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Operators to triple small cell offload – Infonetics

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Operators to triple small cell offload – Infonetics

A survey conducted by Infonetics found that mobile operators expect to see the use of outdoor small cells grow fivefold by 2013, and the use of data offload using a combination of small cells to triple by 2013.

For its Small Cell and LTE Backhaul Strategies survey, Infonetics interviewed mobile operators and mobile backhaul transport providers around the world that have already deployed or will deploy mobile backhaul that can support LTE by 2012. The operators participating in the survey represent more than half of the world’s telecom carrier revenue and capex.

“While operators handle most of their mobile traffic with macrocells (90% on average) and the backhaul network, we were surprised to find that operators we surveyed already offload about 10% of their traffic over indoor and outdoor small cells, WiFi hotspots, and residential femtocells – and they intend to triple that to about 30% at some point in 2013,” notes Michael Howard, principal analyst and co-founder of Infonetics Research.

Howard adds: “This trend really highlights the importance of spectrum offload and backhaul offload strategies to operators. Of the mobile traffic handling alternatives, outdoor small cells will see the most growth in use among our respondents, increasing five-fold from 2011 to 2013 or later. And for operators deploying outdoor small cells, the most popular technologies to use in 2013 will be Ethernet on fiber, Ethernet-only microwave, and Ethernet on copper.”

 

SMALL CELL AND LTE BACKHAUL SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

 

  • By 2013, a majority of mobile operators and transport providers will have over 90% of their cell sites connected with IP/Ethernet
  • Ethernet is only part of the story: 70% of respondents plan to use some form of MPLS at their cell sites, and prefer to lease a “layer 2 only” service from transport providers
  • Small cells are commonly expected to be a key characteristic of LTE networks, yet there is a growing acceptance that they will also play a vital role in HSPA networks, where they have so far played only a minor role

Infonetics Research has also released excerpts from its December 2011 Small Cell Deployment Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, for which Infonetics interviewed incumbent, competitive, and mobile operators around the world about their small cell buildout plans.

The suvey shows that small cells are shifting from indoor voice coverage improvement to data optimization and are poised to play a major role in 3G and 4G network expansion.

“Operators we interviewed in November 2011 expect to double the percentage of base transceiver station units that are small cells from 6% this year to 12% in 2012, suggesting a significant ramp up in small cell deployments across the board,” reports Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure. “This is despite the fact that the majority of operators still see interference management and support for heterogeneous networks as a challenge to deploying small cells. The small cell market will take off one way or the other – but operators will need to spend some time testing to figure it all out. Small cells won’t come to the rescue for every situation, but they are a critical tool that operators are turning to and will continue to in increasing numbers in the future.”

SMALL CELL DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • While widespread, the small cell installed base is tiny compared to that of macrocells, and although it is growing at a fast pace, it will take some time to reach meaningful penetration
  • 72% of the respondent operators participating in Infonetics’ survey have already deployed small cells (it was a requirement to participate in the study to have deployed or plan to deploy small cells by 2012)
  • Of those deploying small cells, microcells are deployed by the most so far but picocells will take the lead next year
  • The top 3 drivers for deploying small cells are optimizing in-building coverage, optimizing high data usage areas, and non-expandability of the macro network
  • More operators plan to employ distributed antenna systems (DAS) and public space femtocells next year compared to this year
  • Small cells are mainly used in metro areas and large enterprises now, but reflecting the fact that service providers are facing increased pressure to keep users happy, next year respondent operators plan to deploy significantly more small cells in many more locations, including public venues, airports and stations, retail malls, hotels, highways, rural areas, etc.
  • ike last year, interference management and support for heterogeneous networks are operators’ top-rated technical challenges to deploying small cells

 

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

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

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.

Webinar now available to view: Designing high capacity networks in stadiums: challenges & best practices

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Webinar now available to view: Designing high capacity networks in stadiums: challenges & best practices

Free webinar on stadium wireless network design now available to view

 

In the era of smartphones, designing high capacity networks inside stadiums and arenas is more important than ever. To engage in the full stadium experience, sports and music fans expect to share their favourite moments, captured through photos and video, on social media sites. 

