WiFi 802.11ax and 5G convergence - an inevitable stride of NSA mode 5G.

Despite of continuous improvement in data services with high data rates and more spectrum utilization the networks are not free from the congestion. The tremendous growth of video traffic and smart devices has resulted in heavy pressure on data networks resources. As a result of this continuous thrust for data capacity, 3GPP has come up in its recent releases with idea of incorporating more spectrum bands including unlicensed and shared spectrum.

WiFi has been of interest since the early days and being there in the radar of 3GPP since release 8 but has been incorporated in the propensity of RAN in release 13 and onward. LTE-U, LAA and LWA are some of the 3GPP networking features focusing on unlicensed spectrum.

WiFi is a mature technology in itself has been in continuous growth and pace with the next generation networks. IEEE 802.11 standards has been evolving and have improved much from the days of 802.11n to 802.11ac & 802.11ad (in 60GHz) and recent one, taken to be efficient for highly dense environment, 802.11ax.

802.11ax, also called High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW), looking beyond the raw link speeds of 802.11ac. It implements several mechanisms to serve more users consistent and reliable data throughput in highly dense wireless environments. High-Efficiency Wireless includes the following key features:

·         Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.

·         Increase 4X the average throughput per user in high-density scenarios, such as train stations, airports and stadiums. -Data rates and channel widths similar to 802.11ac, with the exception of new Modulation and Coding Sets (MCS 10 and 11) with 1024-QAM.

·         Specified for downlink and uplink multi-user operation by means of MU-MIMO and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology.

·         Larger OFDM FFT sizes (4x larger), narrower subcarrier spacing (4X closer), and longer symbol time (4X) for improved robustness and performance in multipath fading environments and outdoors.

·         Improved traffic flow and channel access.

·         Better power management for longer battery life.

In fact 802.11ax going to be a distributed data rates for fare distribution of overall capacity to each user's, making an efficient system with larger spectrum band.

In next generation telecom networks era, LTE was the first technology to step in, being the complete data centric networks and has started an era of data dependent information and communication systems. DATA has become now days a utility for the end users to run its day to day business. LTE started with 10X faster than its early days technologies, to now a days 100X faster in form of Gigabit LTE.

WiFi With its new avatar 802.11ax becomes a good partner with LTE for a better convergence and provide a combination of licensed and unlicensed for a larger capacity to end users.

This also opens the gate for Wifi entry to 5G system as an associative data network with LTE as a control plane. So it's not going to be only NR with LTE but WiFi too, much in NSA mode of 5G.

Terragraph - Facebooks New Plan along with Qualcomm to Test the 10 gbps WiFi based backbone networks

The two tech companies announced the joint effort for test of, Facebook's mesh network technology, Called  Terragraph. it already has announced tow field trials in Europe. Now Tests are also expected to begin in partnership with Qualcomm in the U.S. next year.

The technology could deliver significantly higher bandwidth via Wi-Fi — perhaps as fast as 10 gigabits per second at peak speeds. If this gets a successful feat it would do wonder much like 'fiber in the air'.

"With Terragraph, our goal is to enable people living in urban areas to access high-quality connectivity that can help create new opportunities and strengthen communities," said Yael Maguire, vice president of connectivity with Facebook.

The technology is complicated. But it taps 60 gigahertz unlicensed airwaves — know as millimeter wave — to bring high speed Internet to big cities.

Millimeter wave spectrum can deliver a lot of data fast. But it's prone to interference and doesn't travel very far — only a few hundred feet at best — before degrading. It needs to be within line of sight of devices, small cells and access points.

The Terragraph system would use advanced and future generations of Wi-Fi standards to generate uber-fast speeds. Qualcomm is producing the chips and software to enable outdoor operation and avoid interference.

"Our collaboration with Facebook will bring advanced 11ad and pre-11ay technologies to market, increasing broadband penetration and enabling operators to reduce their capital expenses for last-mile access," said Irvind Ghai, a vice president with Qualcomm Atheros.

There ar obvious challenges with the deployment of such WiFi hotspots across the cities and delivering millimeter waves technology, but these challenges are there with others smallcell centric technology too, like 5G fixed broadband systems. 

"There are licensed and unlicensed approaches," said Jesse Burke, a product marketing manager at Qualcomm. "The point is our customers are looking for increasing capacity. There are various approaches in both the licenses and unlicensed bands, and we are providing solutions, along with our customers."

Google WiFi, Test your one 2 one speed on your own.

