There is a battle for mobile video viewers going on now. In North America alone, one operator offers their subscribers free streaming video without charging against their data plan. At another service provider, they enable companies to sponsor the data plans for subscribers to encourage a strong advertising model. And yet another service provider is bundling mobile video with wired video when using their own mobile video application. There are many ways to attract video subscribers, and the battle strategies are evolving as fast as new content is developed to watch.

For operators, that means that their networks are now more important than ever. Not only do the networks need to support the volume of video traffic, but the network must also ensure that the video watching experience is customized to each subscriber. Some subscribers will have zero-rated video, while other subscribers have personalized advertisements sponsoring their experience.

A strong policy engine which will scale to quickly and efficiently manage all of the video demands is critical to ensure that the operators are successful. Cisco Policy Suite, which has been virtualized from its inception, has been tested time and again by worldwide Tier 1 operators who have adopted its capabilities to enable them to quickly turn on new services, customized networks, and provide policy rules for subscribers. Network Function Virtualization (NFV)-ready policy architecture is now becoming even more important for service providers to cost-effectively deliver and manage new services. With the new Cisco Policy Suite 9.0, now available for download, Cisco's market-leading policy platform is now available on OpenStack in addition to VMware.

Cisco Policy Suite can address customized video demands on the operators' network, building upon success with IoT and Connected Car, enterprise private networks, and access selection. Now, I should figure out what movie to stream tonight.

Learn more about Cisco Policy Suite on Cisco.com.