Ubiquitous Connectivity

Wi-Fi lightens the load

lightens the load

Wi-Fi, once the middle child of the wireless industry, is changing how users access
broadband services, opening a potential gold mine for operators.
By Wang Zhoujie

i-Fi once enjoyed an unrivalled

level of media buzz, with cities
a n d a i r p o r t s f a l l i n g a l l ov e r
themselves to be labeled as giant
hotspots. However, the circus moved on very
quickly, as this technology came to be regarded as
an evolutionary dead-end. But, with the number of
mobile subscriptions in the world now passing six
billion, and global data traffic doubling every 12 to
18 months, Wi-Fi is coming in from the cold, with
many prominent operators using it or planning
to use it to supplement their networks, including
AT&T, Orange, PCCW, and China Mobile.
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As of the end of 2011, global shipments of WiFi-enabled devices exceeded two billion, with nearly
one billion users now being served. Supporting the
2.4GHz/5GHz frequency bands and delivering
300Mbps bandwidth, the 802.11n standard is also
compatible with 802.11a/b/g, making it easier
than ever for users to access broadband services
wirelessly, both during and after office hours.
Wi-Fi is usually used as an extension of fixed
networks at homes and enterprises. Mobile
operators are now deploying Wi-Fi in hotspots,
making it the fourth form of wireless networking,
after GSM, UMTS, and LTE. In the future,

Huawei Communicate

service bundling, unified charging, convenient

management, and network synergy are expected to
come into being.

Convergent Wi-Fi
Huawei has released an industry-first convergent
Wi-Fi solution that spans from the access point
to the core network. Along with its various Wi-Fi
devices for the access side, Huawei will also release
several multi-mode solutions, including PicoFi, TD-Fi, and X-Fi. For the network, disparate
components such as the base station controller
(BSC), radio network controller (RNC), access
controller (AC), trunking gateway (TGW), and the
serving GPRS support node (SGSN) will combine
their efforts to synergize the fixed and wireless
elements.

Integrated authentication
A sound Wi-Fi user experience requires not
only seamless coverage in hotspot areas, but also
smooth authentication, which Wi-Fi typically
accomplishes through portals. When users request
Internet access, the portal server will forward an
authentication page that requests a user name and
password. Portal authentication is applicable for
nearly all terminal types; yet in areas with poor
coverage, the user experience may be impacted as
authentication prompting may become frequent.
Other authentication modes are available,
namely MAC, EAP-PEAP, and EAP-SIM. MAC
is not often used, as its addresses can easily be
fabricated, while PEAP is widely employed and
supported by the iOS, BlackBerry, Android, and
Symbian operating systems, though its initial
configuration is somewhat complex. EAP-SIM
employs SIM card-based authentication; once users
register Wi-Fi services at customer service centers,
their mobile phones automatically access Wi-Fi
services when available. This option is considered
the most secure and is expected to become the
method of choice as an increasing number of smart
terminals are now SIM-enabled.
However, most operators, especially those that
serve developing markets, require flexibility in their
network authentication. Huaweis quad-mode WiFi authentication solutions are already in use in
certain Chinese provinces, giving more options for
operators who must support the most advanced

smartphones and the most basic feature phones

simultaneously.

Accurate hotspot selection

Despite their name, Wi-Fi hotspots often fail
to attract a large number of users. Coffee shops,
libraries, and the like often have luxurious and
inefficient seating arrangements, while the young
& affluent often fail to cluster where corporations
tell them to. Huawei statistics show that in certain
areas, over 40% of hotspots generate only modest
levels of traffic. Clearly, planning of a more
prescient and insightful nature is needed.
Huawei analyzes measurement report (MR) data
for live GSM/UMTS networks, as well as terminal
behavior, network measurement data, and various
kinds of services, enabling timely identification of
network traffic jams, so that operators can deploy
their Wi-Fi equipment accordingly.
However, Wi-Fi is not a silver bullet. It
employs the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands that also
accommodate Bluetooth devices, cordless phones,
microwave ovens, and certain medical devices,
all of which represent potential interference. The
2.4GHz band has fourteen frequency channels
ranging from 2400MHz to 2483.5MHz, but
a number of them overlap, leaving only three
discrete channels available. This can be a problem
if multiple operators wish to deploy Wi-Fi in the
same area.
Huawei Wi-Fi solutions, on the other hand,
provide flexible adjustment of channels and various
other RF resources such as transmission power.
Automatic adjustment of the latter is particularly
useful as it helps eliminate dead spots and overlaps.
When a Wi-Fi device is removed, the neighboring
devices will increase their power accordingly.
Huawei devices can also detect interference and
adjust their channels automatically. The use of
802.11n doubles the radio spectrum, while 5GHz
has more channels and less interference when
compared with the 2.4GHz band. Operators can
use the latter for initial access, and then switch
over to 5GHz for service bearing to minimize
interference.

