Mobile Broadband – Threats and Opportunities

Woojune Kim

VP of Technology, Airvana Inc.

About Airvana• Established Supplier of 3G IP-RAN to Leading Operators

– Founded: March 2000, over 500 employees worldwide

– Over 60,000 EV-DO channel cards deployed at 70+ operators

• Femtocell Pioneer & Technology Leader

– Founding member of Femto Forum; Active contributor to 3GPP, 3GPP2

– Signed contract with Sprint (USA) and KDDI (Japan) for nationwide 3G rollouts

– Multiple successful UMTS trials (2H’09)

– Partnerships with leading network infrastructure and CPE vendors

• Innovative, High Performance Femtocell Solutions

– First femtocell to deliver 7.2 Mbps HSDPA (Jul’09)

– First femtocell to deliver integrated router and ATA (Nov’09)

– Only fully programmable 16-user femtocell; software upgradable to 24 user

– First with standard Iuh based product

– First with Robust Cell Reselection technology

– Leading proponent of Open Services APIs that enable app ecosystem

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Our Thesis

• Mobile Data is growing Exponentially

• Macro-cellular architecture cannot meet the long-term demands of mobile broadband

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• Transformation of cellular architecture through use of small cells is inevitable

The Background

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Mobile Data Traffic is Growing Exponentially

Mobile broadband explosion continues unabated.

Smartphones are driving

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Smartphones are driving the industry and network usage.

Services, services, services!

Air Interfaces Are @ Point of Diminishing Return

Sp

ectr

al E

ffic

ien

cy

(bits p

er

se

co

nd

pe

r H

z)

3G

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4G Air Interfaces (LTE/WiMax) Will Deliver Modest Gains in Spectral Efficiency

Sp

ectr

al E

ffic

ien

cy

(bits p

er

se

co

nd

pe

r H

z)

Modulation Technology Evolution

Most Mobile Data Use Occurs Indoors

Source: Informa’s Mobile Access at Home Report

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But … In-Building Wireless Coverage is Poor

Macro Network

Internet

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What Can We Do ?

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What Can We Do ?

The Solution : Spatial Re-Use

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An Old Idea …

1Mbps Ethernet 100Mbps Ethernet

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Shared LAN (CSMA / CD) “Personal” Ethernet LAN

Femtocells : Spatial Re-Use in Cellular Networks

Macro Cellular Femtocells

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• Coverage Gain: Better Signal Strength in the Home

• Capacity Gain: Dedicated Capacity for Every Home

Shared Base Station “Personal” Base Station

Realizing the “Personal” Base Stations

Broadband

Internet

For Existing Handsets

Femto Cell

Operator Core Network

Cellular

• Small & Simple enough to put in Home

• Connects through Broadband Internet

• Support both Voice and Data

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Significant Improvement in User Experience

Avera

ge U

ser

Th

rou

gh

pu

t (K

bp

s)

Avera

ge U

ser

Th

rou

gh

pu

t (K

bp

s)

Femto Users Only

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Network Usage (Load)Network Usage (Load)

Avera

ge U

ser

Th

rou

gh

pu

t (K

bp

s)

Avera

ge U

ser

Th

rou

gh

pu

t (K

bp

s)

Macro Users Only

Consistent High-Throughput Data Performance

What about Wi-Fi ?

Broadband

Internet

For Dual Mode Handsets

WiFi Access Point

Operator Core Network

• Useful for Data Offload

• But Not so Good for Voice (phone number, emergency calls ?)

• Not available on all phones

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The Key Technology Issues

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Interference Avoidance & Mitigation

Macrocell Handset Inside or Near Femto Coverage

Macro Mobile Femto Mobile

Femtocell Close to Macro BTS

Macro Mobile Femto MobileMacro Mobile Femto Mobile Macro Mobile Femto Mobile

Femto Mobile #1 Femto Mobile #2

Femtocells WithOverlapping Coverage

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Femtozone Applications

• Femtocells as the center of the connected home

– Aware of both mobile and home networks

– Knows when user is home

– Connects user to home from away

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Femtocell Apps enable

Richer Mobile Apps

Application Example 1: SMS ~ Alert Me!

Tom Tom &&Sally Sally have have

arrived home arrived home from schoolfrom school

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Application Example 2: Home Device Access

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Summary

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Femtocells : a Disruptive Proposition

• Improved Coverage

• Wireline Voice Quality

• Superior Broadband Experience

• Lower Home Phone Costs

• Innovative New Services

Consumer

• Radically Lower Costs

• Improved Customer Satisfaction

• Lower Churn

• New Service Revenue

• Strategic Presence in Home

Operator

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Thank YouThank YouThank YouThank YouThank You

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