Wi-Fi Data Offloading

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w w w . g r e e n p a c k e t . c o m

WHITEPAPER

Wi-Fi DATA OFFLOADING,IMPACTS ON CAPEX AND OPEX


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Abstract

Continued aggressive growth in data traffic fuelled by increase in

smartphones, video and application usage has created an urgent need for

faster and efficient networks. Figuring an approach to make systems

extensible and scalable is important to the success of effective data offload

strategies that bridge the gaps of disparate systems.

This paper will describe the Wi-Fi offload approach from the perspective of

modeling the traffic model, impacts on the CAPEX and OPEX costs within

network infrastructure, managing and integrating multiple access

technologies. We examine the offload trend amongst Wi-Fi and small cellslandscape of femtocells. The emerging trends in key geographical regions,

supporting technologies, infrastructure requirements and product portfolio

are discussed. Rapid proliferation of smartphones and the popularity of

value added services have increased the data traffic significantly. As the

penetration of smartphone devices ranging from entry level to mid-level and

high-end market increases further, new opportunities exist for carriers to

further monetize advanced Wi-Fi services to overcome the threat of over

the top applications eroding their market share.


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Contents

Overview 01

Mobile Me, Creating a Compelling Experience 02

Hybrid Mobile Devices

Optimized Experience

Building a Successful Offload Strategy 05

Data Offload Study

Designing Offload

Trade-Off between Macro Cell Densification and Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Offload Simplified

Wi-Fi Offload Observations

Wi-Fi or Femto 11

Scalability

Standardization

Subscriber Management Policy Meets Revenue Opportunity

Greenpacket Mobile Data Offload Solution 14

Seamless Data Offload

Dynamic Data Offload

Wi-Fi Experience Management

Conclusion 17

Wi-Fi Now, Maximize Investments 19

References 20

WHITEPAPERWHITEPAPER


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Overview

The explosion of data traffic was not an overnight phenomenon.

Wi-Fi entered the wireless scene much earlier in the early 2000s, but was

deemed too niche in the initial stage. The detractors saw Wi-Fi as a poor

cousin to cellular technology that had strict security and QoS

measurements necessary to deliver voice centric services at that time.

Fast forward to 2010, the telecoms landscape has evolved and

transformed into a 2nd generation of end-users that demand more than

voice services. The take-off of HSPA between the years 2006-2008 was a

turning point in the adoption of data-centric services. The impact of mobile

data hit hard on mobile operators, when AT&T launched the iPhone in

2007. Undoubtedly, the signing of higher revenue customers that used

smartphones was welcomed. However, the network was embroiled in

apologetic customer relations in the aftermath of frustrated customers for

dropped calls, spotty services, delayed text and voice messages and drastic

download speeds in densely populated areas.

There were up to 4121 HSPA networks globally deployed, responding to the

mobile broadband explosion. The once dominant voice and SMS services

were then reduced to the basic fundamental services that an operator

provides, with little excitement, as the price competition drove down even

further the revenues. It was the plethora of web 2.0 applications that were

engaging, new and interesting which kept the end-users excited and thus

operators are finding it hard to keep up their bandwidth.

Despite the efforts of AT&T to fix the network inefficiencies, and doublingcapacity, it did not stop customers backlash and switch to a rival carrier.

Smart devices like iPhones, iPads and tablets can be disruptive, if the

operator cannot handle the traffic that is generated. In order to mitigate the

negative sentiments that impacted growth rates, reduction of high revenue

customers and loss of brand value; AT&T embarked on improving its

service delivery with alternative data offload approach and communicate

those investments by deploying over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspot to allow its

customers to access its services complementary to the cellular network.