Realizing network synergy

Many operators build their Wi-Fi networks
to offload traffic from macro networks, yet
APR 2012 . ISSUE 65

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Ubiquitous Connectivity
Wi-Fi lightens the load
synergy between different networks is
necessary if they hope to deliver
comprehensive services.
Huawei Wi-Fi solutions
facilitate this synergy at
the base station, base
station controller, and core
network.

Synergy for multi-mode base

stations
Early TD-SCDMA and LTE network
development involves light traffic and relative
terminal homogeneity, but Wi-Fi can be utilized
to enhance utilization of the network in question.
When China Mobile launched its TD-SCDMA
network, terminals were scarce and traffic was
spartan, but it could hardly take on traffic from
its GSM network. Instead, the operator worked
with Huawei to develop TD-Fi, where Wi-Fi
equipment can be used for Internet access, while
the TD-SCDMA network bears this traffic. With
this arrangement, China Mobiles network would
finally pull its own weight, while TD-Fi would
prove useful in other areas.
A bus company could utilize TD-Fi for bus
message updates, push ads, video monitoring, and
upload of operational data, while passengers could
access route information and surf the Internet.
This would not only further utilize China Mobiles
infrastructure, it would also enable a mutually
beneficial cooperative triangle with the bus
company and advertisers that could extend to the
LTE era, and all the dazzling media that it would
entail.

Synergy for base station controllers

Having a variety of Wi-Fi access points may
seem beneficial for the mobile user, but choosing
the optimal one is more than just a matter of the
number of bars on the screen; it is also a matter of
potential interference and user number. Huawei
has launched a convergent solution for base station
controllers that helps simplify things through
network synergy.
When Wi-Fi terminals initiate data services
through Huawei infrastructure, the BSC/RNC
will query the AC, based on the network load and
terminal type. If query conditions are met, the AC
displays all the available Wi-Fi hotspots within the
cell coverage. The BSC/RNC then recommends an
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optimal Wi-Fi hotspot to users. Once confirmed,

the terminal will access said hotspot through
a specified service set identifier (SSID) and IP
address. This enhances user experience as operators
can flexibly switch services or traffic between
mobile and Wi-Fi networks.

Synergy for the PS core

Wi-Fi transmission and encryption modes
differ from those employed by mobile networks.
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi networks are considered
unreliable in terms of PS domain standards.
Huawei has launched a GRE-tunneling TGW
solution which provides secure access between
Wi-Fi and SGSN/EPC. This helps operators
offload their value-added service (VAS) and
other traffic to Wi-Fi, which reduces the pressure
on mobile network access. Wi-Fi offload is
practically weightless, as far as network resources
are concerned, so it can maximize service value,
diversity, and creativity.

Timely integration, unified management

Unlike that for base stations, Wi-Fi accesspoint deployment tends to be more diverse and
dynamic; it is difficult to monitor alarms, collect
performance data, configure equipment, and
locate faults remotely. In addition, operators need
a unified network management system (NMS) for
both base stations and Wi-Fi access points.
Huaweis Wi-Fi network management server, a
component of the vendors M2000 NMS, is easy to
maintain and highly efficacious, as a single unit can
manage 800,000 Wi-Fi devices, resulting in clear
reductions in CAPEX and OPEX. With its robust
and unified northbound interfaces, the Huawei
NMS can prove a key component in any optimized
O&M management platform, while the firms
rich experience guarantees implementation and
integration in a timely and orderly fashion.
Hu a we i a l s o p rov i d e s e f f e c t i ve h a n d s e t
simulators for Wi-Fi testing purposes, suitable
for indoor/outdoor drive testing, as well as ping,
HTTP, email, and FTP testing for service launch,
availability verification, and hotspot determination.
As the number of Wi-Fi enabled terminals
increases, Huaweis E2E Wi-Fi solutions grow more
and more attractive for operators looking to build
and better utilize their wireless networks.
Editor: Michael huangzhuojian@huawei.com