Unlike traditional Network Address Translation (NAT), Carrier Grade NAT (CG-NAT) is optimized for handling high volumes of user traffic, offering scalability and reliability for large networks. It provides higher throughput rates and lower latency, improving performance over traditional NAT solutions. Advanced features such as load balancing, traffic shaping, and Quality of Service (QoS) can be implemented using CG-NAT.
For mobile service providers, CG-NAT simplifies managing roaming customers without the need for expensive solutions like long-term evolution (LTE). Carriers can assign temporary public IP addresses to roaming customers and route them through their networks, saving costs and maintaining control over quality of service.
CG-NAT also enables Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), giving telecom operators visibility into network traffic patterns. This helps troubleshoot problems and detect malicious activity such as DDoS attacks more quickly. DPI allows for more granular control over bandwidth allocation per user or application, enabling carriers to offer tiered services with different Quality of Experience levels based on the customer's payment.