An Ignoble Experiment

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For a long time, it seemed that most M2M applications, which do not require LTE data speeds or latency, might remain on low-cost 2G and 3G networks rather than migrating to LTE. However, the rapid rollout of LTE has made the air interface increasingly attractive to companies that want to future-proof their devices for the Internet of Things (IoT).

The TOBY-L100 solution includes power management.

In the latest sign of this shift, Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) has certified u-blox's TOBY-L100 module for use on its LTE network, opening the door to inclusion of the device in new M2M products such as wireless routers, vehicle infotainment and telematics systems, industrial automation, metering, digital signage and security systems.

The TOBY-L100 solution includes power management, IP stack and USB 2.0 interface. The device operates in the automotive temperature range from –40 degrees C to +85 degrees C. A mini PCI-express version, the MPCI-L100, is also available for customers that want to integrate u-blox's technology into existing devices, u-blox said.

The Switzerland-based vendor noted that the TOBY-L100's small form factor follows u-blox's nested design approach, in which form factor and software continuity enables customers to easily upgrade their products with each new generation of u-blox modules. This provides for a smooth migration to LTE from u-blox's CDMA, GSM and HSPA modules, the company said.

"Having passed the certification requirements, we are pleased to offer our TOBY-L100 LTE module that will enable development of new and competitive products for industrial, automotive and consumer applications in the United States," says Nikolaos Papadopoulos, president of u-blox America.

Verizon's website also shows certified LTE modules from Quanta Computer, Samsung Electro-Mechanical, Sequans Communications, Sierra Wireless and Universal Global Scientifc Industrial.

For more:
- see this u-blox release
- see this Verizon Wireless webpage

Read more about: Verizon, u-blox
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2. LTE not getting a chance to strut its stuff, report says

By Tammy Parker

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3. Google Project Loon: Around the world in 22 days

Mobile video may be the king of data hogs, but Signals Research Group contends that other types of data traffic--such as update pings generated by Facebook and other "chatty" applications that constantly query the network for updates--are actually consuming a disproportionate amount of network resources. Not only that, these types of data traffic do not take advantage of LTE features such as MIMO, meaning operators and vendors need to look elsewhere to enable more efficiencies, the firm said.

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"It's very inefficient for LTE to deliver that data because all the bells and whistles of LTE, MIMO, using higher modulation--sending more bits in a limited amount of time--all of those things only work well when you have a lot of data to send. When you have less data to send, you can't use those capabilities. It's overkill," Michael Thelander, Signals Research's founder and CEO, told FierceWirelessTech.

In a new report, Signals Research analyzed information collected during LTE network testing at locations in San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona, including the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. The research included all four national networks: AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T), Sprint (NYSE: S), T-Mobile US NYSE:TMUS) and Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ). The networks used infrastructure from Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Ericsson (NYSE: ALU), Nokia (NYSE:NOK) Solutions and Networks as well as Samsung.

The tests employed Sanjole's WaveJudge 4900A LTE Analyzer and IntelliJudge test platform to capture and analyze data from the physical layer and other protocol exchanges that occurred over the air between an eNodeB and active mobile devices within its coverage area. The point of the testing was to examine how users really use cellular service and what impact that has on the network, Thelander said.

There might be hundreds of devices connected to a cell sector at any given moment. "The 'problem' is that these connections are generating very little in terms of actual data traffic, and as a result the data packets are being transmitted relatively inefficiently--potentially no MIMO and low modulation rates," Thelander said.

MIMO utilization rates, or the percentage of time devices use MIMO, is surprisingly low, he noted. That can be attributed in part to the RF frontend of the antenna design in particular devices. But the use of applications that do not consume lots of data also means eNodeBs will not use MIMO by design, simply because there is not a lot of data to deal with. In addition, use of mobile devices deep within the bowels of buildings, such as high-rises, obviates the use of MIMO even for video consumption.

"If you're sitting in the bathroom stall on the 40^th floor trying to watch a YouTube video, it's probably not going to happen," Thelander said.

Ultimately, because MIMO and other LTE capabilities are not being applied all the time, "LTE is delivering far less spectral efficiency than people think it does," Thelander said.

One could argue that the typical user experience is not impacted by network loading from small data transactions, given that the usual mobile data connection equates to very low data rates. However, peak data rates are being impacted by network loading, Thelander said.

