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Four Benefits of Adjunct Transcoding

Author Rob MacLeod

Mobile operators today are deploying new revenue-generating services such as VoLTE, VoWiFi and WebRTC to compete with OTT players. These services require support for an ever-expanding number of codecs from OPUS and VP8 for WebRTC to AMR-WB for VoLTE to the latest complex codec – Ultra HD Enhanced Voice Service (EVS). And they must be able to deliver these services seamlessly across a broad range of devices – from LTE smartphones to 3G handsets to WebRTC endpoints and more.

Real-time transcoding in the media path between devices and endpoints is critical for the seamless delivery of voice, video and data services. But what happens when the traditional transcoding approach is no longer sufficient to support the resources required for these new codecs and services?

Let’s break it down looking at a traditional transcoding architecture vs. an adjunct transcoding architecture. Traditionally, transcoding has been integrated in media gateways (MGW) and session border controllers (SBC). Adjunct transcoding separates the transcoding capabilities from the MGWs and SBCs to a Media Resource Function (MRF) in the network, where transcoding scales independently from these network elements.

Our MediaEngine MRF -- offered as a virtualized MRF or a purpose-built MRF platform as part of an IMS architecture – delivers an adjunct transcoding solution to mobile operators. Benefits of this approach include:

  1. Scale signaling and media processing independently. Today’s newer audio and video codes demand 3-10x the processing power of legacy transcoding requirements. Separating the signaling from the media processing allows transcoding resources to be updated independently,
  2. Get the most out of your legacy equipment. By separating transcoding to scale independently from SBCs and media gateways, mobile operators can avoid forklift upgrades of legacy equipment and maximize the ROI of their already deployed network elements.
  3. Support the virtualization and decomposition of the network. Adjunct transcoding supports mobile operators’ transition to the cloud. Moving the transcoding from the SBC to an independent MRF enables mobile operators’ virtualization of their SBCs.
  4. Future-proof your system. Adjunct transcoding allows mobile operators to rapidly scale and generate revenues from next-gen service offerings, while providing the best balance of cost, efficiency and performance.

Want to learn more? We’ve partnered with Hot Telecom on an eBook that explains what transcoding really is, discusses the associated challenges, and outlines the potential real-life use cases. Click here to access the report.

We’ll also be co-presenting an information-rich webinar with HOT TELECOM that will provide insights into how transcoding can help future-proof your telecoms business. We hope you can join us on Sept. 14 at 11am ET or on Sept. 15 at 3pm CEST/2pm BST. Register here today.