Session Aware and Control Signal Routing For 3GPP Domain

In the smartphones era, mobile data traffic is skyrocketing. More and more people use their phones not only for voice but also for data. Laptop dongles, flat-rate plans, free social networking and network videos are only a part of what mobile operators are offering their clients. And this only increases data traffic. Operators have already realized that their 3G networks are not equipped to sustain this high level of traffic growth. They are thus looking at all-Internet Protocol (IP) networks such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for a solution. They have to find a way to provide higher and higher bandwidth required to support devices and applications. They are also interested in cost effectively addressing the growing gap between traffic and revenue growth.That is why Diameter came into the game. Within the IMS control and service planes, Diameter plays a central role in policy, charging, authentication and mobility management. We can easily say that Diameter becomes the signaling protocol of the future.