Mobile Internet era Wi-Fi location and integration direction

Ericsson East Asia Customer Consulting Department Senior Program architect | Wang Xian Ping

Ericsson East Asia Customer Advisory Department Consultant | Zhaominggang

As a variety of wireless technology, Wi-Fi should be shared with other cellular technology a core network, and form a variety of access technology and resources unified deployment, strategic control, unified management of the heterogeneous network.

If the mobile broadband data growth rate (80%?100%,CAGR) continues to evolve over the past few years, the next 5 years (2012 2017) will be 20 times to 30 times times the amount of mobile broadband data, and most companies have made similar predictions.

The driving force for strong data growth comes from the following: First, the Internet OTT content rich, the future video, picture class content will account for an increasing proportion; second, from the fixed broadband Stride speed Drive; Third, the popularity of intelligent terminals and the emergence of new models; four, network technology and capacity of the increase; Cost and tariff decline.

With the development of mobile broadband and the popularity of smartphones, Wi-Fi data usage has also increased dramatically. Figure 1 is the use of cellular broadband and Wi-Fi in the U.S. market, as can be seen from Figure 1, Wi-Fi data usage has accounted for a large proportion of intelligent terminals.

Figure 1 Characteristics of wireless access in the U.S. market (Source: Ericsson,comscore,informa)

Wi-Fi technology, industry and market development

Here we review the development of the Wi-Fi technology market. The growing popularity of smartphones has become the main source of data revenue for operators, Wi-Fi has become a necessary means of connectivity on the smart machine, many mobile operators have started to use Wi-Fi, as a means of data streaming. This promotes the rapid development of operating-level Wi-Fi and the integration of Wi-Fi and cellular networks. The ABI predicts that the operating-level Wi-Fi market will continue to grow, up to 8 times times 5 years from now. It accounts for half of the Wi-Fi market for businesses and consumers.

Wi-Fi technology itself in the traditional enterprise network technology to the operational level development, the International Organization for Standardization Wi-Fi Alliance and WBAs organizations are promoting the improvement of the Wi-Fi experience, Wi-Fi Alliance has now released the HotSpot2.0 and 1.0 specifications, and launched a Passpoint certification system designed to enhance the Wi-Fi experience. WBAs has teamed up with operators to begin field tests based on the Hotspot2.0 specification of Ngh (next-generation hotspots), dedicated to bringing seamless Wi-Fi experience and global roaming to mobile users. On the other hand, the cellular network in the direction of Smallcell to increase capacity, manufacturers are also beginning to provide Smallcell and Wi-Fi integrated products, so as to increase network capacity at optimal cost and provide business and coverage for non-cellular terminals.

At this stage, in order to increase the capacity of cellular networks and as a supplement to indoor coverage, most mobile operators have built a certain size Wi-Fi network, mainly as a means of diversion, while operating Wi-Fi as a means to enhance competitiveness, increase user stickiness, this aspect of the typical such as At&t , PCCW, SoftBank, etc. Taking At&t as an example, At&t has been building Wi-Fi hotspots since 2008 to divert the spectrum pressure from the iphone to 3G networks, which now has 30,000 domestic hotspots, diverting about 20% of its mobile traffic to the public hotspot AP. Freemobile provides home gateways with WI-FIAP for 5 million home users, and enables seamless authentication based on SIM cards on Wi-Fi to improve the user's Wi-Fi experience. Japan's SoftBank also provides hotspot AP and home AP, in the home AP SoftBank took the mode of cooperation with FON, deployed a total of 70,000 household fonap, the average diversion of 20% of 3G traffic.

operators with enough cellular spectrum resources like Verizon and Telstra do not offer Wi-Fi, but only rely on cellular networks to provide mobile Internet services. For access to pure Wi-Fi devices, Verizon and Telstra provide Wi-Fi access to wireless router MiFi devices using Hspa/lte uplink and Wi-Fi downlink.

Telstra in three frequency bands have a total of 90MHz two-way bandwidth, and will reapply 2x45mhz bandwidth, Telstra currently not on the WLAN. Mobile broadband relies on rich spectrum resources, HSPA + 2 1, hspa+42 and LTE evolution to meet capacity growth requirements, this continuous evolution brings a good user experience, in the market as market share first, and maintain high ARPU value, high EBITDA. Telstra estimates that the volume of data will be 16 times times that of 2016, while large cities have only 80% to 120% more space to grow, so Telstra is also considering the next step, and is now planning to test hetnet in Melbourne. With the possible cost of cellular hetnet and the improvement of Wi-Fi and cellular interaction technology, the fusion of Wi-Fi hetnet may also be one of its future choices.

How Wi-Fi operates

Operators of Wi-Fi are basically using the subsidy model, fixed broadband users to the fixed bandwidth only the cost of home broadband, the public site Wi-Fi broadband free access to binding home broadband users, to provide users with convenience and needs.

FON is a pooling of resources and shared resources of the model, users provide Wi-Fi access resources, such as the family bandwidth of 50% open to public access, can obtain their own FON in public places and roaming fon free access, operational entities rely on the integration of resources to expand the network, selling FON box to obtain revenue, This is a green solution, with no additional site construction, full access to existing broadband networks, and free bandwidth and idle time, increasing the utilization of Wi-Fi. Over 2012 years Fon has more than 6 million hot spots worldwide, and 80% of users are connected by mobile phones.

