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    HomeOn Demand WebinarsNow available to view: Making Wi-Fi “Carrier Grade” to Support Cellular Offload

    Now available to view: Making Wi-Fi “Carrier Grade” to Support Cellular Offload

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    Webinar on carrier grade WiFi now available on demand

    Mobile operators must offload data traffic from their congested networks whenever possible. Even with increased spectrum and capacity from new LTE networks, the trend of and demand for offloading traffic with Wi-Fi is here to stay. 

    The existing class of Wi-Fi offered today by hotels and local coffee shops won’t cut it for operators. Operators realize an unsatisfactory user experience on Wi-Fi can result in the loss of high-margin smartphone customers. As a result, Wi-Fi networks and devices are going through a major evolution from a convenience to critical extensions of operators’ mobile data networks. This shift means Wi-Fi needs to become “carrier grade.” 

    Many potential pitfalls confront operators engaged in upgrading their Wi-Fi: building for coverage rather capacity, poor vendor access point selection, misconfigured devices, and underestimating client device behavior. Operators and system integrators cannot fall into the trap of building networks based on theoretical performance claims – they must instead use methodologies that quickly show true performance and measure user experience.

    In this presentation industry experts will:

    • Discuss the market trends and drivers for the rapid growth in cellular offload using Wi-Fi
    • Explain why the existing practice of using “site surveys” is not sufficient to produce carrier grade Wi-Fi networks
    • Examine the potential pitfalls of Wi-Fi device selection and network design
    • Present the best practices and methodologies for guaranteeing the Quality of Experience of the “offloaded” subscriber
    • Five specific steps that can be taken to deliver “carrier grade” Wi-Fi

    Date: 4pm GMT (5pm CET, 11am EST), 14 December, 2011
    Speakers: Craig J. Mathias, Principal, Farpoint Group; Glen Chagnot, Senior Director, Product Development, Ixia; Steven Glapa, Senior Director, Field Marketing, Ruckus Wireless
    Host: Keith Dyer, Editor, Mobile Europe

    About the speakers:

    Craig Mathias
    Craig J. Mathias is a Principal with Farpoint Group, a wireless and mobile advisory firm based in Ashland, MA. Founded in 1991, the company works with manufacturers, network operators, enterprises, and the financial community in technology assessment and analysis, strategy development, product specification and design, product marketing, program management, education and training, and the integration of emerging technologies into new and existing business operations, across a broad range of markets and applications. Craig is an internationally-recognized expert on wireless communications and mobile computing technologies, and has published numerous technical and overview articles on a wide variety of topics. He is a well-known and often-quoted industry analyst and frequent speaker at industry conferences and events, as well as Webcasts, Webinars, and podcasts.

    Glen Chagnot
    Glenn Chagnot has been active in data communications and data communications testing for over 15 years. Glenn joined VeriWave in 2007 as Chief Architect to facilitate product development and market introduction for both the WaveTest and WaveDeploy test solutions. Glenn was central in the development of VeriWave’s field deployment solution and has worked on site at a number of customer locations, developing an appreciation for the practical aspects of large scale field testing in addition to the theoretical. Glenn became senior director, product development at Ixia after that company acquired VeriWave in July 2011. In this role, he is responsible for continuing the development on the newly named IxVeriWave product line.
    Prior to joining Ixia and VeriWave, Glenn produced a variety of wireline network performance analysis solutions in ATM, voice, and routing in various development and product management roles.

    Steven Glapa
    As senior director of field marketing at Ruckus Wireless, Steven supports sales and partnering efforts worldwide in the company’s carrier and enterprise WLAN business segments. Steven’s subject matter expertise in wireless reflects more than 15 years of experience in telecom networking innovation, including senior management roles at ArrayComm, Zhone, Lucent Technologies, and Booz-Allen & Hamilton. Steven holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Columbia University, a BS in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University, and a BA in Physics from Carleton College.