Caught in the hetnet

John C. Tanner
20 Apr 2012
00:00

The reason for a holistic approach is because up to now, Wi-Fi services may be bundled in with fixed and mobile broadband packages as a supplemental connectivity option, but from a management point of view, Wi-Fi and cellular are two different networks.

Nelson Chu, manager and systems engineer for Cisco, points to the experience of Hong Kong's PCCW, which has been offering Wi-Fi as part of its broadband portfolio for years, but there's little question which service is easier to use.
 
"The challenge they see is making it easier for users to log on," Chu says. "Right now users have to select the SSID, which is troublesome because the average user may not know what SSID is, or which SSID to select, and then they have to enter a user name and password, which they have to remember. That reduces the likelihood of them using the service."
 
In broad terms, Cisco proposes to integrate Wi-Fi into the cellular RAN equation by way of a single centralized controller that manages multiple access points in the network - cellular and Wi-Fi - as well as an "intelligent service cloud" that knows what services a subscriber is entitled to use. 
 
"Regardless of whether you use wireless or fixed - once you enter the service cloud, we can provide the control to allow or disallow different services for the users," says Chu. "So we can provide uniform access to users who are using different access methods."
 
In terms of simplifying Wi-Fi access, several industry groups have been promoting new standards-based solutions in the last few months. On the vendor/device side, for example, the Wi-Fi Alliance's HotSpot 2.0 framework leverages 802.11u, which enables fast, automatic and secure connections for Wi-Fi users (to include, incidentally, roaming on partner networks).
 
From the operator side, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) says its Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) initiative has a similar aim, making it easier for users to automatically connect to Wi-Fi hotspots. In February, the WBA said a number of its members had wrapped up NGH trials and that the first NGH deployments will take place over the next 12 months. Last month, the GSM Association officially announced it would work with the WBA on NGH, while also making use of the Wi-Fi Alliance's Passpoint certification technology, to develop technical and commercial frameworks for Wi-Fi roaming.
  

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