In today’s mobile broadband, bandwidth increases 50 times while the revenue increases 10 times only. Data service consumes more bandwidth but bring less revenue per bit in mobile broadband era.

How to reduce the backhaul cost is a big challenge for mobile operator.

"Solution Providers helping operators undergo the IP transformation of mobile transport networks need to have advanced technologies and experience in both mobile and broadband networking. Huawei possesses these capabilities and has helped many customers achieve business success." -  Ding Yun, President of Huawei's Network Product Line.

IP-based mobile transport networks first appeared in backbone bearer networks. IP/MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) routers over the wave division multiplexing (WDM) system efficiently bear mobile softswitch services. China Mobile, BT, Vodafone, and Etisalat, have all seen greater profits and consumer satisfaction after building IP backbone bearer networks.

Mobile base stations are gradually adopting ALL IP technology and the air interface rate has been increasing rapidly, for example, from 144kbps in GPRS to 14.4Mbps in HSPA, and to 100Mbps in long-term evolution (LTE). As a result, transport bandwidth required by mobile backhaul networks has been booming.

The forecast for 2010 is that the growth of data services will quadruple the demands on mobile backhaul bandwidth. In this scenario, an IP-based mobile backhaul is inevitable for future mobile transport networks.

At the Mobile World Congress (3GSM) Barcelona 2008, Huawei formally released the IP Transport Infrastructure for Mobile Evolution (IPTime), an ALL IP-based carrier-class IP transport network solution.

Access resources can be obtained by different types of base stations in mobile backhaul. Huawei’s IPTime solution offers various access modes.

1. Optical fiber-based mobile backhaul:

• The IPTime solution provides various optical fiber access modes, including MAN Ethernet and PON

2. Microwave-based mobile backhaul:

• IPTime provides pure packet microwave and integrates with the PTN for smooth mobile network evolution.
• Microwave transport is also moving toward ALL IP as base stations develop towards ALL IP, due to the increase of bandwidth demands.

3. Copper cable-based mobile backhaul:

• Huawei’s IPTime solution provides rich xDSL access modes.

Huawei innovative IPTime mobile backhaul solution bring mutual benefits to operators:

• Based on ALL IP architecture, and can map everything into PWE3 to swap legacy ATM/SDH/Ethernet/FR service to a unified transport network.

• Integrating packet transport technology and SDH experience, and keeping the legacy customers’ experience in packet network.

• Providing specific last mile design for mobile backhaul, and reducing operator’s CAPEX and OPEX.

• Smooth evolution from legacy network to packet network and protect operator’s investment.