 Google has added a new feature to its Wi-Fi network technology that lets users measure how each individual device is performing on their wireless Internet network.

The new feature will basically run a speed test on each device and inform the users which devices need to be kept within a closer router range for a stronger connection.

Globally, an average of 18 devices are connected on each "Google Wifi" network.

For full coverage go HERE

Is WiFi with WBA and WiFi Alliance sufficiently focused to come for 5G?

This is a discussion with industry experts Oscar Bexell.

Oscars Linkedin profile is - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-bexell-9462922/

Q. 5G still seams to be dimensionless, where do you see Wi-Fi fitting with 5G?

A. Residential and for enterprises (how long depends on how well 11ax plays out). In the longer run, and with new types of gadgets coming in, I don't think anything LBT/CS fits the bill. CBRS will take off in the US and take the indoor enterprise space. In China the MNOs have been doing this with small cells for quite some time. In other countries there will be other approaches. Different markets will also take longer/shorter time to adopt. For many Wi-Fi system integrators and vendors, there will be market shares to take with CBRS.

Q. Wi-Fi in current wireless access technology space is on hype or settled, why?

A. I only follow them from a distance. I like the NGH initiative. I think they should get into CBRS+4G/5G. That's where the MSOs and many service providers will be able to take footprints over time. Build ecosystem and drive standardization/harmonization.

Q.How relevant Wi-Fi Alliance has been so far, and what you think about its future role should be?

A.It's probably the main factor behind the success of Wi-Fi. I see their work as critical, both for new standards, but maybe even more for driving interoperability work and harmonization of frequencies. They should keep on doing exactly this, but I also think they should drive CBRS spectrum harmonization in more markets and the ecosystems around this. That is the future for enterprise/venue in-building networks.

Q. Wi-Fi access would be catching what kind of segments of IOT?

A.It's already used a lot, especially in in-home deployments and as backhaul to many Bluetooth/Zigbee/Z-wave/gateway applications. It will play a very big role in the coming years as it's already present in most environments. I think mainly as backhaul. I'm also looking forward to see how 802.11ah takes off. I see that mainly as an in-home competitor to Bluetooth 5.0 and Zigbee.

Q.Do you feel for any need of collaboration or association for Wi-Fi ecosystem development with a fresh view (may be like use case basis/software defined/cloud based)?

A. N/A

TRAI's Public Wifi Architecure interface - A PDO specific framework for India;s WiFi hotspot programm.

Public wifi architecture_12072017 from Saurabh Verma

The WiFi Advantage

Free Access......

WiFi is primarily known for free access, and likely to be same for the end user despite of its improvement of QoS and seemless access like cellular technologies, as may be in the case of next gen WiFi.

The reality of WiFi is that there going to be a continuous decrease in "pay by end user" model empirically by 10-20% since 2015.

Mature Technology.........

We all know Wi-Fi is mature technology with a deep rooted ecosystem. Wi-Fi, essentilly for wireless LAN connectivity, has come parallel to cellular like access technology. Wi-Fi access points keeping the pace for data speed and much more to counter the cellular like for QoS and QoE etc.

Space for opportunities and innovations........

But Wi-Fi is not essentially for access like cellular, so there is a space available here when bringing it for access technology alternative, though better to say - in current scenarios associative to cellular. The space for augmented ecosystem - like using bigdata, analytics, OTT provisioning, user experience app etc.

This space provides new innovation for network selection, QoS management, QoE creation, use case provisioning, application development etc, based on news technological advance like bigdata, analytics, OTT app etc.

This space requirement is to be managed and coordinated to bring the Wi-Fi as an standard access technlogy. This is posible through new initiatives ........

Driving Forces.........

Going forward the main driving force for WiFi acceptance and #WiFi Has big role in,

1. IOT/Video/OTT. 

2. LBS and CiTy Wide services. 

3. Public places shopping mall, trasport stations, education etc

contact@xgnlab.com

WBA industry survey report 2016-key take away.

WBA-Industry survey-results-2016 from Saurabh Verma

Indian telecom regulator has invited all companies, app providers and hardware or software providers, for setting up a pilot project of public wi-fi hotspots

Source : ETTelecom

Fundarc Communication

Indian telecom regulator has invited all companies, app providers and hardware or software providers, for setting up a pilot project of public Wi-Fi hotspots - which it calls as Public Data Offices (PDOs) - which will allow pay-as-you-go 'sachet sized' wi-fi facilities priced between Rs 2 and Rs 20, making internet access affordable for the common public.