This places increasing demands for data capacity on mobile broadband networks, but also offers rewards to operators who can meet their customers’ high expectations.

This webinar will cover:

• Challenges wireless operators face to support mobile users’ demands for high voice and data capacity in stadiums and other high density environments.
• Needs of mobile subscribers and their typical behavior.
• High level planning requirements and stadium network design considerations.
• Assessment of available technologies and analysis of how to work with them to optimise ROI, whilst planning to accommodate future technologies.
• Available offloading strategies, capacity dimensioning and planning per sector.

iBwave will show you how to successfully plan for wireless networks inside stadiums and overcome the challenges that they present.

Speakers:
Professor Simon Saunders, Founder, Real Wireless consultancy
Dominique Gauthier, Chief Technology Officer, iBwave
Scott Pereira, Manager, Sales Engineering, iBwave

Host: Keith Dyer, Editor, Mobile Europe

View this webinar

 

Vyke turns off data roaming for its VoIP users

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Vyke turns off data roaming for its VoIP users

There is some talk around about how operators might manage the integration of “carrier WiFi” into the overall user experience. Do users get bumped to WiFi automatically if it is available? If so, would they care about that, or actually welcome the measure?

But one aspect where it could certainly come in handy is when roaming – making sure that cellular data roaming is only invoked where necessary, or where the user opts in. And it’s not just operators that need to consider the impact of data roaming charges. VoIP provider Vyke has introduced an Android app that will disable use of its service unless the user is connected on a WiFi network.   The app is designed to stop users racking up data charges whilst thinking they are being smart by using a VoIP app.

The app’s principal features are automatic detection of roaming when travelling abroad with prompts that allows users to choose how they want to call or text while away and a ‘welcome home’ message on return. As soon as Vyke detects roaming it automatically alerts the user to select one of two options – standard Vyke or VykeAbroad.  Selecting standard Vyke will incur roaming charges when connecting over a 3G network. However by selecting VykeAbroad, users can limit or eliminate altogether any roaming charges.

VykeAbroad without Vyke’s ‘callback or call@’ options automatically restricts connections to WiFi calling over Vyke’s interface without any risk of incurring outgoing or incoming roaming charges.

VykeAbroad with ‘callback/call@’ does not restrict use to WiFi only but limits roaming charges. Use of ‘callback’ incurs a small roaming charge in setting up the call over the user’s normal data connection and then restricts further roaming to incoming charges only, which Vyke says are cheaper than outgoing ones. Vyke’s ‘call@’ option allows users with access to a local landline abroad, to set up calls from phones anywhere in the world by sending a small data package, the only roaming cost involved.

Although the new VykeAbroad feature is limited to Android phones for the time being with a further release in Q1 for other handset makes, there are standard Vyke apps for most handsets using other operating systems.

“Vyke pioneered mobile VoIP apps in Europe and our new VkyeAbroad feature reinforces our commitment to reducing the cost of international calling and texting from mobile phones.  As the European Commission has recognised, exorbitant roaming charges are a source of serious concern and irritation to mobile users and our new app is designed to make the avoidance of these charges where possible absolutely foolproof,” said Vyke Chief  Executive Tore Hellebo.

Ericsson CTO moves on to commercial challenge

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Ericsson has announced that its CTO since 2003, and Head of Ericsson in Silicon Valley, Håkan Eriksson, is moving to take on a new role as head of Ericsson’s business in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson said: “Håkan’s work is one of the reasons why our company, year out and year in and across technologies, remains a technology leader. I am happy that he can now also bring his considerable experience directly to our customers in the very technologically advanced Australian and New Zealand markets, and add experience also in this dimension.”

“I have spent the last 25 years in Ericsson within the research & development organization and the last nine of those as CTO. When I took the job as CTO, the debate was whether 3G would ever appeal to the mass market.” Håkan Eriksson said. “Today, mobile broadband has become a necessity to billions of people. Although the CTO role has always meant staying very close to our customers, I now look forward to more directly support our customers in monetizing their networks in a world where technology and networks become increasingly more complex.”

