Smarter Wi-Fi for Mobile Operator Infrastructures

Executive Summary

With the well-publicized tsunami of data traffic hitting mobile infrastructures around the world, operators are actively seeking any and every available tool to ease the strain on mobile networks.

Operators are under pressure to offer faster data speeds to keep up with their customers’ insatiable demand for bandwidth-intensive applications. But the implications are dire: the cost of transporting data is rising faster than revenue, and poor user experiences resulting from network congestion are raising churn, one of the largest costs operators incur. Consequently, operators are planning to use every option available to them including:

• accelerating LTE,
• higher capacity backhaul,
• traffic management,
• tiered pricing plans,
• femtocells and
• advanced Wi-Fi technology.

Given the enormous installed-base of 802.11 silicon embedded in virtually every conceivable device, Wi-Fi is one of the most expedient and cost-effective ways to increase both capacity and coverage with a tight focus on where traffic is heaviest.

However a smarter, more robust approach to Wi-Fi that employs advanced interference rejection techniques and adaptive signal controls is required to provide the range and predictable performance expected by mobile operators. In addition, a seamless subscriber roaming experience, clean integration into the 3GPP network and a complete range of Wi-Fi form factors (from customer premise equipment to mesh access nodes, point-to-point backhaul to comprehensive network management) are all essential elements of a next generation Wi-Fi solution for mobile operators.

Ruckus Wireless has developed a reference architecture for providers that addresses many of their concerns about the integration of Wi-Fi into the mobile operator infrastructure. This next generation reference architectures addresses areas such as: increasing the reliability of the unlicensed spectrum through the use of advanced radio technology and interference rejection techniques, comprehensive end-to-end management, higher speed and lower cost long-range 802.11n backhaul links and much more.

Recent advances in RF technology through the use of intelligent beamforming, such as those patented by Ruckus Wireless, when combined with new 802.11n standards have proven to increase both the range and reliability of Wi-Fi connectivity. This enables, for the first time, a complementary carrier-class Wi-Fi infrastructure capable of delivering consistent performance, adaptable interference mitigation and more reliable Wi-Fi services for latency-sensitive multimedia applications.

These “smarter” Wi-Fi networks not only take the pressure off increasingly congested mobile infrastructure but let operators offer more reliable and higher capacity wireless access at a lower cost per bit.

Ultimately, directing network traffic from mobile devices across a carrier-class Wi-Fi network that is fully integrated with the existing mobile infrastructure enables operators to maximize revenue, meet subscriber expectations and ensure sustainable growth in mobile data for years to come.

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