Overview - 01WHITEPAPER Overview - 01WHITEPAPER

1Source : Informa Telecoms & HSPA+

Media, 4G Americas

Aug 2011


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Where is Wi-Fi - 02WHITEPAPER Mobile Me, Creating a Compelling Experience - 02WHITEPAPER

Mobile Me,

Creating a Compelling Experience

Anytime and anywhere connectivity is important in todays lifestyle and thus

resulting in the pressure for operators struggling to maintain network

efficiency and rapid service delivery. The simplifying of user interface like the

iPad is so intuitive. It may not necessarily be the most technologically

advanced device, but ranks high on usability scale. These devices have

made accessing Internet, applications and so forth pervasive. The key to

keeping customers happy is to delight them. Increasingly, operators

worldwide are recognizing the importance of building good customerrelationships. The customer experience extends beyond getting the

customers on-board. The ultimate goal is to create excellent mobile

performance, brand and better communicate with their smartphone and

tablet-savvy customer base by getting closer to; when and how to connect,

offering loyalty programs like rewards, or some other end goal to activate a

marketing ad and spend time with the operators brand. So that it will give

them a good reason to do it the first time and then a great experience so

theyll do it again and again.

Hybrid Mobile Devices

The connected world now is dominated by smartphones and media

tablets. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 84.32 million units in the first

quarter of 2011, a 1.1 percent decline from the first quarter of 2010 and

showing signs of slowdown. Low prices for consumer PCs, which had longstimulated growth, no longer attracted buyers. Instead, consumers turned

their attention to media tablets and other consumer electronics. The overall

connected device market will grow at more than 40% CAGR3 through 2014

and 50% from 2015-2020. The smart devices that enter the market are

becoming more diverse in terms of functionality, platform support and

usability. Android based devices have the potential to drive down price

points, with lower, mid and higher range models to hit different markets. 2Source : Gartner April 2011Market Share: Preliminary

PC Shipment Estimates byRegion, 1Q11 Update

3Source : Gartner The M2M MarketEvolution: Growth AttractsEveryone


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Overview - 01WHITEPAPER Mobile Me, Creating a Compelling Experience - 03WHITEPAPER

Figure 1 : Hybrid Smart Devices

Hybrid type devices will dominate in coming years, as more multi

development and delivery allow applications and content developers to

extend their reach over open APIs to be included into devices. In terms of

the multi-touch interfaces, it will have even greater sensitivity andprocessing ability to run faster and more intensive through HTML 5 support.

These new generations of smart devices will become a component of other

end products and systems. For example, the iPad is now already used

popularly in conjunction with PoS terminal for providing inventory, billing and

ordering systems.

Figure 2 : Forecast shipment of media tablets and smartphones 2010-2015Source : Gartner

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Million of Units

0

270.93

17.61

362.45

458.01

561.42

169.73

677.18

775.79

235.69318.32

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Media Tablets Smartphone

69.08 114.58


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Where is Wi-Fi - 02WHITEPAPER Mobile Me, Creating a Compelling Experience - 04WHITEPAPER

Optimized Experience

Consumer behaviors are driven in part by the usability and simplicity of the

device to bring out the experience. Similarly, operating systems and

platforms are a blend of functional utilities. Optimization of the applications

and development tools are changing compression techniques from settings

that were impractical or that were restricted in traditional approaches into

optimized support. This largely, helped reinvent the approach to deliver the

web-centered approach surrounding application and media consumption.

The convergence of IT and the cascading effect on the consumer

electronics industries has had a shift in IT innovation from large businesses

direct to the consumer. Likewise, many mobile application priorities are

being re-invented for various areas. CIOs and CTOs of organizations are

recognizing the commercial benefits of combining the powerful delivery

mechanism of Wi-Fi with mobile applications, of which include connectivity,

mobility of B2C or B2B2C that cuts across consumers and enterprise

models, context-aware ability and M2M collaboration.


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Where is Wi-Fi - 02WHITEPAPER Building a Successful Offload Strategy - 05WHITEPAPER

Building a Successful Offload

Strategy

The success of mobile data take-off was a victim of its own, eventually

driving data exponentially and leaving the operators in vain to combat its

ailing performance. With smarter pricing strategies in place, Wi-Fi has

served well to offload some of these highly targeted dense data needs.