As head of Ericsson Silicon Valley, Håkan Eriksson has also contributed to firmly establishing Ericsson on the important US market, as well as well building a stronger relation with the Application development eco system in the area.

With an Australian wife Håkan Eriksson is no stranger to the country. “I have had a desire to move into a more commercial role, and for personal reasons to come closer to Australia. When Hans offered me this opportunity, that coincide with my term in Silicon Valley coming to an end, I jumped at the chance to work with the technology advanced operators in these countries and become part of the strong regional Ericsson team”, said Håkan Eriksson.

The new appointment will be effective as of February 1, 2012 at which time Håkan Eriksson will also leave Ericsson’s Executive Leadership Team. The appointment of a new CTO will be announced separately.

Blyk founder calls it quits

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Blyk founder calls it quits

Antti ?hrling, the co-founder of Blyk, has left the company he founded with Pekka Ala-Pietilä in 2006.

The two men were part of the team that launched the business as a standalone UK operator that aimed to offer free service to users, supported by advertising. At launch, the model was entirely new within the European market – requiring users to opt in to receive a certain number of “campaign” mesages a week, and also the formation of an ad network to target those same users.

From 2009 the company ceased service as an MVNO and instead went into partnership with Vodafone in The Netherlands and with Orange in the UK. Its platform now forms the basis for sector-specific advertising and marketing services within those operators – delivering targeted ads and marketing to users in exchange for the users receiving free services. The company said it now has three million opt-in users in India, UK and Netherlands that are receiving Blyk Media messages every day.

Eric Kip, Chief Executive Officer for Blyk since August 2011, said in a company statement, “This brings me back to the moment, when I first heard about Blyk five years ago. A very simple, fresh idea that completely changed the way the Telco and Advertising communities had been thinking until then. Antti’s strategic thinking, creativity and outstanding innovative skills will undoubtedly be the source for other new, disruptive ventures which will shake up many of the new media services around the globe. Working with Antti has been truly rewarding, inspiring and fun.  I and the whole Blyk team wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Őhrling, who served a stint as CEO of the UK company, was most recently working as Chairman of Blyk India where he supported the Indian team led by Shubhodip Pal, Country Manager for Blyk India. Kip added, “I will continue to work very closely with Shubhodip in Blyk’s global management team.  Currently we are looking how to fill the Blyk India Chairman position.”

There was no statement from Őhrling included in the press release that announced his departure. Co-founder Pekka Ala-Pietilä remains as chairman of Blyk, a position he assumed in August 2011, when Kip took over from him as CEO.

 

“Several” operators ready for LTE phones – Ericsson

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Ericsson has said that it enabled the commercial deployment of CSFB (Circuit Switched FallBack) technology during the second half of 2011 for several LTE operators. The vendor said that it had upgraded equipment to support the 3GPP standardised functionality in “several networks” in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

“We now introduce telecom grade voice services to work in combination with the superior data connection speeds that are available in LTE smartphones for the global GSM/WCDMA market. These commercial deployments of Circuit Switched Fallback prove the market maturity of this new technology and demonstrate Ericsson’s technology leadership and commitment to helping operators launch services on the latest consumer devices,” Magnus Furustam, Head of Core & IMS at Business Unit Networks at Ericsson, said.

Circuit Switched Fallback network functionality means that mobile broadband data traffic is run over LTE, or HSPA when LTE coverage is not available, while voice and SMS services are provided using GSM or WCDMA circuit-switched networks. It is designed to provide continuity and availability of voice and SMS services for users of LTE phones who are moving in and out of LTE coverage.

CSFB is a software upgrade to operators’ core and radio networks, which include circuit-switched core (Mobile Softswitch Solution), Evolved Packet Core (Serving GPRS Support Node-Mobility Management Entity or SGSN-MME) and radio access (GSM, WCDMA and LTE).

In time, many operators will move to “full” VoLTE sevices, but the easier availability of CSFB form a device and equipment perspective means many will also deploy CSFB as a stepping stone measure. That means that for quite a while, operators will be supporting CSFB and VoLTE in their networks, as users and devices are eventually ported to being VoLTE capable.

The switching on of CSFB capability essentially means that LTE operators are readying themselves for the near-term deployment of phones on LTE networks, as well as tablets and USB data dongles.

