June 10, 2014

Presented by: Dennis Savoie

Emails: dennis.savoie@cox.net

WI-FI – 3GPP IN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

An Integrated Approach to Delivering the Best User Experience

This document is solely for the internal use.

Forecasts

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• HetNet Wi-Fi - 3GPP Data Drivers• Small Cell predicated to carry nearly 50% of all the data

traffic by 2016 with Wi-Fi and 3GPP.

• ARCchart Forecast shipments of over 5 million small

cells representing a $40 Billion market by 2017.

• SNS Research predicts HetNets will account for more

than $350 Billion in mobile data service revenues.

• Small Cell Forum reported more than 55 operators

world wide are leveraging small cells.

• Users do not care if they connected to 3G, LTE or Wi-Fi

– underlying technology should be invisible.

• ~ 70% of data traffic is generated In-building.

• 97.5% of Smartphones support Wi-Fi.

• Wi-Fi penetration rate predicted at 60% by 2017.

• Smartphones subs expected to grow to 4.5 Billion by

2018.

• Mobile data traffic expected to rise 12-fold between

2013 and 2018.

• Mobile video traffic expected to grow 60% annually

by the end of 2018.

• 3GPP LTE RAT Release 8 and 9 projects 1.6 Billion

subs by 2018.

Forecasts

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Competition• AT&T and Verizon Focus and Trends

• US Wireless market has become increasingly saturated with wireless connections having exceed the population in mid-2011.

• AT&T Q4 2013

• Lag in LTE coverage by a wide margin in comparison to Verizon but with some traction.

• New subscribers coming from Tablets rather than smartphones by 77% for Q3.

• Increase smartphone penetration and adoption of 4G LTE helped AT&T data ARPU rise by 13% .

• 1.02% churn with a 46% pent up in 2013 - added only 1.2 million subs in 2013 from 1.4 million subs in 2012.

• Verizon Q4 2013

• Leads US LTE deployment and looking to increase network density with LTE – Advance and VoLTE, however Q3 LTE coverage is not as wide as predicted – sub adds declined by 930,000 from over 1.5 million during the same period last year.

• Growing smartphone penetration and increasing adoption of 4G LTE.

• Added more than twice as many subs in 2013 than AT&T but leveling.

• LTE gap between AT&T and Verizon narrows.

• .93% churn with a 34% pent up in 2013 – added only 2.7 million subs in 2013 from 5.1 million subs in 2012.

• T-Mobile Q4 2013

• Sprint and AT&T hit worst by T-Mobiles new service plans, some impacts with Verizon..

Source : Forbes

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Challenges

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• Umbrella or macro network designed to provide ubiquitous mobile broadband coverage.

• Dense network of small cells that supply enormous quantities of BW in high-traffic areas most needed.

• Network intelligence that ties those networks together.

Challenges• HetNet 3GPP Challenges

• Deployment Dynamics – design and deployment process primarily field driven, where a cluster of small cells is designed and optimized by IT personnel in a matter of hours.

• Real Estate – metro scale gov’t are restrictive about mounting wireless devices on their property.

• Backhaul – achieve data rates at 99.9% can only be achieved by optical fiber. However small cell deployments are not cost effective for fiber as with the Macro.

• Truck Rollout – mass deployment of small cells and Wi – Fi are only commercially viable if the installation and commissioning process is much simpler and faster than deploying macros.

• Interference – small cells in a HetNet means that the cell site density is a couple of orders higher of magnitude than in macro networks – which will cause interference to the user.

• Critical SINR determines data rates – high interference and high SINR results in slow data rates.

• Handoff – significant increase in cell site density, the handoff between small cells occurs more often than the handoff between macro-cells – handoff algorithm has to be spot-on, fast and accurate.

• More handoffs means more signaling traffic and for 4G LTE already traffic heavy due to smartphone users.

• Potential network refuses data connection even with marginal users.

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Challenges

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• NetHet Wi-Fi – 3GPP Challenges• LTE Release 12 – and beyond LTE-B has now started within 3GPP.

• User data rates in the multi-Gbps range locally and tens-of-Mbps range almost everywhere else.

• Seamless handover and offload traffic steering are two of the major challenges.

Strategies

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• SON Solution Providers • HetNets have to be designed, deployed

and operated in a far more efficient manner than macro cell networks.

• Lack of real estate for outdoor small cells – collocating multiple small cells may not be possible.

• Separate spectrum band dedicated for small cell deployment to control and reduce handoff traffic from macro-cells.

• Self-optimizing Network Algorithms (SON) to help automate installation, self-configuration, diagnosis and optimization of HetNets:

• Network Planning and Deployment

• Network Optimization

• Network Operations

Opportunities

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• HetNet Wi-Fi - 3GPP Seamless Integration Solution

• Mobile Operators have three ways to enhance network mobile-broadband demand:

1. Enhance macro network - additional licensed spectrum, more antennas, and processing capabilities, etc.

2. Densify the macro network – total number of sites low, while network performance is less sensitive to traffic location.