The main inhibitor of successful Wi-Fi deployments can be attributed to the

ambiguity of service quality and long term returns, whether Wi-Fi will still be

relevant in the LTE space. Many operators with legacy 3GPP systems and

architecture will naturally evolve to LTE-based architecture for the samereasons of perceived easier integration towards flat IP, consolidating

charging, billing and mediation mechanism, and converged EPC to carry

out core network control. Can Wi-Fi find a space in this environment? There

are mixed reviews, but the response from Tier 1 operators are positive by

complementing the power of macro cellular network with the widely popular

Wi-Fi hotspots that are widely accessible, mainly due to zero-licensing and

high burst data capacity.

Data Offload Study

Competitive pressure and the need for cost savings are determinants of a

successful Wi-Fi strategy. Below are a few questions that entail the

challenges faced by operators.

Where and when should data-optimized architecture be deployed? How to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and benefit from it?

How would Wi-Fi support and complement macro cell and/or femtocells

and manage multiple access architecture types?

What is the most cost-effective backhaul architecture?

When does Wi-Fi offloading approach become more attractive to macro

RAN densification?

It is commonly acknowledged in the industry, Wi-Fi and femtocells provide

for good indoor coverage. However, it is still arguable, whether Wi-Fi or

femtocells should be used purely for data offload purposes. In indoor

coverage, the Wi-Fi proposition brings benefit to both the carrier and the

subscriber since the macro cellular performance is limited by the


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Overview - 01WHITEPAPER Building a Successful Offload Strategy - 06WHITEPAPER

penetration losses. In the offload case, it primarily benefits the carrier,

although the subscribers data experience becomes more compelling

because of the higher data speeds. Both Wi-Fi and femtocells approach

can help offload indoor traffic. The early focus of Wi-Fi indoor offload hasbeen based on user deployed, self-managed Wi-Fi. However, there is an

alternative approach that integrates indoor unlicensed radios into an

end-to-end carrier Wi-Fi architecture which is gaining popularity with the

near ubiquitous availability of Wi-Fi in smartphone devices.

Designing Offload

Traffic Model

The busy hour traffic parameter is used to measure the occurrence of heavy

traffic, at a given point of time. The shift of busy hour traffic shows a greater

tendency to be present during late evenings, at home and primarily utilized

indoors over data intensive applications such as video streaming on

smartphones and tablets. Not forgetting, the spike of busy hour also

applies during the day where users are on-the-go between workplaces

during mid-day. The busy hour is a key indication of network utilization that

drives carrier cost and determines when to invest in new RAN capacity

upgrade. Typically, when the busy hour threshold is exceeded, the carrier

will add more carriers (multi-carrier) or introduce cell splitting and thus

contributing towards the total cost of ownership; where every byte of data

offloaded via Wi-Fi during the busy hour will have a direct impact on the

reduction of macro network CAPEX and OPEX costs.

Capacity Model

A typical macro cell in an urban area can have hundreds of concurrent

users (depending on varying averages of Mbps/user for a given point in

time) and cell capacity is shared. If one subscriber does not use the

capacity, the underlying cost of operating the capacity can be allocated to

the other subscribers that are actually using it. For example, a 3G carrier

can deliver average throughput per cell of 14.4Mbps. Under non-busy hour

condition, the node B can support up to 14 subscribers at the average

1Mbps per user. Given that busy hour traffic reaches 70% utilization,

the number of active subscribers supported per node B drops to halve.As more concurrent subscribers consume more capacity, it gets more

expensive for the carrier to provide the extra capacity requirements to all the

users at the same time.


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Where is Wi-Fi - 02WHITEPAPER Building a Successful Offload Strategy - 07WHITEPAPER

4Source : Assumes the IEEE 802.11astandard

For a given Wi-Fi cell, the average cell throughput is 11Mbps4. With greater

channel bandwidth of 22MHz and 3 non-overlapping channels, Wi-Fi

achievable throughput can reach up to 33Mbps. The subscribers

supported per Wi-Fi cell is approximately 20 given the same busy hourutilization. The cost to service the increased capacity demand remains

roughly the same throughout for Wi-Fi since the device cost is already fixed

regardless of whether the subscriber uses it or not and, most often

purchased by the subscriber. In addition, Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum.

