nokia siemens networks wifi strategy paper for operators

8/9/2019 Nokia Siemens Networks Wifi Strategy Paper for Operators

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Nokia Siemens NetworksTaking advantage of theconvergence ofWi-Fi and 3GPP


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2/6 Nokia Siemens Networks Liquid Radio Copyright 2012 Nokia Siemens Networks.All rights reserved.

The changing role of Wi-FiWi-Fi has suffered a chequered image over the years. From being seen as aniche technology with little to offer cellular mobile services, the industry nowgenerally regards Wi-Fi as essential for delivering mobile broadband. Forexample, Signals Ahead says: Some operators view Wi-Fi as an interimsolution until small cells are deployed, although we believe Wi-Fi will be anintegral part of operator networks for a long time to come.1

The turning point for Wi-Fi came with the explosion in the take up of smartdevices, virtually all with the technology built in. According to mobile analystBango, by early 2011 Wi-Fi was being used to connect more than 50% of

mobile users to the Internet, more than double the proportion of a yearearlier.

A year later, in early 2012, it could be argued that widespread Wi-Fideployments will not be needed because of the accelerating roll out of LTEnetworks that offer higher bandwidth and essential quality controlmechanisms lacking in Wi-Fi. However, the almost ubiquitous presence ofWi-Fi in smart devices and the lead time needed for a wide variety ofcommercially-available LTE-capable handsets to penetrate the market meanthat Wi-Fi has a healthy future.

Why Wi-Fi makes sense for cellular operatorsAccording to Bernstein Research (April 2012): Aggressive deployments ofcarrier grade Wi-Fi technologies can be rapidly achieved at relatively lowcost and can provide a decisive competitive advantage in the short term thatwill then be turned into denser WCDMA and LTE networks.

Wi-Fi is a cost-effective way to build capacity to help alleviate congestion onmacro-cellular networks. It also offers the opportunity of partnering withestablished third-party Wi-Fi networks to gain rapid access to widespreadcoverage, especially indoors. Wi-Fi is also a mature technology widelysupported by the industry and used worldwide by customers familiar with its

characteristics.

Furthermore, Wi-Fi is a constantly developing technology that will offer newopportunities for operators through initiatives such as HotSpot 2.0 by theWi-Fi Alliance, and Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) by the WirelessBroadband Alliance (WBA). These programs aim to support interoperabilitybetween Wi-Fi and cellular networks to enable seamless worldwide roamingwithout the need for additional authentication.

The opportunity can already be addressed by the Nokia Siemens NetworksSmart WLAN Connectivity solution that turns Wi-Fi networks into seamlessextensions of the cellular network and makes Wi-Fi an integral part of the

mobile broadband experience. The solution re-uses existing packet coreservice infrastructure for Wi-Fi access, for example charging policy control


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and deep packet inspection, providing capital cost savings and harmonized

traffic handling for both cellular and Wi-Fi access.

A concern for operators, though, is Wi-Fis use of unlicensed spectrum,making it difficult to control the quality of experience for subscribers. Inparticular, the issue of interference can damage data transfer rates with asmuch as half of all data over Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz band being retransmittedpackets. The 5.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands, however, continue to offer largebandwidths of relatively uncluttered spectrum.

Wi-Fi rollouts cannot wait

Nokia Siemens Networks believes that Wi-Fi integrated with cellulartechnologies will have an important role for mobile broadband operators asone component of heterogeneous networks. It therefore makes sense forthose operators that do not yet have a Wi-Fi presence to start rolling out anetwork as early as possible, especially as suitable sites are in short supplyand there is likely to be growing competition for them.

According to Signals Ahead: There is a race to grab hotspot real estate bymany operators to increase their footprint. Part of this land grab has alsoincluded increased deployments of managed (indoor and outdoor) Wi-Finetworks by operators, especially in Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Three steps to Wi-Fi integration

Nokia Siemens Networks advocates a three-stage strategy for operators totake advantage of the opportunities that Wi-Fi presents.

1. Establ ish a Wi-Fi presence:Operators that have yet to deploy asignificant Wi-Fi network or to partner with an existing Wi-Fi networkoperator are advised to begin this process as soon as possible. Withoutdoing this, an operator risks being unable to gain the required sites or enterimportant partnerships as a way to establish significant coverage that can beleveraged to capture new opportunities at a later stage. If deploying Wi-Fi,

then consideration should be given to rolling out dual-band access pointsusing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum to avoid potential congestion on thelower frequency band.