Monetising the apps market with direct operator billing

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Monetising the apps market with direct operator billing

In this guest post, Charles Damen, Vice President of Mobile Billing and Payments at MACH, says that direct operator billing solutions offer opportunities to capitalise on revenue opportunities in the apps market.

The explosive growth in the uptake of smartphones and tablets has defined the mobile industry in the recent past. Largely, it is this growth that has driven the rise of the applications market; mobile apps now offer one of the most promising revenue streams for the mobile industry. Gartner estimates that global mobile app store revenues will triple from $5.2 billion in 2010 to $15 billion this year and reach $58 billion by 2014. With such vast potential, it is easy to assume that all content providers and apps developers need to do is to develop a great app and then sit back and reap the revenue rewards.

In reality, it is far from that simple.

To date, the apps market has been dominated by Apple and individual app developers have found it challenging, to say the least, to monetise their apps as there has been a lack of a solution that works across other platforms. Despite this, app stores and content providers must start looking at ways of maximising revenue streams and develop a clear monetisation strategy to gain market share.

Apps providers have very much been restricted by the type of payment mechanisms available to them. The mechanisms have traditionally also been overly complex, requiring credit card details which disrupt the user-experience and give rise to fears of identity theft. Credit card-only payment systems also mean that content providers can’t reach non-credit card holders.

To fully monetise apps and provide a flexible payments infrastructure, a significant change is needed, and mobile network operators must do everything in their power to ensure they remain part of the apps ecosystem, beyond just serving as a bit pipe for third-party content.

This is where direct operator billing enters the stage.

It is quickly emerging as the optimum approach to overcome these challenges, as it is a vastly superior charging model to both Premium SMS and credit card payments. One-click purchase, real-time charging, flexible pricing points and direct refund capabilities are delivered on some direct operator billing solutions and make them ideal for Pay-per-Download and in-app purchases.

Consumer benefits
For consumers, direct operator billing enables a frictionless user experience by providing them with the option of buying apps and in-app goods and services through a simple 1-click process, placing the fee for the application on the user’s phone bill. For merchants and developers, it can provide a range of potential features, including real-time charging, flexible pricing points and direct refund capabilities, while the frictionless user experience it creates maximises conversion rates.

Operator benefits
At the same time, direct operator billing inserts the mobile operators back into the application and content value chain, enabling them to effectively generate revenues from the apps ecosystem. The1-click buy and payment process of direct operator billing reduces drop-off rates and increases conversion rates, while some solutions also provide a real time charging process which ensures instant authorisation and reduced revenue leakage.

George Linardos, Nokia’s vice president, product and media, noted at last year’s Nokia World that the one-click billing enabled by operator billing leads to 13 times more payments being made than over credit cards, providing tangible proof of the opportunities this payment system affords app stores and content providers. Research from analyst house Strategy Analytics backs this up, demonstrating that nearly 40 per cent of users in Western Europe prefer this payment mechanism to any other.

Developer benefits
From an application developer’s perspective, direct operator billing enables greater price flexibility, allowing developers to vary app prices. This pricing flexibility is beneficial from the point of view of driving developers’ bottom lines. An app’s popularity within application stores is dictated mostly by its sales. By being in the position to lower and differentiate their prices, developers can move their apps up the popularity ratings within app stores, helping them to drive further sales. This points towards a more sophisticated apps ecosystem not previously seen, further changing the way we pay for mobile content. Furthermore, with a cross-platform solution supporting among others Android, Windows, Symbian and Java-based phones, the ability for application developers to monetise apps is maximised.

The flexibility of direct operator billing extends to the connectivity method used when buying the app. With direct operator billing systems, it is possible for end users to choose the type of network they would like to buy the app over, whether that is their own operator’s 3G network or a WiFi network at, for example, a coffee shop. Regardless of the network used, the payment will still be sent to the operator bill, providing users with greater flexibility and choice over how they download content.

Direct operator billing unites operators and apps developers by connecting their businesses, while at the same time allowing end-users to download apps with ease. In short, it simplifies and accelerates the uptake and monetisation of applications on mobile phones, creates a great user experience, while driving revenue for developers and allowing operators to maintain a competitive position within the value chain. From that point of view, it is a win-win service.

