Adequate Internet interconnect bandwidth has been an essential challenge for IP networks since the first ARPAnet network was established. The concept of caching, whereby local copies of frequently accessed web pages, files, and objects are retained within the "local" network domain to speed up access and to lower the required bandwidth, was introduced over 15 years ago. Fast forward to today and caching technology and its descendants are essential tools used by most, if not all, mobile operators to help control costs and improve subscriber access as they deal with the constraints of hooking into the Internet where most of the traffic is originating. This is a particular challenge in parts of the world where Internet bandwidth is limited and expensive (think undersea cables, poorly connected geographies...) or most of the content originates "off-shore" (think YouTube servers in the US).
What Mobile Core Caching doesn't solve is backhaul congestion at the edge of a mobile operator's network caused by rapidly increasing data traffic. This is a result of how the technology works and where it is located in the mobile network. Web or Content or Media Caches (all similar) sit in the IP Core between the mobile data network and the Internet. The cache intercepts requests made from mobile subscriber devices and, regardless of whether the content is cached or not, sends every byte over the mobile data network, including through the RAN, to the subscriber. If that same request is made 100 times, every byte must be sent 100 times. The good news is that interconnection bandwidth is dramatically reduced with this approach and subscriber performance is improved.
So as network planners look at how best to optimize their network for mobile broadband traffic, they need to consider multiple technologies and approaches in order to address the different operational challenges mobile broadband triggers throughout their network. Mobile Core Caching is one technology that helps with the interconnection problem, but other solutions like RAN Content Optimization are needed to help solve backhaul congestion challenges.