Network Cost

The network cost model is useful to estimate the CAPEX and OPEX of a

carriers macro cell case by considering capacity estimate like the radioaccess base stations, RNC, core network (SGSN and GGSN) and

backhaul. In effect, the total cost per Mbps capacity is the sum of CAPEX

and OPEX for each of the network elements over the busy hour usage.

Given that the cost model considers CAPEX elements are amortized

between 8 to 10 years, depending on the equipment type while Wi-Fi

access points are amortized over a shorter lifecycle of 2-3 years.

For simplicity of study, carrier Wi-Fi implementation is integrated and

therefore CAPEX already accounts for access gateways, security gateways

and aggregation gateways.

The OPEX element includes site rental, power, site maintenance, leasing of

backhaul and data centers applicable to macro cell and to a lesser extent

on Wi-Fi deployment. Other macro network cost elements include

spectrum and cell site leasing of up to 20 years or more. Wi-Fi assumes the

access points are in the range of $60-$150, without site leasing and power

is provided by subscriber and backhaul via the Internet Service Provider

which is more appealing.

When the output of the cost comparison is plotted between macro cell and

Wi-Fi relative to the different user types of bronze, silver and gold, it will

arrive at a point where the clarity of which technologies are better suited to

different traffic demands.


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Building a Successful Offload Strategy - 08WHITEPAPER

Trade-Off between Macro CellDensification and Wi-Fi

In order to quantify the amount of traffic that is traversing over Wi-Fi

networks, carriers use various methods to analyze the traffic usage patterns

of its mobile network and sets a baseline to benchmark additional capacity;

when and how it could be mitigated either by macro sites or Wi-Fi offload.

Wi-Fi Offload Simplified

The coverage percentage of geographical area and density of access point

per square kilometer deployment is critical in the selection criteria of Wi-Fi

offload. The design of coverage and access point density depends on the

density of subscribers and their assumed data consumption. Consumption

models can be profiled to three types for simplicity of study; bronze user

with 0.5MB/month, silver user with 1.5GB/month and gold user with

5GB/month.

Assuming a HSDPA network at 2100 MHz spectrum, typical single carrier

and transmit power of 40W+- for urban deployments5. Based on the

network parameters and planning computations, the capacity for a single

sector HSDPA macro base station is estimated to be 3.6 Mbps and

assumes 70% busy hour utilization. Typically, carriers dimension the

capacity model with an overbooking of 20-30% for busy hour. If the carrier

can no longer sustain with single-carrier, three-sector cell site, it will need to

add a second carrier for additional capacity as required. Also, the carrier

has to consider the trade-off of installing additional capacity with theincremental cost of installing that particular capacity. Meanwhile, a carrier

Wi-Fi offload would entail the fundamental cost of the access points with

minimal installation costs and zero unlicensed spectrum costs.

Other associated cost of backhaul and core network is assumed integrated

as part of the carrier Wi-Fi and can be adjusted depending on the vendor.

A separate whitepaper, titled Operators Can Save $14million Yearly

Through Data Offloading describes the breakdown of CAPEX and OPEX

costs for further reading.

5Note : Penetration loss of industrypractice of 15dBi is assumed.
http://www.greenpacket.com/download.php?dl=SWP0710_OPERATORS%20CAN%20SAVE%20$14%20MILLION%20YEARLY%20THROUGH%20DATA%20OFFLOADING%20A%20TCO%20STUDY%20AND%20CALCULATION%20ON%20DATA%20OFFLOADING.pdfhttp://www.greenpacket.com/download.php?dl=SWP0710_OPERATORS%20CAN%20SAVE%20$14%20MILLION%20YEARLY%20THROUGH%20DATA%20OFFLOADING%20A%20TCO%20STUDY%20AND%20CALCULATION%20ON%20DATA%20OFFLOADING.pdfhttp://www.greenpacket.com/download.php?dl=SWP0710_OPERATORS%20CAN%20SAVE%20$14%20MILLION%20YEARLY%20THROUGH%20DATA%20OFFLOADING%20A%20TCO%20STUDY%20AND%20CALCULATION%20ON%20DATA%20OFFLOADING.pdfhttp://www.greenpacket.com/download.php?dl=SWP0710_OPERATORS%20CAN%20SAVE%20$14%20MILLION%20YEARLY%20THROUGH%20DATA%20OFFLOADING%20A%20TCO%20STUDY%20AND%20CALCULATION%20ON%20DATA%20OFFLOADING.pdf


