Smartphones tax mobile networks
Smartphone applications have forced carriers to look at networks differently.
By Martin Rowe, Senior Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 12/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
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First there were voice-over-wireless networks. Then came text, photos, and Web browsing, and now just about anything goes. Smartphones such as the iPhone let you download books, music, and videos and listen to streaming audio almost anywhere.
The bandwidth demands from these multimedia applications are staggering compared to those of voice and text: 10 Mbps versus 348 kbps, according to Sylvain Cornay, market development manager at EXFO. Thus, you can conclude that smartphones, the iPhone in particular, use a disproportionate share of mobile bandwidth.
AT&T, which bears the brunt of the iPhone bandwidth demand, has announced network upgrades and plans to implement LTE into its networks in 2010 (Ref. 1). LTE uses IP (Internet Protocol) over the entire network, from the wireless interface to the network core. LTE will let even more applications run on handsets.
“Applications put pressure on the mobile backhaul because current technology can’t scale to meet bandwidth needs,” said Vikas Arora, CTO of EXFO. “The increased bandwidth,” added Paul Gowans, field marketing manager at Agilent Technologies, “doesn’t increase revenue, which results in lower revenue per bit.”
Joe Mader, director of marketing for wireless and core network testing at Spirent Communications, noted that downloading songs and video and listening to streaming audio forces the handset to keep its “bearer channels,” which carry the data between the handset and the network core, active for long periods. That also puts strains on a network, because it can’t release the bandwidth to other users.
Nigel Wright, Spirent’s mobile device test group VP, explained that carriers look for handsets that make the most of network bandwidth. Thus, they test the bandwidth efficiency of a variety of handsets and sell the ones that do the best job. Handset testing involves emulating a wireless network, testing for call setup and breakdown, and testing for dropped calls.
Because handsets incorporate multiple functions, carriers must decide which functions to test. For example, they might test for voice quality or dropped calls when a handset receives e-mails.
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Smartphone applications have forced carriers to look at networks differently. “Carriers can no longer look at protocols and low-level interoperability,” said Adam Fowler, VP of product management for wireless at Ixia. “They must test QoS [quality of service] and QoE [quality of experience].” Such testing includes verifying that networks meet user contracts for bandwidth. Carriers must also test for audio and video quality, the same as they do for wireline voice and video over IP networks.
The greater bandwidth demands also take a toll on cell towers, which must seamlessly pass a user as the user moves. Bandwidth demands in cities also increase as people commute to work in the morning and lessen when they leave at night. But the towers along commuter routes take the burden during commuting hours. Cell towers also receive heavy loads during large conventions and sporting events. EXFO’s Arora noted that carriers need to perform end-to-end testing to ensure end-user QoE under heavy load conditions.
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