[_dimi_]

Hi everybody,


I tried finding more info on RIM's network but unfortunately I couldn't find much.

What especially interests me:

1. How is it set up, and where? (coverage)
2. What does it currently do for BB subscribers?
3. Is there potential to become another Verizon, AT&T... using solely their own network?
4. Could or will LTE impact their network?

Any long-time followers, or perhaps techies, who are willing to share their knowledge? Links to useful info would also be much appreciated.

If anyone else is interested, feel free to add questions.

Thanks!!

[Speedygi]

1. It is setup once you log onto a Blackberry phone with a Blackberry Internet service enabled SIM card, which you must subscribe with your carrier.

2. You gain all the features associated with BIS, things like BBM and even third party apps like Whatsapp require that service.

3. I'm not even sure if Blackberry supports LTE .

Hope this helps?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[lonedog]

I think _dimi_ is looking for more technical aspects of RIM's BlackBerry network. I'm not sure that you'll be able to get what you want from here.

[jrohland]

...1. How is it set up, and where? (coverage)

We know there are datacenters in multiple geographic regions. The big outage was caused by the failure of an Ethernet switch in the Europe/Africa datacenter. They were forced to setup a datacenter in India. My assumption is the network is geographically dispersed in major population centers.

To understand how it is setup requires a little class on wireless networking:
The carriers connect with the endpoint device (mobile phone) and handle voice, TXT and data traffic between the endpoint and their internal network. Voice and TXT are routed to their internal phone switches. Data (for BlackBerry) is ALL sent to the nearest RIM datacenter where it is decompressed (partially). From there it is sent to the local BIS servers (if the local jurisdiction requires that [India]) or, to Canada. For example, all USA data is sent to Canada. BIS is where the final decompression and decryption take place. BIS acts as a proxy and sends the traffic on to the Internet destination.

Traffic destined to your endpoint follows the path in reverse. Let's look and an email route; When you configure an email account on your BB, you tell BIS to go get email from that account and push it to my BB. BIS checks for email at your email service provider on a regular basis. When it gets some, it compresses and encrypts it and contacts your BB through the carrier network to tell your BB to take this email.

The carrier knows where your BB is so RIM only needs to tell the carrier to get a message to your BB. Your BB does the rest.

2. What does it currently do for BB subscribers?

As you can see above, it does practically everything. Provides intra-network device communications (BBM). Push messaging (email, FB, Twitter, BBM, etc...). Compressed and encrypted data transfers.

3. Is there potential to become another Verizon, AT&T... using solely their own network?

Only if RIM wants to become a carrier.

4. Could or will LTE impact their network?...

This doesn't really matter to RIM. ALL their communication is through the Internet and private landline/undersea cable wired communications. LTE and other wireless data protocols only matter for the connection between your mobile endpoint and the carrier.

[Sith_Apprentice]

While point 1 is a good explanation jrohland, point 4 is not entirely correct. RIM does indeed have to perform upgrades to their network to plan for LTE, and they have been doing small maintenance windows every weekend or two in areas across the world for the last couple of months to uprade for LTE. Think of it this way, RIM is not an ISP per se, as you cannot get service directly through them, but they are more of a corporate data center. You use your home ISP to connect to the internet, and then VPN to your work, where you can access all of your work applications. RIM acts very much like this, and your carrier is like your home ISP. Now you can access. This works the same for WiFi devices as well, just sans carrier (instead using a traditional ISP).

RIM does not want to become a carrier, they would lose that game very quickly.

[kbz1960]

While point 1 is a good explanation jrohland, point 4 is not entirely correct. RIM does indeed have to perform upgrades to their network to plan for LTE, and they have been doing small maintenance windows every weekend or two in areas across the world for the last couple of months to uprade for LTE. Think of it this way, RIM is not an ISP per se, as you cannot get service directly through them, but they are more of a corporate data center. You use your home ISP to connect to the internet, and then VPN to your work, where you can access all of your work applications. RIM acts very much like this, and your carrier is like your home ISP. Now you can access. This works the same for WiFi devices as well, just sans carrier (instead using a traditional ISP).

RIM does not want to become a carrier, they would lose that game very quickly.

Thanks sith I didn't know that. So maybe these upgrades are what has been the cause of some connection issues the last few months for different users.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Thanks sith I didn't know that. So maybe these upgrades are what has been the cause of some connection issues the last few months for different users.

They have indeed several software updates have been applied then rolled back to be applied later.

[jrohland]

While point 1 is a good explanation jrohland, point 4 is not entirely correct. RIM does indeed have to perform upgrades to their network to plan for LTE, and they have been doing small maintenance windows every weekend or two in areas across the world for the last couple of months to uprade for LTE. Think of it this way, RIM is not an ISP per se, as you cannot get service directly through them, but they are more of a corporate data center. You use your home ISP to connect to the internet, and then VPN to your work, where you can access all of your work applications. RIM acts very much like this, and your carrier is like your home ISP. Now you can access. This works the same for WiFi devices as well, just sans carrier (instead using a traditional ISP).

