Mobile operators: Are you getting the max from your 3G network? #1GBperday$?

Nokia Siemens Networks combines three powerful WCDMA software features to improve profitability of mobile broadband

Nokia Siemens Networks has introduced its Liquid Radio WCDMA software suite to boost performance of existing WCDMA networks. Building on the capabilities of the company’s Liquid Net, the advanced software combines three powerful and complementary features. This approach aims to deliver faster data uploads and extract the full benefit from network resources and smartphone capabilities.

The feature set helps operators improve customer satisfaction and cut churn while increasing revenue from greater 3G availability. The three features are Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC)*, Multi-Band Load Balancing (MBLB)** and Quality of Service (QoS) differentiation***.

The increased adoption of smartphones to share videos and images via social media and cloud storage means that data being sent from devices to the network now accounts for 20% of total network traffic. Because of this, operators are experiencing a serious challenge to provide more ‘uplink’ capacity. Continuous Packet Connectivity helps operators use radio network resources more efficiently by reducing interference. It does this by turning off transmitters in mobile devices when no data needs to be sent. CPC enables the network to support five times more users and four times more uplink throughput. As a result, operators can enable fast data uploads and provide a longer battery life for users’ smart devices.

Many WCDMA networks are multi-layered – meaning that operators are using two or more frequency bands such as 900 MHz and 2100 MHz – to provide the 3G service. By balancing traffic evenly between an operator’s available spectrum, Multi-Band Load Balancing prevents one frequency band from becoming overloaded while another is underused. This ensures optimal use of the network capacity across all available 3G bands and helps operators fully benefit from their investments. MBLB creates up to 20% more available network capacity from existing hardware resources. In trials in London during summer 2012, an operator used MBLB and corresponding services to successfully balance data traffic in its network and thus enable higher data speeds for subscribers.

In cases where traffic begins to exceed network capacity, even after CPC and MBLB have been implemented, a third feature of the WCDMA software suite, QoS differentiation, comes into play. As well as supporting time critical data traffic, QoS differentiation makes it possible to have up to 50% more users per network cell, which can reduce operational costs by 30%. Overall, the feature helps raise efficiency, reduce wasted capacity and improve the user experience.

“Our WCDMA software suite gives operators the tools they need to build outstanding, personalized solutions for their subscribers while boosting network performance, capacity and quality at the same time,” said Keith Sutton, head of the WCDMA business line, Nokia Siemens Networks. “This way, they can meet users’ demands for high-quality high performance services.”
Nokia Siemens Networks’ feature introduction services enable operators to fully utilize the WCDMA software suite. The company’s experts trial each feature in a small area of the network to ensure optimal settings prior to full rollout.

To help operators monetize their investments in multi-layered WCDMA networks, the feature set can also be combined with Nokia Siemens Networks’ other WCDMA features and services for trialing, configuring and monitoring network performance. CPC coupled with Flexi Direct****, the company’s flat architecture for 3G, can enhance smartphone experience by eliminating signaling bottlenecks and maximizing WCDMA capacity. MBLB can help ensure that users enjoy the full benefits of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Dual Cell HSPA+ feature*****. This feature allows operators to transmit data from two cells simultaneously, thus doubling peak rates. MBLB automatically allocates any device that supports Dual Cell HSPA+ to an appropriate frequency band.

For more information about Nokia Siemens Networks’ advances and innovations in WCDMA, LTE, CEM and other topics, please join our #1GBperday$ webinar series starting on October 4, 2012. Registration for the series is open now: www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/1GBperday

To share your thoughts on the topic, join the discussion on Twitter using #1GBperday$ and #mobilebroadband.

About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world’s most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly.

With headquarters in Espoo, Finland, we operate in over 150 countries and had net sales of over 14 billion euros in 2011. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com