InterDigital, Mindspeed and Radisys Collaborate to Deliver Integrated Small Cell with Wi-Fi Solution

The Transcede system-on-chip (SoC) is a dual-mode device with designated headroom available for value-added software, which fully supports both 3G/HSPA, 4G/LTE and Wi-Fi applications from Radisys. This enables OEMs to efficiently develop small cell solutions that combine HSPA, LTE and Wi-Fi in one access point.

Network operators are increasingly embracing cellular and Wi-Fi as complementary technologies in delivering the ever-growing volume of data through offloading cellular users onto Wi-Fi. As such, many operators are deploying carrier Wi-Fi in significant volume today. But critically, for urban deployments with metrocells, the total cost of ownership (TCO) is driven by the number of nodes, as each requires power, backhaul, installation and site acquisition. Having separate carrier Wi-Fi installations and small cell installations to serve the same area doubles TCO compared to an integrated unit that shares power, backhaul and installation.

InterDigital's Converged Gateway software delivers a novel offloading and traffic management solution by intelligently managing application data flows across multiple physical transports or networks, and simultaneously enhances the overall user experience. This enables synergies between cellular and Wi-Fi by using advanced operator-controlled policies to combine, split or hand over data streams based on contextual parameters, such as channel conditions, content, user preferences, subscription plans, etc. This is fully compatible with both 3GPP and 802.11 standards, and embodies the Small Cell Forum ISW (Integrated Small Cell Wi-Fi) reference architecture.

InterDigital's innovation and technology leadership in the wireless industry is contributing bandwidth management solutions for the HetNet, and helping solve the bandwidth crunch for carriers while ensuring QoE for users, said Allen A. Proithis, Executive Vice President of InterDigital Solutions. We are pleased to partner with Radisys, an industry leader in the small cell protocol stack and platform software, and Mindspeed, a leader in SoC, in delivering a reliable industry solution that can address TCO issues for carriers in such a compelling way.

Small cells represent one of the most exciting segments in wireless today, and we are proud of our market-leading position, said Dr. Naser Adas, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the wireless infrastructure business unit at Mindspeed. We are the only small cell SoC company commercially shipping both 3G and LTE. Through this initiative with InterDigital and Radisys, our dual-mode SoC enables a complete, triple mode ISW access point, delivering the benefits of Small Cells and Wi-Fi in one system.

Radisys is pleased to be part of the next leap of HetNet innovation, said Todd Mersch, senior director product line management, Software and Solutions, Radisys. Efficient and cost effective deployment of multi-mode technologies is key for operators for both capex and opex expenses. Radisys' field deployed 3G and LTE multi-mode small cell software solution turns the HetNet concept into the deployment reality for operators. In 2013, as multi-mode deployments proliferate, operators will need policy driven control on their access assets and we are pleased to be at the forefront of solving the HetNet deployment challenge.

The ISW software from InterDigital controls both Wi-Fi chipset and the Mindspeed Transcede platform, integrating 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with LTE and HSPA. It will work with all of Mindspeed's small cell SoC products, scaling from cost-effective residential systems to high-performance metro cells for public access and dense urban deployment.

Recently, the Small Cell Forum and Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) announced that they will work together to intelligently integrate small cells and Wi-Fi to improve quality of service, lower costs and simplify deployment. The Forum is developing a reference architecture for ISW, building on the work in other standards bodies to help operators define and deploy such integrated products.

By 2017, nearly 21 exabytes of mobile data traffic will be offloaded each month to fixed networks by means of Wi-Fi devices and femtocells according to predictions in the Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2012—2017.