RIM does not want to become a carrier, they would lose that game very quickly.

Thanks Sith. I did almost talk about the possible need for RIM to upgrade the Carrier to NOC bandwidth to handle the greater data potential of LTE. I just decided I had written a technical enough piece to answer the OP. Thanks for bringing that up though.

In the same way, I did not talk about the way RIM and the carriers connect. I don't know any of the details but it sounds like you assume or know they have VPN connections in place to handle that traffic. That would be the most reasonable way I guess but, an open Internet pipe is OK since the packets are encrypted/digitally signed at the endpoints.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Thanks Sith. I did almost talk about the possible need for RIM to upgrade the Carrier to NOC bandwidth to handle the greater data potential of LTE. I just decided I had written a technical enough piece to answer the OP. Thanks for bringing that up though.

In the same way, I did not talk about the way RIM and the carriers connect. I don't know any of the details but it sounds like you assume or know they have VPN connections in place to handle that traffic. That would be the most reasonable way I guess but, an open Internet pipe is OK since the packets are encrypted/digitally signed at the endpoints.

Also remember that there is Peer to Peer messaging that never touches the carrier side (BBM), and anything but WAP data flows through RIM.

[jrohland]

Also remember that there is Peer to Peer messaging that never touches the carrier side (BBM), and anything but WAP data flows through RIM.

I actually did make reference to that in my response to question #2.

I want to point out (with current versions of BBOS) when connected by Wi-Fi, BBs now can bypass the carrier network for all but voice and text. You can actually see this:

Uncheck Wi-Fi in Manage Connections and watch the the BlackBerry icon in the upper right corner of your phone. The BlackBerry will be on the top line near the 3G or whatever your connection protocol is.

Then turn Wi-Fi back on and watch the BlackBerry icon move down to the second line.

The line it is on tells you how your BB is connected to BIS. When on the top line, the connection is via the carrier network. When on the second line, the BIS connection is via the Internet.

When BIS is connected via the Internet, data is (mostly) passing between your BB and RIM with hitting the carrier network.

[Sith_Apprentice]

I actually did make reference to that in my response to question #2.

I want to point out (with current versions of BBOS) when connected by Wi-Fi, BBs now can bypass the carrier network for all but voice and text. You can actually see this:

Uncheck Wi-Fi in Manage Connections and watch the the BlackBerry icon in the upper right corner of your phone. The BlackBerry will be on the top line near the 3G or whatever your connection protocol is.

Then turn Wi-Fi back on and watch the BlackBerry icon move down to the second line.

The line it is on tells you how your BB is connected to BIS. When on the top line, the connection is via the carrier network. When on the second line, the BIS connection is via the Internet.

When BIS is connected via the Internet, data is (mostly) passing between your BB and RIM with hitting the carrier network.

You are very correct. RIM also allows WiFI only BlackBerry devices on BES. You CAN use VOIP (for Instance Tmo UMA) on WiFi only as well, but texting is still limited AFAIK

[hornlovah]

Also remember that there is Peer to Peer messaging that never touches the carrier side (BBM), and anything but WAP data flows through RIM.

I'm a bit confused (nothing unusual), so please help me here. Most of the documentation I've read shows a BBM message flowing from the originating device, to the originator's wireless service provider, to RIM's data centers, then to the receiver's service provider. The explanation given usually reads something like this:

A BBM PIN-to-PIN message sent by a user is sent to the cellular service provider’s network. The cellular service provider then forwards the message to the Research in Motion (RIM) relay station in Canada. The RIM relay station then relays the message to the receiving BlackBerry’s cellular service provider. The (receiving) cellular service provider then transmits the message to the intended recipient.

I do understand that a service provider can allow direct access to BlackBerry's infrastructure via WIFI, but BIS emails are not normally encrypted as jrohland states. What am I missing /misinterpreting?

[jrohland]

I'm a bit confused (nothing unusual), so please help me here. Most of the documentation I've read shows a BBM message flowing from the originating device, to the originator's wireless service provider, to RIM's data centers, then to the receiver's service provider. The explanation given usually reads something like this:
I do understand that a service provider can allow direct access to BlackBerry's infrastructure via WIFI, but BIS emails are not normally encrypted as jrohland states. What am I missing /misinterpreting?

I don't know if I said email is NOT encrypted. It is ALWAYS encrypted.

As far as I know, previous to BB6 all BIS traffic went through the carrier network. Starting with BB6, BIS traffic can transit the Internet. So with the current OS, you can skip the carrier for all data traffic if you have an Internet connection. Since pretty much all Wi-Fi is connected to the Internet, Wi-Fi will get you to BIS.

[hornlovah]

Source:Comparing BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server features

Email messages sent between the BlackBerry Internet Service and the BlackBerry Internet Service subscriber's BlackBerry smartphone are not encrypted. When transmitted over the wireless network, the email messages are subject to the existing or available network security model(s).

[amazinglygraceless]

Nothing to add just wanted to thank Sith_Apprentice and jrohland for some great information.