Wi-Fi technology specialist Ruckus Wireless today announced that it will make its first appearance at the GSMA Mobile World Congress to outline its 3G/Wi-Fi internetworking reference architecture with mobile carriers and broadband operators.
According to Ruckus, renewed interest in Wi-Fi is exploding as mobile carriers look for more reliable and cost-effective methods to increase the coverage, capacity and reliability of their mobile infrastructures. Offloading 3G traffic onto smarter Wi-Fi infrastructure is one near-term application driving this interest.
Wi-Fi solutions for 3G offload must provide subscribers a seamless and transparent experience while minimising the cost and complexity of internetworking infrastructure. Given the fundamental differences between WLAN and 3GPP architectures, whether HSPA or LTE EPC, it is important to design and implement a network extension that is scalable and provides for no compromises in the user experience.
Ruckus says that its ability to bring unprecedented gains in coverage, capacity and reliability to carrier Wi-Fi applications has been well proven through its shipment of more than two million units to date. The company's recently-announced entry into wireless broadband access is supporting a growing number of large-scale broadband connectivity projects. Ruckus is now using its core Smart Wi-Fi radio access network technology to help mobile operators address growing capacity issues driven by smart phone data usage.
Through Ruckus' collaboration with leading operators in large commercial hotspot-network implementations and proof of concept trials of advanced 3G/Wi-Fi roaming functionality, the company says it has developed a new reference architecture that solves issues facing mobile operators in deploying hybrid 3G and Wi-Fi networks.
By moving intelligence to the edge of the access network where it can scale, limiting UE incursion to simple configuration push, and using standard 3GPP control interfaces, Ruckus has arrived at a flexible, lightweight and scalable internetworking design the company expects to be of significant interest to additional mobile operators attending the MWC event.
"Huge changes in user behaviour driven by the new generation of UE designs are clearly outstripping the capacity of mobile networks in several markets, and this problem will only get worse," said Steven Glapa, director of carrier business development for Ruckus Wireless. "We have a number of operator engagements underway to tap the rapid pain relief offered by the low cost structure and simplicity of Wi-Fi, in combination with an internetworking approach designed for snap-fit into W-CDMA/HSPA and LTE networks."