 

iBwave upgrades in-building products

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iBwave Design 6.0, iBwave Unity 2.1 and Level 3 Certification Now Available

iBwave has upgraded two of its products, iBwave Design and iBwave Unity, with advanced features, also launching a higher level in-building certification course, combined to further revolutionize the way indoor wireless networks are being designed and deployed inside buildings worldwide.

iBwave Design, software for automating in-building network design-planning activities, has been upgraded to version 6.0, now supporting the deployment of MIMO technology. This latest version empowers in-building experts to run capacity analyses of the various mobile services required inside buildings, validating whether wireless capacity being offered from proposed systems will meet expected indoor data traffic.

In collaboration with a major collection tool vendor, iBwave Design now simplifies the transfer process of DAS and building information to third-party collection tools, significantly reducing the number of conversion tasks being required.

Additional features in iBwave Design 6.0:

  • Customized system labeling by: ID, operator, technology, band, etc.
  • New and improved electromagnetic field (EMF) report functionalities
  • Cell codes (PN codes, scrambling codes and cell ID) are stored in cellular service configurations

The latest version of iBwave Unity 2.1, the comprehensive management platform for in-building network projects, is available on smartphones and tablets. Additionally, users can now store their database of components in iBwave Unity with access rights and revision controls, enabling better management over the database.

Additional features in iBwave Unity 2.1:

  • Preferred design templates can be applied to existing projects, distributing consistency throughout projects.
  • Multiple design files can be stored under the same project heading
  • Revision history of projects can be marked with revision tags

The iBwave Certification Program, a new Level 3 course, has been introduced to teach advanced students about MIMO, Wi-Fi, stadium environments, capacity-planning and techniques to improve the design-planning process of large and complex buildings.  

iBwave’s CEO, Mario Bouchard, stated, “iBwave has been leading the way in terms of innovation in the in-building industry. We have been offering a large portfolio of innovative products that has constantly evolved and improved functionality throughout the complex ecosystem.” He added that more launches are planned in the near future to continue mobilising the network. 

To learn more about iBwave’s newest products, please visit http://www.ibwave.com/Products.aspx.

F-Secure launches back-up service

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F-Secure launches back-up service

Content back-up to be sold through operators

F-Secure has launched Mobile Backup – a solution that allows users to back up mobile content, share it with friends and restore it on other devices. F-Secure Mobile Backup can be provided by operators as a stand-alone or bundled service. F-Secure said it provides operators with an excellent platform to increase brand leverage, revenue potential and retention rates.

“Our solution allows the operator to tap into the growing market for online services while standing out with a solution that goes beyond basic security. It is quick and easy to install and file backup is done with an extremely simple and hassle-free interface,” says Sebastian Neittamo, Solution Manager at F-Secure.

F-Secure said that Mobile Backup also comes with other value added benefits. It takes “a couple of clicks” to share content stored on the device with friends and family. This is performed via email or with built-in integration to most common social media sites such as Facebook. Restoring specific content, or even the whole backup data, is also “easy and automated”. The restore process can be performed on the same device, or the backup can be transferred to another device, even one with a different operating system. Other important features include efficient backup and preventing backing up while roaming, to avoid unwanted costs.

“F-Secure’s operator partners will now be able to offer complete end-to-end protection for their mobile subscribers by combining Mobile Backup with the recently enhanced Mobile Security 7.5 solution. This offers an excellent boost to customer satisfaction and brand loyalty”, says Marko Rapeli, Director, Sales & Business Development, Mobile & OEM at F-Secure.

F-Secure Mobile Backup is available to operators as a turnkey solution. F-Secure implements and hosts the backend storage system, and also provides a provisioning system. As part of the implementation project, F-Secure creates a customised end-user software package for the operator, as well as a web portal for web browser access to end-user data. Operators will find that F-Secure Mobile Backup is remarkably easy toimplement.

Supported systems:
F-Secure Mobile Backup supports Android, Symbian, iOS and Blackberry operating systems.

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