Mobile operators, like fixed operators, also use a cross-subsidization approach in Wi-Fi usage. The cross subsidy business model is as follows: Service providers or equipment providers provide a free product to attract users, thus allowing users to consume other associated products, which is a common pattern in business, such as offering free razors to Geely, but guaranteeing revenue through blade charges; many of Apple's apps are free, But to sell more terminals to gain revenue; carrier subsidy terminal, also through the package back. Figure 2 explains the cross subsidy model.

So mobile operators usually do not charge Wi-Fi alone, but bundled MBB packages, that is, by improving user experience to increase user stickiness or attract users to ensure that even increase their revenue on the MBB, the United States, Japan, Korea market Mobile operators have adopted this usage. For example, at this stage at&t for its 3G/4G data package users and fixed network subscribers to the Wi-Fi is free, but the use of roaming partners Wi-Fi is a separate charge. Freemobile provides a monthly package of € 19.99 per month including HSPA for smartphone users, unlimited traffic on Wi-Fi and 3G caps per month on HSPA. SoftBank also offers free Wi-Fi to high-end 3g/4g subscribers on a monthly subscription.

Another function of Wi-Fi is hosting High-volume business, like file downloads and long video browsing/downloading, such as watching a 60-minute 720p video that requires nearly 1G of traffic, and if the cost of uploading on a cellular mobile broadband is likely to exceed the user's willingness to pay.

Considering the cost of different networks, the tariff of mobile bandwidth, the free and busy of the network, the characteristics of the business and the needs of the users, the future network needs to be converged, and it is an intelligent fusion network to realize the comprehensive effect of satisfying the user's experience and needs and fully utilizing the characteristics and efficiency of each The following will look at the fusion direction of Wi-Fi.

Figure 2 Cross Subsidy mode (source: Ericsson)

Wi-Fi orientation and fusion orientation

Wi-Fi based on the use of unregulated band and anti-interference ability, penetration, mobility difference characteristics, Wi-Fi main role in the cellular network for the solution of hot spot indoor networking requirements. At present, the direction of integration with Wi-Fi and Smallcell to fully play a synergistic role. In the hosting business, Wi-Fi and 3GPP should be different, Wi-Fi suitable for carrying high bandwidth, low mobility, low real-time requirements of the application, such as the rapid development of mobile OTT video, such as Sohu, Qi Yi, Thunder peer-to-peer and other OTT video. The rapid development of these video applications in the direction of High-definition, will gradually become the main mobile internet traffic, which should be the priority of WLAN streaming.

From the operator's point of view, Wi-Fi and 3GPP fusion network should be towards Wi-Fi as a wireless technology into the direction of the 3GPP network, in the Hetnet/smallcell scenario, Wi-Fi become a variety of wireless technology, and other cellular technology to share a core network, The formation of a variety of access technology and resources unified deployment, policy unified control, business unified management of heterogeneous networks (mobile network and Wi-Fi network integration as shown in Figure 3). Operators need to be integrated through the following several aspects.

First, access authentication fusion. Provides Wi-Fi access to the same experience as 3GPP, including automatic unified authentication access based on SIM card, empty flow encryption. At present this is the Wi-Fi Alliance HS2.0 and WBAs's ngh work focus, has obtained the operator and the industry widespread support

Second, Wi-Fi and Smallcell integration, to achieve intelligent streaming control. With the focus area of cellular base stations and the deployment of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi base station can be integrated with the Smallcell deployment to achieve optimal cost control, while facilitating integrated control and intelligent traffic management, such as the realization of intelligent business streaming control, when the cellular network congestion, as far as possible streaming to Wi-Fi, And when Wi-Fi congestion or current Wi-Fi failure or uplink bandwidth, QoS is insufficient, you should maintain users in the cellular network to maximize the improvement of the user experience of the smart machine. This requires Wi-Fi control functions and cellular base station controller for a closer integration and integration.

Figure 3 Mobile and Wi-Fi converged network (source: Ericsson)

Third, seamless roaming and seamless business streaming based on light client. As more and more smallcell are integrated with Wi-Fi, the smartphone needs to roam seamlessly between the cellular network and Wi-Fi, while maintaining a business-level sense of awareness, with 3GPP ANDSF and Samog Working Group S2AGTP Technology focused on addressing these issues. 3GPP is also currently developing standards to achieve simultaneous dual activation using wi-fi/cellular networks. And according to business different, for different traffic flow select different networks, such as when the smart machine users in the use of volte, the business use of LTE network, while the user's VOD video download when Wi-Fi available when streaming to the Wi-Fi, while using, do not affect each other. When Wi-Fi is not available, all business can seamlessly return to the LTE network, maximizing the use of network resources and maximizing user experience. Currently 3GPP is very active in addressing these issues, including the proposed MAPCONONS2A, which take into account the premise of "light client" requirements, that is, the requirements of the terminal and the cellular network is basically consistent, so that the program can directly adapt to the latest operating system in the market of smart machines, Without customizing the client.