -proven for interoperability with infrastructure equipment and mobiles of leading vendors, including Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson, Airnet, Interwave, IPAccess, Vanu, and Tecore.
• A highly mature product, commercially released in and successfully used since 2001.
• Offers an ultra low cost of ownership and zero obsolescence risk because it runs on any personal computer running the Linux OS
• Incorporates a highly compact architecture that combines functionality of both SGSN and GGSN in the same physical node
• Immensely scalable from as low as 100 subscribers to as high as 50,000 subscribers as per the needs of the operator with path for deployment in 3G networks
• Supports flexible deployment configuration of either all IP interfaces with BSS, HLR, MSC/VLR, SMS-GMSC and other SGSN/GGSN(s) or Frame Relay/E1/T1 connectivity with BSC or SS7/E1/T1 interface with HLR, MSC/VLR and SMS-GW
• Advantage of Aricent’ legendary responsive support whether during integration in factory, field, or in operation
• Availability in flexible licensing models for field deployment

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Compliance

For deployment in GPRS networks

GSN-Lite is compliant to ETSI specifications and ready for deployment in GPRS networks.

For deployment in EDGE networks

GSN-Lite supports a phased introduction to EDGE. GSN-Lite can be deployed in EDGE networks 'as-is' and can evolve cost effectively to align with the services provided by network operators.

GSN-Lite utilizes GPRS-compliant Gb interface and Session Management procedures to inter-work with EDGE-based BSCs and EDGE capable mobile stations. GSN-Lite provides support for QoS parameters corresponding to reliability, mean throughput, precedence, delay, and peak throughput as defined in ETSI specifications. It does not differentiate between different types of traffic classes (conversational, streaming, interactive, or background) as introduced in ETSI specifications released for EDGE compliance and maps them to QoS classes in GPRS when deployed in EDGE networks.

Support for new QoS classes shall be available in future GSN-Lite releases as per Aricent’ road map. For road map details, please contact Aricent at info@Aricent.com.


Support for IMS services - Interfacing with IMS domain

End-to-End QoS negotiation and resource reservation is required during session set-up in the IM Subsystem network for the services that need QoS better than the best effort service. The Go Interface is required between GSN-Lite (GGSN) and the Policy-Decision Function (PDF) to allow Service-Based Local Policy (SBLP) information from the PDF to the GGSN. GSN-Lite (GGSN) requires the following functional elements and interfaces to support end-to-end QoS and service-based local policies:

• The Go interface between the GGSN and the PDF use the Common Open Policy Service (COPS) protocol for QoS signaling.
  
• The Policy Enforcement Point (PEP) communicates with the Policy Decision Function (PDF) regarding the Service-Based Local Policy (SBLP).
  
• The IP BS Manager manages external bearer services in the GGSN
  
• Support for IMS services shall be available in GSN-Lite future releases as per Aricent's road map. For road map details, please contact Aricent at info@Aricent.com.

For deployment in 3G networks

GSN-Lite can be enhanced for deployment in 3G networks with the following enhancements:

• Interfaces towards the RNC (Iu-PS) for Radio Access Network access
• ATM and IP connectivity to RNCs
• The road map for deployment of GSN-Lite for UMTS networks is as per Aricent's roadmap. For road map details, please contact Aricent at info@Aricent.com.

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