Mobile offloading“Some believe that WiFi will step in to <strong>so</strong>lve <strong>the</strong> problem. According to a recent study bylocation-based mobile media company JiWire, for <strong>the</strong> first time in <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong> number offree <strong>wireless</strong> hotspots outnumbers paid WiFi locations - with 55.1 per cent of public WiFilocations available at no charge to users.”running hot due to <strong>the</strong> increased usage of <strong>the</strong>mobile web on smartphones. In order for analternative network to be successful, it needsa carrier class backhauling capacity.In this article, I will examine potential<strong>so</strong>lutions that <strong>wireless</strong> networks shouldbe considering to cope with <strong>the</strong> realityof increasing data transfer <strong>so</strong> that <strong>the</strong>senetworks can continue to provide excellent,uninterrupted service to <strong>the</strong>ir customers.The commoditization of voiceAccording to <strong>the</strong> CTIA, <strong>the</strong> number of textmessages sent per cellular user increasedby nearly 50 per cent last year. Al<strong>so</strong> in<strong>the</strong> last year, <strong>the</strong> amount of data in text,email messages, streaming video, musicand o<strong>the</strong>r services on mobile devicessurpassed <strong>the</strong> amount of voice data incellphone calls. With changes like <strong>the</strong>se ando<strong>the</strong>rs increasingly leading to voice beingcommoditized, cellular companies have beenforced to redefine <strong>the</strong>mselves through newbusiness models like prepaid or pay-per-usedata plans in addition to selling applicationsthrough branded app stores.Since voice plans are becoming more andmore competitive, and consumers can makephone calls at increasingly low prices throughVoIP, cellular companies are trying to holdonto <strong>the</strong> old business model - where <strong>the</strong> bulkof <strong>the</strong>ir money was made through voice plans- for as long as <strong>the</strong>y can. They are attemptingto squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of<strong>the</strong> tube before consumers turn away fromhigh priced voice plans. <strong>As</strong> such, data plansare increasingly becoming <strong>the</strong> chief <strong>so</strong>urce ofrevenue for <strong>the</strong> cellular companies, and if itwasn’t for <strong>the</strong> rise in data ARPUs, <strong>the</strong>y wouldall be nearing a financial meltdown.Revolution in hardware equals evolution indata transferThere is no doubt that smartphones like <strong>the</strong>iPhone and those using <strong>the</strong> Android OS, aswell as tablet devices like <strong>the</strong> iPad, haverevolutionized <strong>the</strong> way consumers of all agesaccess and interface with <strong>the</strong> web. Thanksto devices like <strong>the</strong> iPhone 4 and Sprint Evo4G, for example, consumers now have <strong>the</strong>ability to interact with one ano<strong>the</strong>r throughvideo-conferencing. Important for businessand families alike, video chat is sure to gainin popularity as more and more devices offerthis capability.With this advancement, however, comesa dilemma. Video chat necessarily drainsbandwidth to work properly, and continuedreliance on ob<strong>so</strong>lete 2G, 3G, and fledgling4G networks is not an adequate <strong>so</strong>lution forusers who want to take full advantage ofvideo-conferencing. This is one of <strong>the</strong> rea<strong>so</strong>nsthat Facetime is currently only allowed overWiFi. Not to mention <strong>the</strong> majority of youngerInternet users who increasingly demandaccess to <strong>the</strong> web wherever <strong>the</strong>y may be -whe<strong>the</strong>r watching streaming video whilein <strong>the</strong> waiting room at <strong>the</strong> doctor’s office,checking NFL scores on ESPN.com while ina cab, or updating <strong>the</strong>ir Facebook status whileonline at <strong>the</strong> grocery store.Some believe that WiFi will step in to <strong>so</strong>lve<strong>the</strong> problem. According to a recent studyby location-based mobile media companyJiWire, for <strong>the</strong> first time in <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong>number of free <strong>wireless</strong> hotspots outnumberspaid WiFi locations - with 55.1 per cent ofpublic WiFi locations available at no chargeto users. This represents a 12.6 per centincrease from Q1 to Q2 2010; WiFi use ingeneral increased 17.3 per cent in <strong>the</strong> sametime period.However, based on <strong>the</strong> current ad hoc systemof free and paid WiFi hotspots around majorcities in <strong>the</strong> US, networks and carriers muststrive for a better <strong>so</strong>lution. A robust WiFinetwork is needed to provide consumers andbusinesses with strong, reliable access to <strong>the</strong>mobile web.Let’s take this opportunity to dispel <strong>so</strong>mecommon misconceptions about WiFi. First,newer WiFi units on <strong>the</strong> market have Qualityof Service (QoS) built in for voice and video,and high-performance WiFi units can easilytravel 1,500 feet in an outdoor environment.Second, newer WiFi units possess excellentwall penetration characteristics in anindoor environment. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, antennatechnology has al<strong>so</strong> come a long way. MIMOand o<strong>the</strong>r smart antenna technologies not onlyprovide increased ranges and penetration ofWiFi signals, but al<strong>so</strong> mitigation of <strong>the</strong> highnoise floor concerns of unlicenced spectrum.WiFi is now capable of carrying up to200Mbps (<strong>the</strong> older WiFi started at 11MB, 1MB less than Verizon’s new LTE network).When built properly, a WiFi network can beas reliable as <strong>the</strong> best cellular networks.Let me be clear, I do not think that WiFi is areplacement for <strong>the</strong> cellular networks, but it’scertainly a must-have method of assistance.The major carriers can no longer ignore <strong>the</strong>seextremely fast, inexpensive WiFi networksand chip sets. However, WiFi networkscapable of cellular quality must be built withQoS, reliability, and sufficient backhaul.WiFi networks must allow consumers touse <strong>the</strong>ir phones as phones - by supportingSMS messages in addition to calls - and notjust as a hub to access data. It requires onlya little more capital to support a carrier classnetwork that experiences very low latencyand can handle QoS.These networks must al<strong>so</strong> improve in orderto allow seamless connectivity and hand-offcapabilities. For example, I hate it when myiPad constantly prompts me to join a WiFinetwork. This is far from user-friendly.Ano<strong>the</strong>r common misconception is that if wewere able to magically upgrade to 4G servicetomorrow, all connection issues networksare experiencing would disappear. Under<strong>the</strong> current system, this is not likely. Instead,offloading data traffic to WiFi networks isa key item to get people off 4G networksand save <strong>so</strong>me of that spectrum. We believethat WiFi is <strong>the</strong> quickest and most efficient<strong>so</strong>lution to offloading this traffic and, asWiFi technology continues to mature, it willundoubtedly be able to handle <strong>the</strong> significantincrease in bandwidth that is needed for aneffective offload.The amount of data that next generationnetworks will need to handle is <strong>so</strong>methingthat will only continue to build in <strong>the</strong> comingyears as consumer adoption of smartphonesand tablets increases, and <strong>the</strong>re is no magicbullet <strong>so</strong>lution. At Towerstream, we believethat 4G is not one standard, like WiMAXor LTE. We think 4G represents an entirenetwork consisting of LTE, WiMAX,WiFi, and femtocells all working toge<strong>the</strong>rseamlessly as one network with <strong>the</strong> goal ofproviding users with <strong>the</strong> best connection andservice experience possible. This is a goalthat all networks should aspire to meet. •20 • North America 2010
THE WORLD’S LARGEST BROADBAND EVENTCELEBRATINGITS 10TH YEARFREE EXHIBITIONplease register atwww.broadbandworldforum.comService Provider Partners:DELIVERING QUALITY BROADBAND WHILSTMANAGING HIGH GROWTH SERVICES26 – 28 October 2010, CNIT, La Defense, Paris, FranceJoin us in 2010 for <strong>the</strong> largestBroadband <strong>World</strong> Forum yet! 6000+ Attendees 280+ Exhibitors 200+ Visionary Speakers 125+ Global Carrier CaseStudies & Presentations 50+ Industry Press & AnalystsAcross 3 days, 4 tracks, 2 seminarsand extended exhibition hours!GLOBAL EXECUTIVE KEYNOTESOlivier Baujard,Chief TechnologyOfficer,DeutscheTelekomDr. Choi Doo Whan,President, CorporateTechnology Group,KT (Korea Telecom)Virginia P.Ruesterholz,President, ServicesOperations,Verizon, USAThierry Bonhomme,Executive Vice President,Networks & Carriers andResearch & Development,Orange FranceTelecom GroupDr Shyue-Ching Lu,Chairman & CEO,Chunghwa Telecom,TaiwanGeorge Nazi,President, 21CN &Global Networks &ComputingInfrastructure,BTMike Quigley,CEO,National BroadbandNetwork, AustraliaLord Stephen Carter,Chief Marketing,Strategy &Communication Officer,Alcatel-Lucent<strong>As</strong>hish Chowdhary,Executive BoardMember, Head ofGlobal Services,Nokia SiemensNetworksJohan Bergendahl,Chief Marketing Officer,Erics<strong>so</strong>nMatt Bross,Chief Technology Officer,Huawei, Vice Chairman,Huawei USAMs Chen Jie,Senior Vice President,ZTE CorporationAdolfo Hernandez,Executive VicePresident andPresident EMEA,Alcatel-LucentStefan Dyckerhoff,Executive Vice Presidentand General Manager of<strong>the</strong> InfrastructureProducts Group,Juniper NetworksCarrier Hosts:Corporate Registration Spon<strong>so</strong>rs: Partner Level: Diamond Spon<strong>so</strong>rs:Platinum Spon<strong>so</strong>rs:Stream Spon<strong>so</strong>rs:Endorsed by:Produced by:www.broadbandworldforum.com
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