3. Add capacity through small-cell deployment using low power nodes.

• Wi-Fi is simply another RAT like 2G, 3G or 4G connected to the core cellular network.

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Opportunities

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• HetNet Wi-Fi -3GPP - LTE Intelligent Radio Access Selection, Real-Time Traffic Steering and Integration Core To Cell

• A optimum and seamless transition user experience

can only be achieved if Wi-Fi-selection decisions are

based on information available from both 3GPP and

Wi-Fi networks.

• User-equipment mobility and location.

• Total loading on both networks including cell load,

transport load and processing.

• Estimate of link rates in each network including

radio link and transport.

• Real-Time Traffic Steering is in constant visibility of the

KPIs in both the Wi-Fi and the cellular network, an

integrated Wi-Fi-3GPP can make informed, real-time

traffic-steering decision.

• End-to-End integration all the way from mobile packet

core network to the individual cell or AP is required for a

seamless user experience.

• Planning, Provisioning and Scalability can be better

achieved through collocation and integration with micro

and pico cell reducing space, power and backhaul

requirements.

Key Steps• Key Steps in the Integration of Wi-Fi - 3GPP

• Design for an End-to-End Wi-Fi – LTE Integration

• Deploy and Integrate HetNet - Wi-Fi and LTE in parallel or series – boost traffic capacity, service level and total cost of ownership with Wi-Fi on the RAT level and on-demand where needed as priority high traffic zones to enhanced QoS.

• Plan and Provision for Scalability for on-demand traffic and convergence now for the future.

• Implement Real-Time Traffic Steering Applications giving total control of the Operator over the Wi-Fi access selection as well as load – balancing to increase sub penetration and minimize churn.

• Acquire uniform Wi-Fi devices to ensure consistent implementations for a rapid deployment.

• Risk

• Video now accounts for nearly 70% of data usage on the largest Carrier-Grade Wi-Fi networks and, by 2015, 90% of all internet traffic is predicted to be video.

• Mobile Operators who don’t offer Carrier Wi-Fi may in effect be handing their subscriber relationships and the user experience to competing operators who do.

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Key Steps

• Considerations in the Integration of Wi-Fi with LTE• Ericsson Real Time Traffic Steering integrates Wi-Fi and cellular in both the core and Radio

Access Networks (RAN).

• Support and complements standards-based Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) which is proprietary.

• ANDSF rules cover items such as user profile, timing, location and application usage.

• Works the vendor's mobile radio access network, Wi-Fi access points and wireless LAN controller.

• Constantly assesses KPIs in both the mobile 3GPP network and Wi-Fi network before shifting a user’s smartphone connection between networks.

• SON access selection feature enabling load-balancing between Wi-Fi and 3GPP to optimize the average user experience.

• Ericsson Carrier-Grade Wi-Fi

• Indoor and outdoor APs 

• Controllers 

• Network Management 

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References and Research

• Despite T-Mobile competition, AT&T Post Strong Q4 on Wider LTE Coverage and Low Subsidies, 1/29/2014; http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/01/29/despite-t-mobile-competition-att-posts-strong-q4-on-wider-lte-coverage-and-lower-subsidies/

• Verizon Earnings Preview: Watching Impact of Subsidies and T-Mobile Competition in Q4, 1/17/2014; http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/01/17/verizon-earnings-preview-watching-impact-of-subsidies-and-t-mobile-competition-in-q4/

• The Technological Future of Small Cells, 3/25/2014; http://www.ibwave.com/blog/the-technological-future-of-small-cells/

• The HetNet Bible(Small Cells and Carrier WiFi) – Opportunities, Strategies and Forecasts: 2013 – 2020 – With an Evaluation of DAS & Cloud RAN; https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1BLWB_enUS553US567&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=The%20HetNet%20Bible

• Wi-Fi In Heterogeneous Networks, Ericsson White Paper 6/2013; http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/whitepapers/wp-wi-fi-in-heterogeneous-networks.pdf

• Heterogeneous Networks, Ericsson White Paper 2/2012; http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/whitepapers/WP-Heterogeneous-Networks.pdf

• LTE Release 12, Ericsson White Paper 1/2013; http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/whitepapers/wp-lte-release-12.pdf

• It All Comes Back to Backhaul, Ericsson White Paper, 2/2012, http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/whitepapers/WP-Heterogeneous-Networks-Backhaul.pdf

• Small Cells, Big Challenge: A Definitive Guide to Designing and Deploying HetNets; http://hetnet.ixiacom.com/

• Wi-Fi Integration, Ericsson Review, 2/2011; http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2012/ER-WiFi-Integration.pdf

• Carrier Wi-Fi: The Next Generation, 12/20/2013; http://www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/publications/ericsson_review/2013/er-ng-carrier-wifi.pdf

• Achieving Carrier Grade Wi-Fi in the 3GPP World, Ericsson Review, 2/2012; http://www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/publications/ericsson_review/2012/er-seamless-wi-fi-roaming.pdf

• Small Cells Technologies: The Evolution of Wireless Providers Solutions; Frost and Sullivan White Paper; www.frost.com13