The Need for Speed

Commute, file downloads, Valentino Rossi, mantis shrimp.

What does this eclectic list of subjects have in common? If you read the title you probably already know. That’s right, if you are part of western culture you probably want all these things to be FAST. Not standard fast, I mean super-ultra-extra fast!

Mobile operators are no different in their quest for speed, investing more and more in frequencies and equipment in hopes of becoming the fastest mobile data network. One of the primary reasons operators invest billions of dollars in their LTE network is speed. Speed is the number 1 benefit operators use to publicize their new network, only to find out that their competitors are using the same trick. Because it’s not only about being fast – you have to be the fastest.

This is a given in our speed-obsessed world. Mobile Internet was in its infancy just a decade ago, and now we roll our eyes if it takes more than a couple of seconds for “Gangnam Style” to load on our iPhone. Therefore, it is no wonder that we see so much interest in network acceleration solutions. Once LTE networks are in place, to accelerate performance further requires additional investments in frequencies, antennas, and network equipment. Think of how much it would cost to accelerate an existing network by 50%.

Network acceleration solutions promise to accelerate downloads and browsing for a fraction of the cost of radio investments. At Flash Networks, we live up to this promise by delivering 50% acceleration with zero investment in network infrastructure.  By using our patented technology to adjust the TCP send rate to the wireless link, we utilize the available bandwidth, even as it fluctuates with network conditions, increasing the effective bandwidth and boosting download speed.

Network speed may not yet be as fast as “Beam me up Scotty”, but it’s getting there.

-- Tal Dagan, Director of Product Management

P.S. The mantis shrimp? Unexpected, but apparently this animal exercises the world’s fastest punch.

“All men are created equal”, but LTE Networks are not…

How many times have you compared the performance of commodity products and were disappointed with the results? Shouldn't all products perform on the same level regardless of their origin?  Do all LCD TV screens have the same visual quality (although they are most probably manufactured in China)? 

The same applies to LTE networks around the globe.

A recent research by OpenSignal, a crowd-sourced coverage mapping start up funded by Qualcomm Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures &Passion Capital, published some interesting statistics about the actual speed and performance of LTE networks by country and network.

Source: http://www.telecoms.com/99671/real-world-lte-test-puts-japan-in-slow-lane/

It is true that users cannot just ‘relocate’ to another country for a better user experience, but they definitely can switch to the best performing mobile operator within their country – and they do.  Regulators are helping end users by conducting “beauty contests” to compare network speed between the various networks.

In order to avoid churn and succeed in these “beauty contests” mobile operators have started realizing the advantages of advanced optimization solutions to dramatically speed up their LTE networks.  Flash Networks, the global optimization leader, owns several patented technologies, such as TCP+, which is already implemented and proven to boost LTE network speed by over 50% and rank their respective operators as 1^st in their country.

On second thoughts “All men are created equal”, but both LTE Networks and 

definitely optimizations solutions are not… 

-- Gil Mildworth, Director of Business Development 

Competitive Edge

Runners train hard and frequently. They run up and down hills, long and slow, and work hard during intervals. They test their speed, increase their mileage and keep an eye on their competitors.

Runners use new technology to improve their results, they wear dry fit shirts, tights and even socks, measure their speed and heart rate with the latest Apple aps, Garmin or Polar. They listen to special playlists with songs that change rhythm according to their current running speed, and consume gels, sport drinks and protein shakes.

Runners do everything they can to shave off those extra seconds and become faster.

When shoe technology dramatically improved in the 80’s, and brands introduced a lighter shoe that promised  energy return, added  spring to your step and made you run faster, runners didn’t stop running up those steep hills, they didn't stop running in the right heart rate zone, or checking out their competitors - they carried on training.

Even with new technology improvements we still need to do all we can to keep a competitive edge.

So when upgrading to LTE, don’t sit back and watch your competitors overtake you – carry on optimization, check your systems heart rate - don’t let it struggle up those hills.

-- Fiona Ungar, Corporate Marketing Manager

Beyond mobile video optimization

Mobile Video Optimization 2012, the only event dedicated entirely to mobile video optimization, starts today. As Bronze sponsors of the event, we are excited to have the opportunity to present our unique capabilities to an audience of European mobile operators. Liam Galin, our President & CEO, will be presenting “Beyond Optimization – Next Generation Services” and Tal Dagan, our Director of Product Management, will be participating in a panel on QoE vs. QoS. 


As a teaser to what will be divulged at the event, we published a press release today revealing minimum quality of experience levels that lead to subscribers abandoning video viewing and downloads. We found that subscribers who experienced eight or more seconds of video stalls (buffering) were 73% more likely to abandon video viewing, resulting in customer frustration and possibly churn. Operators can use this quality of experience metric to determine when and what type of optimization technique to apply to ensure a smooth video viewing experience.


We also found that some subscribers receive more bandwidth than their usage requires while others aren’t receiving enough bandwidth to ensure a smooth video viewing experience. To address this issue, our Harmony platform pinpoints specific areas in the network that are experiencing traffic congestion, whom the affected subscribers are, and the end-to-end experience for specific users, enabling operators to manage service performance proactively and promptly. Harmony is then able to reallocate bandwidth based on the true needs of individual subscribers, thereby ensuring a positive user experience for all.


In addition, by optimizing only where and when required, Harmony ensures a high quality of experience while providing a small footprint solution. This is especially relevant for LTE networks, which are ultra-high capacity networks with enormous amounts of data.


If you’re in the neighborhood, come check us out at Mobile Video Optimization 2012, June 12-13, at the Marriot Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.


-- Naomi Rabbie, Director of Corporate Marketing