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Research Briefings

Finding new solutions for the new age of wireless networks

Summary:

Mobile operators face an unprecedented growth in data traffic stemming from multiple dimensions — subscribers, devices and applications among them. But simply adding more macro base stations or upgrading to new technologies such as LTE will not suffice to meet the data growth challenge. An alternative solution is to take advantage of heterogeneous networks, which are the result of increasing capacity in congested areas while leveraging the existing macro infrastructure across the network. These networks provide operators with a more flexible set of tools that will allow them to implement deep changes in how they think about and deploy their networks. This report explores the opportunities and challenges, and includes a look at what’s to come in the future as wireless data traffic continues to grow. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, T-Mobile and Motorola. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial.

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Executive summary
  3. Introduction
  4. A multi-faceted approach to increasing capacity
  5. New network topologies
  6. Addressing challenges in the RAN
      1. Outdoor capacity: smaller cells, closer to subscribers
      2. Indoor capacity in public buildings and enterprises: how much traffic can be off-loaded?
      3. Indoor residential usage: the most underestimated traffic source
      4. Managing the complexity
  7. Optimizing network usage acting from the core
    1. Content optimization: adapting services to devices and subscribers’ preferences
    2. RAN-aware policy: smoothing out peaks to increase network utilization
    3. Device- content-, and application-aware policy: selectively assigning the right priorities
    4. Service tiering: differentiating among subscribers, according to their preferences
    5. Pulling all of this together: a context-aware network
  8. Concluding remarks: a look at the future

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