PDOs will be akin to the public calling offices (PCOs) that connected all of India before the advent of low cost mobile phones and low cost telecom services, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said Friday, while issuing the broad objectives of the pilot program, the guidelines and pre-requisites for companies who want to participate.

"TRAI invites all interested entities to be a part of this Pilot to establish nation-wide, pay-as-you-go PDOs," the regulator said. “The products available for consumption should begin from “sachet-sized”, i.e. low denominations ranging from INR 2 to INR 20, etc,” the Trai added.

The pilot will help in identifying the positives and problem areas before national proliferation of such hotspots.

The vision of this initiative is to establish an open architecture based Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (WANI), which will allow users to do one-time enrollment into the service through KYC and mobile one time password, and access through purchase of sachet sized data packs.

This will bring in new customers and boost the consumption of data by the price sensitive Indian customer who rations her cellular data usage, the regulator added. Participants have been asked to send their details by July 25.

Through this plan, the broad objective of the regulator is to have multiple hotspots available for the public to use at multiple locations across the country, allowing data use in last mile connectivity.

The regulator also envisions that the hotpots will be able to offload data pressure from existing telecom networks given that only limited number of towers or routers can be added at every locality, enough to support the growing data usage owing to low cost tariffs. The hotspot plan will also take the total number of hotspots in India up from the present 31,000, abysmally lower than 10 million in US and 13 million in France.

"Overall, these suggestions encourage the PDOs to become bustling centers of economic activity, where consumption of data for the average Indian becomes as common as consuming a cup of hot chai," the regulator said.

The pilot program will aim to prove that multi-provider, inter-operable and collaborative model increases the overall innovation in the system, dismantles monopolies and encourages passing of benefits to end user. The pilot will also test out integrated payment methods such as coupons - purchased using cash by user or gifted to user – credit or debit cards, net banking, e-wallets, and Unified Payments Interface.

The regulator will issue WANI Technology Architecture document within three to four days, which will provide the necessary technology and architecture for allowing multi-provider, interoperable system across the country.

Trai aims to provide a simplified, consistent experience across hotspots from various providers, which would mean unbundling authentication, payment and accounting from hardware and software running on the access point.

This will allow small entrepreneurs such as tea shops, to set up and maintain access points whereas device manufacturers, payment companies, internet and telecom service providers and consumer internet companies can provide the remaining pieces to set up PDOs.

The proposal to set up open public wi-fi hotspots comes after the regulator issued recommendation on “Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks” in March this year. The regulator had recommended setting up public Wi-Fi hotspots, reducing import duty on Wi-Fi equipment, infrastructure sharing and authentication of the users through eKYC process.

It had also suggested that Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) should be allowed to provide public Wi-Fi services without obtaining any licence, but should be subject to telecom department prescribed registration requirements, including ensuring that e-KYC, authentication and record keeping of customers, devices and PDOAs enlisted with the PDOs.

Convergence at access - A 5G approach.

Its really exhilarating to hear from experts what your are pleading since long for next generation network evolution, like convergence of various radio access and unified core
"http://blog.xgnlab.com/2016/12/5g-next-generation-networks.html" and "http://blog.xgnlab.com/2016/09/next-generation-mobile-networks.html".
Most enthusiastic is WiFi and LTE coming together as I always said like husband and wife.

WiFi Calling

Fundarc-Comm-WiFi_calling from Saurabh Verma

WiFi moving ahead for 5G

802.11ax, also called High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW), has the challenging goal of improving the average throughput per user by a factor of at least 4X in dense user environments. This new standard focuses on implementing mechanisms to serve more users a consistent and reliable stream of data (average throughput) in the presence of many other users.
802.11ax, also called High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW), has the challenging goal of improving the average throughput per user by a factor of at least 4X in dense user environments. Looking beyond the raw link speeds of 802.11ac, this new standard implements several mechanisms to serve more users consistent and reliable data throughput in crowded wireless environments.

High-Efficiency Wireless includes the following key features:
 -Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
 -Increase 4X the average throughput per user in high-density scenarios, such as train stations, airports and stadiums. -Data rates and channel widths similar to 802.11ac, with the exception of new Modulation and Coding Sets (MCS 10 and 11) with 1024-QAM.
 -Specified for downlink and uplink multi-user operation by means of MU-MIMO and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology.
 -Larger OFDM FFT sizes (4x larger), narrower subcarrier spacing (4X closer), and longer symbol time (4X) for improved robustness and performance in multipath fading environments and outdoors.
 -Improved traffic flow and channel access
 -Better power management for longer battery life