We present the SS7Box modular signaling platform, a tool for rapid application prototyping in a cellular mobile network, and examine in detail its performance limits for the application of active network-based tracking, called SS7Trac-ker. This application is a highly configurable, non-intrusive and cost-effective solution for large-scale data collection on user mobility in the network, uniquely enabling tracking of both active and passive mobile clients. We present performance studies of real deployment in an existing cellular network and document the measured as well as simulated performance limits such as platform interconnection utilization. Other factors, such as impact on battery consumption of the tracked device, are studied as well. Platform modularity and variability is discussed and demonstrated by further deployed use cases. We conclude by observing promising applicability for future cellular networks.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.