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Wi-Fi Offload Observations

From a cost perspective, Wi-Fi is much more cost effective on a dollar

per Mbps basis than the macro cell. The conventional macro cell

densification increases capacity by packing more cells within the same

area. This approach can be effective, but suffers from diminishing returns

as traffic grows. High-traffic areas in urban centers prove to be

challenging, where deploying and operating a cell site is more expensive

as site leasing can be difficult to secure. And as the density of macro cells

increases, interference become more difficult to manage, with per-sector

throughput declining as a result. A single sector in a macro cell can have

a comparable capacity to a Wi-Fi access point, but coverage is greater,

resulting in lower capacity density. Wi-Fi on the other hand, is limited by

range and the impact of interference is reduced while capacity density is

increased.

Figure 3 : Trade-off Study of Wi-Fi and HSPA RAN Densification

Bronze User

0.5MB / month

Silver User

1.5MB / month

Gold User

5GB / month

Cost

to

Deliver

Co

verage

HSPA

Busy hour

thresholdAdd Wi-Fi

Add 2nd HSPA

carrier

Add HSPA

cell site

Trade-off point for Wi-Fi and HSPA capacity density


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6Note : The Internet point of presenceand Internet backbone andinternational fiber connectivityis not considered in thisdiscussion.

Given the study of capacity in busy hour, there is little impact on the cost to

deliver data to the bronze users, as the demand for capacity is far below the

busy hour threshold shown in Figure 3. The intersecting point where the

macro cell and Wi-Fi begin to show distinct cost savings advantage is clear,when the busy hour capacity is reached. This effect is more obvious, when

a large number of silver and gold users are introduced into the network.

These are the premium users which carry a higher degree of service level.

The areas of device subsidies and depreciation of assets whether minimal

or otherwise can influence the decision for macro cell densification or Wi-Fi

offloading strategy. Other long term OPEX6 costs such as maintenance, site

leasing and carrier-upgrade can draw the differential cost. The key to

delivering a cost-effective mobile broadband service is to understand whenthe trade-off becomes more attractive for an operator to deploy Wi-Fi

offload solution over densification of macro RAN capacity, as well as the

differences between licensed and unlicensed Wi-Fi offload solutions.


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Wi-Fi or Femto - 11WHITEPAPER

Wi-Fi or Femto

Which is the best fit for offload? It does not have an absolute approach,

as demonstrated by various carriers. The issue of data offloading must be

assessed from the aspects of suitability, readiness, integration of existing

infrastructure, cost effectiveness, pain points and a host of indirect costs

related to customer expectations, loyalty and brand awareness.

As mobile data congestion become greater, carriers are using all tools

including tiers and caps to survive the low yield data revenues through

bandwidth management. The on-going challenge is not without mixed

results. According to Informa Telecoms and Media market report, there are

more than 2.3 million femtocells deployments in 2011, which is small and

relatively weak in comparison to the 1.3 billion Wi-Fi hotspots globally.

Although femtocells provide benefits to the user in terms of full bar

coverage and higher mobile capacity, it typically is dependent on a fixed line

to backhaul. The key advantage for users is it supports existing 3G terminal,

but technical aspects add to the challenges of spectrum, as femtocells are

deployed over the same licensed spectrum of macro networks and canpotentially cause interference.

