Ericsson has announced a 3GPP-compliant Wi-Fi network access, control and management solution, designed to help mobile operators incorporate Wi-Fi into their HetNets and improve indoor coverage.
Apart from Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF), IP session mobility and Wi-Fi Passpoint, the solution includes a real-time traffic steering function, which Ericsson claims is an industry first.
This new feature analyses the performances of the mobile 3GPP network and the Wi-Fi network at the same time, and makes the decision to seamlessly shift a consumer’s smartphone connection between the networks.
Access selection, a SON feature that enables load balancing between Wi-Fi and 3GPP networks, is also supported in the solution, which Ericsson is marketing as carrier-grade.
In addition, the vendor is seeking to assist operators with indoor coverage thanks to the development of an 802.11 ac access point (commonly seen on tablets and increasingly on smartphones) that will help in delivering small cell or standalone Wi-Fi coverage indoors.
Finally, Ericsson has added in two cloud-controllers featuring 3GPP-standard interfaces to the mobile core.
One of the controllers, the WIC 8100, is a standalone option that supports up to 10,000 access points and 500,000 concurrent subscribers, meaning that operators can consolidate multiple Wi-Fi networks from one centralised location.
“One of the problems with Wi-Fi offload has been the fact that the Wi-Fi network can become just as congested as the mobile network, especially if all the end-users opt to use the Wi-Fi network over the mobile network,” said Daryl Schoolar, Principal Analyst, Network Infrastructure at Ovum.
“Mobile operators have had very few options when it comes to traffic steering between the two networks to optimise performance. Ericsson has clearly differentiated its carrier Wi-Fi solution through tighter integration with mobile operator’s 3GPP access, control and network management. This approach should yield a better end-user experience by preventing some of Wi-Fi’s well-known bad habits from being imposed upon users.
“At the same time, operators should welcome the tight integration of Wi-Fi and mobile, as exemplified by Ericsson’s solution, thanks to the benefits derived from improving network resource optimisation and ease in implementing and delivering Wi-Fi service offerings.”