This equipment is expected to work together and integrate seamlessly, with no noticeable deviation to the end-subscriber’s experience or service level. Well, guess what – this is often far from the case – especially if you’re a network operator with small pockets of local service coverage across a very wide geographic area!

The problem is that blanket, network-wide improvements are extremely costly and represent an inefficient use of capital resources. Congestion will continue to occur, regardless of capacity expansion and advances in technology.  Luckily, there are better ways to deal with these problems by targeting the areas of your network requiring most urgent attention.

It should really come as no surprise that the cable industry is taking mobile devices seriously, because as reported in our 1H 2012 Global Internet Phenomena Report, 16% of all Real-Time Entertainment traffic on fixed access networks in North America is now consumed on mobile devices.

The report highlights the need for CSPs to have BI tools tailored to their unique requirements, such as the complexity and amount of network information with which CSPs are presented and their operational objectives.  Cotrupe identifies the main reasons why CSPs need business intelligence, and goes on to describe the areas in which providers can benefit from business intelligence.  He states, “BI inspires billions of dollars in spending because implementing BI offers many business benefits.  In CSP environments, those benefits are most keenly felt in areas such as Network & Operations, Products & Marketing, Core Customer Data, Customer Experience Management (CEM), Billing and Revenue Assurance.”

The report then switches gears, examining the marketplace for solutions that address the needs of CSPs, saying, “In our continuing research and analysis of the market, we have identified a company, Sandvine, with a range of solutions that can deliver CSP-focused BI and that should eliminate any CSP excuses re: ‘BI is important, but BI providers don’t understand our business.’”

Internet consumers are spending more time using Internet applications for activities such as streaming mobile video that require a high quality network. Sandvine’s Fall 2011 Global Internet Phenomena Report revealed the use of video and real-time entertainment applications are on the rise, now accounting for 60% of peak downstream traffic.  This environment creates new challenges and opportunities for Internet service providers.

The good news is that service providers now have business intelligence tools to help manage the explosion of mobile trends and are in a unique position to mine an unparalleled amount of information about how and when the Internet is being used that can enable monetization their networks through creative marketing programs.

The core enabling technology for network business intelligence is Network Policy Control, which supports all access technologies and can identify subscriber, application and location information.  For an ISP to truly reap the benefits of network insight, the data must also be analyzed quickly and efficiently to present the actionable, real-time intelligence that is critical to effective business decision-making.