Wi-Fi on the other hand, specifically addresses the issue of data traffic

offload that represents carriers immediate challenge, and highly suited for

indoor coverage. Wi-Fi can be a complementary proposition for mobilizing

broadband. It can help manage cost by offloading traffic, while offering

a cost-effective high-bandwidth service at home as well as in many

heavily-used public locations such as airports, stadiums, cafes, hotels andso forth. Given the insta lled base, it is likely that security, voice services

over Wi-Fi, and seamless handover will be added to Wi-Fi to strengthen (all

of these being efforts that are already addressed in some way or another)

offload strategies alongside femtocells. Several key issues that will emerge

from the success of the network are scalability and manageability.

Ultimately, carriers want to create a unique mobile experience that is fluid

between Wi-Fi and 3GPP networks.

7Note : The congestion described inthis literature exclude thestudy of wireless or fiberbackhaul connectivity.

8Source : WBA Industry Report 2011 Informa Telecoms and Media

9Note : Backhaul enhancementsstudy is not included inthis publication.


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Scalability

Wi-Fi has demonstrated its ability to provide cost effectiveness in terms of

the cost per byte deployment. China Mobile, having one of the biggest

subscriber base in the world, has big ambitions to deploy up to 1million10

hotspots by 2014 in its commitment to bring ubiquitous mobile services.

Similarly, the device chain support has reached a maturity level that

provides for improvement to support specifications of EAP-SIM and drive

down the cost by large volumes to make Wi-Fi a de-facto capabili ty. For

most parts, smartphones are designed ideally for Wi-Fi offload.

10Source : WBA Industry Report 2011 Informa Telecomsand Media

Figure 4 : Wi-Fi Offload Impact on Subscriber Experience SurveySource : Senza Fili

High Positive Impact Low Positive Impact No Impact

Low Negative Impact High Negative Impact

20%

40%

60%

80%

What will be the impact of Wi-Fi offload

on revenues or subscriber experience?

100%

0%

29%

43%

14%

14%

APAC

50%

13%

38%

North AmericaEurope

40%

20%

10%

30%

ResponseP

ercentage


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Standardization

The need for a unified framework to standardize authentication, security,

roaming and inter-working between disparate access networks is

necessary. The Wi-Fi ecosystem is maturing and it is anticipated, their role

in bringing economies of scale by supplanting ubiquity. Data roaming prices

are unattractive for the mass market, and as a result, customers tend to

resist by switching off data roaming and relying on Wi-Fi. In the recent 2012

Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, talks of carrier Wi-Fi was

featured heavily among the industry carriers and analysts. With strong

commitments from Wireless Broadband Alliance through the Next

Generation Hotspot program and Wi-Alliance Hotspot 2.0 initiative

encouraging trials amongst operators, the progressive development of

Wi-Fi will see acceleration of co-operation to a wider ecosystem.

Subscriber Management Policy Meets Revenue Opportunity

Carriers are seeing the importance of context-awareness to drive better

understanding of user behavior by combining the traffic management

algorithms and tools behind backend data processing. Real-time policy

control is evolving to pass intelligence from the core network to the network

edge, i.e. to bring device state awareness closer to the type of running

applications. By doing so, carriers can push personalized services to the

users and at the same time delivering the most optimum Wi-Fi operational

capacity. Building intelligence into the system is central to Wi-Fi user

experience. The general view is accepted that a carefully designed Wi-Fi

deployment with granular subscriber management gives more mileage to

extended revenue, as users are willing to pay for service, if the perceived

performance is heightened. Based on a survey by Senza Fili Consulting,

the impact of Wi-Fi offload to subscriber revenue and user experience as

shown in Figure 4 are generally positive.


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Greenpacket Mobile Data Offload Solution - 14WHITEPAPER

Greenpacket Mobile

Data Offload Solution

Seamless Data Offload

Greenpackets Intouch Seamless Data Offload is a client-based solution

that aims to deliver a simplified and cost-effective offload method across

multiple access networks. It is based on the Data Offload Platform.

