4G update

Paul DekkersTF-MNM, October 14th, 2013

4G update

• Experiences with 4G(no data-limit)

• Use-cases at SURFnet institutions

• Custom APN, options for connecting operator to NREN

• Future challenges

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NL operators aim for nationwide coverage

Complexity has it’s implications

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Experiences: low latency, stability

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Treinreis, roamen van 4G naar 3G

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late

ncy

(ms)

tijdsduur treinreis (s)

Field tests

Experiences: videoconferencing

Experiences: videoconferencing

Listening in on TF-Storage

Videoconferencing everywhere...

Lectures “from the field”

Streaming media, hockey match

Streaming media, hockey match

Video consult, restricted data

Group of IT students play with 4G

non-video usecases ;-)

• Library, publishers access (limited to campus net),access geo-data, cartography on the streets (tablets)

• Uploading large photos as part of course

• M2M sport equipment, low-latency, fast feedback

• DoS sensitivity

• Journalists (video...)

• Challenges:- authentication- network connections- coverage

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Mobile eduroam hotspot(via SURFnet network)

“Muziek op je mobiel”

Work like you normally do?

Focus on outdoors

Wi-Fi outdoors

LTE outdoors

higher latency, variations in speedresults vary indoors, depending onfrequencies used

goed for hotspots,range & scalability difficult

WiFi indoors: no comparison

4G outdoors, to complement WiFi (off-campus)

Access via/to the campus networks

SURFnet Visiting institute

AAA proxy AAA AAA

User DB

Internet

home institute

eduroam

SURFnet Mobile

operator

AAA AAA

User DB

Internet

home institute

4G routed

SURFnet Mobile

operator

AAA

User DB

Internet

home institute

4G switched AAA proxy

Custom APN: why

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• Direct and transparent connection to the campus- access campus-limited resources

(medical applications, video-conferencing/streaming: doventolk, ...)- alternative for VPN on mobile

(which doesn’t scale or work well)- seamless? integration with Wi-Fi- trusted authentication

- no EAP yet (but Release 9...)- buggy UE implementations (ESM, authentication, bearers)

- offloading (no NAT), cost-reduction? ... not 100% sure about economic advantages just yet

• Via Netherlighton 1 (2) central location from operator to NREN

Custom APN

• Tested multiple APNs, one for each institution- Still a lot of work, for Operator, NREN and institution- Only routed traffic, limitations on mobile network- Virtual APN to do real APN selection based on authentication

• Working with L2TP, LNS run at SURFnet- Handset gets IP-adres from the LNS- LNS can do proxy-arp, thus assign addresses from layer 2- Assign LNS based on RADIUS authentication: user-based “VLANs”- Complexity (LNS, BGP, ...) is at NREN, not at institution- One virtual APN for all users, edu.nl

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New stuff, old stuff

• Mobile core, a lot of components• L2TP, IPv6• RADIUS, Accounting, Packet of Disconnect

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Another development; EU roaming APN

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• Preparation operators for EU roaming APN mandated by EU (goal: lower roaming fees)

• But operators don’t need to offer it

• Technically complicated, but closer to international local breakout! (eduroam-like APN?)(if only we could allow international SIMs on edu.nl ...)

• Interesting aspects (MCC/MVNO presentation later):Operator lock-in/flexibility, roaming agreements, ...

Questions?paul.dekkers [at] surfnet.nl

• Guest accounts• Monitoring• Reduced load to NL proxies by using SQL

(ofcourse traffic remained the same ;-))

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