Nokia Siemens Networks is able to support this process using advancedtools to identify where current cellular capacity is lacking and recommendthe most suitable Wi-Fi sites for development to ensure that Wi-Fideployment makes sound business sense in its own right.

2. Integrate Wi-Fi and cellular networks:Crucial for a good customerexperience of mobile broadband is seamless connection over differentaccess technologies, in short making Wi-Fi just another radio access

technology.


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Integration must ensure harmonized traffic handling for both cellular and

Wi-Fi access with over-the-air (OTA) settings configuration, automaticpreferred Wi-Fi network selection and transparent user authentication. Bydelivering 3G-like usability and security for customers accessing services viaWi-Fi networks, operators can protect their positions in the data servicesvalue chain and control Wi-Fi traffic and the customer experience.

Nokia Siemens Networks enables this integration through its Smart WLANConnectivity Solution supported by expert services for core networkintegration.

3. Upgrade Wi-Fi access points to LTE:The third stage of the strategy isto leverage the operators investments by upgrading Wi-Fi access points tomulti-technology Wi-Fi/3G/LTE capability. This is an extremely cost-effectiveway to build 4G capacity and coverage because the installed Wi-Fi sites willbe located in high-density traffic areas and already have in place therequired power and backhaul connectivity, as well as working landlordagreements. Upgrading will also deliver additional voice coverage(especially indoors) through Voice over LTE (VoLTE) when this becomeswidely adopted.

Key to the success of upgrading is the proper planning of the Wi-Fi andcellular access layers to ensure effective mobility management. NokiaSiemens Networks Flexi Zone access points provide the multi-technology

capability required and is supported by intelligent Self-Organizing Networks(iSON) to ensure small cells interwork with the macro layer, even in amultivendor environment.

The intelligent use of core network resources is also important. For example,Flexi Zone can support data offload of over the top traffic to a local internetconnection, reducing the core networks capacity requirement.

The HetNet future

Growing demand for low-cost mobile broadband connectivity is driving thedevelopment of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) in which different radioaccess technologies and Wi-Fi will all co-exist. However, suchheterogeneous systems will be significantly more complex to manage thantodays networks.

The Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Zone suite is a 3G+LTE+WiFi-capablecellular solution engineered to offload traffic from the macro network andincrease capacity by providing coordinated underlay networks at a streetand indoor level, thus supporting the development and operation of HetNets.

Such a unified approach to managing HetNets is essential to achieve thenecessary flexibility and cost-efficiency while delivering the kind of seamless

broadband connectivity that consumers increasingly demand. It is also vitalto prepare networks for future technology evolution.


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The development of Wi-Fi under the forthcoming 802.11ac standard is

expected to enable the technology to deliver data throughputs of 500 Mbpsfor a single link and above 1 Gbps from multiple base stations, all using the5 GHz band. In addition, the development of the 802.11ad standard will takeWiFi into the 60 GHz band, promising very high throughput of around7 Gbps.

Meanwhile, the solid roadmap for the evolution of LTE to LTE-Advanced willoffer capabilities beyond 1 Gbps within a few years, and further evolution ofthe standard is predicted to make LTE technology even more capable.

Developing a strong Wi-Fi presence as soon as possible and quickly

integrating it perfectly with cellular access is vital in order to take profitableadvantage of these future developments of both Wi-Fi and LTEtechnologies.

1 Cellular and Wi-Fi: A Match Made in Heaven? Signals Ahead, March 2012


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Nokia Siemens NetworksP.O. Box 1FI-02022 NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKSFinlandVisiting address:

Karaportti 3, ESPOO, Finland

Switchboard +358 71 400 4000 (Finland)Switchboard +49 89 5159 01 (Germany)

Copyright 2012 Nokia Siemens Networks.All rights reserved.

Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation, Siemens is a registered trademark ofSiemens AG. The wave logo is a trademark of Nokia Siemens Networks Oy. Other company andproduct names mentioned in this document may be trademarks of their respective owners, andthey are mentioned for identification purposes only.

This publication is issued to provide information only and is not to form part of any order orcontract. The products and services described herein are subject to availability and changewithout notice.

nokia siemens networks wifi strategy paper for operators

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