The Intouch Seamless Data Offload client can transparently offload

3G~Wi-Fi and continue to push operator services and manage data traffic

effectively. Seamless Data Offload, through Inter-working WLAN (iWLAN)

takes traffic from the mobile operators radio access over Wi-Fi by

tunneling through the PDG at the operators core network. This fits with

mobile operators need to monetize services through the personalization

of services and the application of policy management; something which

cant be said of other Wi-Fi offload approaches in the market today.

Figure 5 : Intouch Seamless Data Offload

Intouch Seamless Data Offload Client

3GPP-WLAN Interworking

Seamless Authentication

Consolidated Charging Unified Services Access

3rd Party PDG

3rd Party HA

IP Traffic

Mobile IP

Security for Wi-Fi the

same as security

for 3G networks

Common

authentication

architecture between

Wi-Fi~3G

Better Wi-Fi

experience

Extend 3GPP services

and functionality to the

WLAN access

environment

WLANCellularIPSEC Secured Tunnel


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Dynamic Data Offload

Operators are increasingly looking at using Wi-Fi for offload as part of their

mobile broadband strategies. However, it risks losing visibility over traffic

policies that were configured for the user once it routes through Wi-Fi.

What is lacking is a way for the network to communicate to users

(applications and/or websites they are using) a real-time or predicted

measure of the networks congestion levels. Greenpackets Dynamic Data

Offload client is compliant to the defined 3GPP Access Network and

Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF), to enable dynamic network

selection and switching based on various contextual ability such as cell

location, device, peak hours and subscription plan. Operators can also

opt to customize these policies based on application aware policy,

device policy, subscriber policy and time-based policy to trigger data offload.

Figure 6 : Intouch Dynamic Data Offload

2. Receive Policy

No Policy/Prioritized Access/

Validity Areas/Time of Day/

Discovery Information

3. Apply Policy

APPLY and OVERRIDE

DEVICE POLICY

1. Get Policy

Send Location Information

(UE Location)

Policy

Enforcer

PolicyEnforcement

Point

SOAP

Intouch Dynamic Data Offload Client

(Compliant to ANDSF)

Device Information

Usage Information

Environment Information

Manage Data Offload Policies in Real Time

Operator PCRF/

3rd Party Policy Control

Congestion Information

Subscriber Profiles

Usage Information

Less Load on

Packet Core

High Quality Experience

to the Subscriber

High Level of

Control to Operators

to Manage Congestion

Real Time, Precise

and Dynamic Offloading

Decisions


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Wi-Fi Experience Management

The Intouch Connectivity Experience for Wi-Fi is based on the

Connectivity Experience Platform suite of solutions, specific to managing

the Wi-Fi experience. It is designed as an intelligent client that can

automatically detect and switch to Operator hotspot, user-defined

hotspot or partner hotspot. The client also supports various connection

policies that allow time-based restrictions and device restrictions.

User experience is made simple and transparent by giving control; when,

how and which Wi-Fi hotspot to access without manual selection of Wi-Fi

SSIDs and configuration. The client supports various authentication

methods such as WISPr, Hotspot 2.0, Next Generation Hotspots (NGH)

as well as secured authentication protocol such as EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA,

EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS on 802.1X networks and thus provides a Wi-Fi

environment in which subscribers can roam automatically with fully

integrated authentication and a standard based approach with minimal

change to existing networks. With advanced Wi-Fi management,

the client can be extended to support advanced features of iWLAN and

ANDSF for operators considering the implementation of 3G~Wi-Fi offloading.


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Conclusion - 17WHITEPAPER

Conclusion

The motivation of Wi-Fi offloading is varied and dependent on the use cases

of the carriers mobile strategy. One factor that ranks high amongst the

C-level execs would be the return on investment for every dollar that is

spent. Carriers today are faced with a challenging task to protect their

ARPU and battle the changing behavior of tech-savvy users. The appetite

for YouTube, Netflix, Hulu skyrocketed, at the expense of the traditional

carriers dumb pipes. The popularization of those platforms is not difficult to

understand given its free-mium value while the carriers were struggling with

licensing rights on their mobile TV offering and expensive charges passeddown to the end-users. Carriers now have embarked on a task to bring

value back to their subscribers.

There can be debates on how to achieve greater degree of control

surrounding issues of data offload such as when, how and which should be

the right network at the right location and right time. Wi-Fi offload

approaches should ideally give operators the flexibility to route offload traffic

back to their core network as well as directly to the Internet; Wi-Fi offload

via iWLAN promises greater visibility and management control as part of the

offload process. With many context-aware policy control and charging

solutions in the market today, carriers can integrate Wi-Fi offload through a

closer understanding of the underlying triggers of when, how, where and

what drives data usage. Contextual experience brings together - mobile,

social networks, location, payment and commerce that affects the user

experience in a more meaningful and relevant state of engagement. As in

Greenpackets Wi-Fi solutions, the device client supports both

3GPP-based iWLAN and ANDSF specifications.

Ideally, every byte of data offloaded should have a positive impact on the

ROI. The parameters that carriers pay great attention is the costs relevant

to coverage area percentage and capacity to capture the maximum offload

traffic over a given period. The TCO11 consists of varying CAPEX and OPEX

components with dependency of achieving coverage by the density of

access points per square kilometer versus the maximum achievable

savings. The end goal is the direct result of reduction in additional macro

cell by the placement of corresponding access point density over the same

coverage area percentage. However, if the difference in TCO of Wi-Fi

offload savings falls short of macro cell densification, the business case for

offloading will become less useful.

11Note : Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)distribution is approximately30% CAPEX : 70% OPEX ingeneral industry estimation


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Conclusion - 18WHITEPAPER

Additionally, it needs to ensure compatibility and interoperability between

the disparate systems. Roaming is a highly desirable feature for Wi-Fi. With

cellular networks, data roaming charges are unattractive. To prevent

bill-shock and disgruntled service experience, carriers have begun toimplement notification and alerts, so that customers can disable data

roaming. Data roaming, when dealt with the correct approach, can add

value to the subscribers, i.e. making Wi-Fi accessible through roaming

partner by offering discounted services proposition which are more

competitive. Bundling of roaming services with voice, messaging and data

services is a good alternative to keep the customers happy. As a result, the

cost of roaming for the end-user is reduced and they continue to receive the

same level of services they are used to without the frustration. One suchexample is the roaming bundle currently offered through Orange France;

daily, weekly or even 30-day basis, available in France, UK, Poland and

other European markets.

Integrating mobile services in the fundamental user experience is important

to create optimized access and services to win them back. Customers view

value in the service experience; regardless of the device, network and

conditions they work in. A number of Wi-Fi providers are already developing

carrier-grade products designed to provide seamless handover from

3G/LTE networks while keeping down the associated network

infrastructure cost and complexity.


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Wi-Fi Now, Maximize Investments - 19WHITEPAPER

Wi-Fi Now,

Maximize Investments

Greenpacket welcomes you to embark on tailored Wi-Fi solutions for

optimizing your network operations. At Greenpacket, we understand the

demands placed on Operators like you. Our solutions are designed to give

you the flexibility to constantly deliver cutting-edge offerings without

exhausting your capital and operating expenditures.

With Greenpacket, limitless freedom begins now!

Free Consultation

If you would like a free consultation on how you can apply Wi-Fi solutions,

feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Kindly quote the

reference code, SWPS1211-D when you contact us.


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References - 20WHITEPAPER

References

1. Gartner Emerging Technology Analysis: Mobile Business Intelligence

13 July 2011, ID:G00214124 by Bhavish Sood, Andreas Bitterer,

James Richardson.

2. Gartner The M2M Market Evolution: Growth Attracts Everyone

3. Senza Fili Consulting Technology to drive wireless disruption,

with service monetization mired in uncertainty by Monica Paolini

4. Wireless 20/20 Carrier Wi-Fi Offload by Randall Schwartz and

Magnus Johansson


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For more information on Greenpackets products and solutions,

please contact us at [email protected]

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