He argues that inefficient use of network resources in support of modest amounts of data traffic leaves far fewer resources available to support bandwidth-intensive applications, such as video. And because small data transactions are negatively impacting overall spectral efficiency, carriers are running out of spectrum more quickly than expected.

The Signals Research report says operators must recognize that LTE alone is not a panacea and recommends that they improve network performance through additional approaches. Those include adding small cells or distributed antenna systems (DAS) for in-building coverage. Operators also should use self-optimizing network (SON) algorithms and detailed network monitoring to ensure their networks are running at their full potential.

Added the report: "Given our results, it also wouldn't hurt to have a lot more spectrum on reserve."

Read more about: LTE, Signals Research
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By Tammy Parker

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4. Intel exec: 5G will redefine how we measure network performance

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) keeps whetting the public's appetite for its airborne Internet effort dubbed Project Loon. In its latest missive, posted on Google+, the company relayed the journey of Loon balloon Ibis-167, which circumnavigated the earth in 22 days by riding stratospheric winds.

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In a video released on YouTube last November, Google said each Project Loon balloon would do three laps around the globe over 100 days, which means Ibis-167's pace was much faster than normal. Stratospheric conditions had a lot to do with that.

According to Google, Ibis-167 initially "enjoyed a few loop-de-loops" over the Pacific Ocean before heading southward and catching the "Roaring Forties," which are strong west-to-east winds in the southern hemisphere that considerably speeded up the balloon's journey.

Ibis-167 has actually just begun its second lap, clocking, as Google noted, "the project's 500,000th kilometer" in the process.

In June 2013, Google announced its vision of deploying a ring of radio-equipped balloons to fly around the globe on stratospheric winds 12 miles above the earth and deliver Internet access at 3G or better speeds to unserved and underserved regions. At the time, the company launched an initial 30 balloons and initiated a pilot program in the Canterbury area of New Zealand with 50 testers. Since then, Google has also begun launching balloons from California.

The wind data that Google has been collecting since last summer has helped the company refine models for forecasting balloon trajectories. Those advancements helped Ibis-167 maneuver the unsettled stratospheric winds that are common this time of year and which actually change direction as the southern hemisphere's seasons shift from warmer to colder weather.

Google has also improved the efficiency of the air pump in its balloons, enabling them to change altitudes quickly to catch winds moving in different directions.

"There were times, for example, when this balloon could have been pulled into the polar vortex--large, powerful wind currents that whip around in a circle near the stratosphere in the polar region--but these improvements enabled us to maneuver around it and stay on course," Google said.

For more:
- see this Google+ post

Read more about: Project Loon
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By Phil Goldstein

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5. TCS to study improved geo-targeting for wireless emergency alerts

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--The term "5G" is still amorphous and not yet a standard, but it will likely involve a radical rethinking of how the industry defines metrics for how users experience the network, according to an Intel executive.

Keddy

Speaking here at Intel's global headquarters, Asha Keddy, Intel's general manager for standards and advanced technology for its mobile communications group, said that the biggest change she sees with the advent of 5G networks is that "we'll start redefining terms."

In the past, she noted, bits per second was a standard way of measuring network performance. She said measurements like energy efficiency will come into play, and so will the use of different spectrum ranges for high and low-frequency spectrum, as well as coverage. Therefore, Keddy said measurements in the future may be bits per joule, bits per Hz or bits per square meter of coverage.

In an interview with FierceWirelessTech, Keddy described Intel's approach to 5G. She's in a unique position to know--Keddy is responsible for the work that Intel does in standards bodies such as 3GPP and she then works with Intel's product teams to translate those standards into reality. The definition of 5G is still very much up in the air, with different groups ranging from the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance to METIS 2020 and individual companies seeking to sketch the outlines of what 5G networks will look like. Most in the industry expect 5G to be commercialized in 2020.

For Intel, the push to 5G is pivotal because it has only really been since Intel acquired Infineon's wireless business in 2010 that it has ramped up its efforts in wireless. Being a part of the conversation around defining 5G could help the chip maker play a more significant role in wireless and computing in the decade ahead.

Keddy said for Intel a major part of 5G is that different devices will use each other's computing power--so a smart watch could wirelessly use the computing power of a nearby laptop. Additionally, with the advent of the Internet of Things and the increasing move toward heterogeneous network architectures with small cells, there will simply be more technologies the network needs to support.

"All of these technologies, if you think about them, they didn't really exist in one network before," she said.

Some have said that 5G will just mean a much more robust network experience. Keddy said she thought that was "correct, but I think it's not complete." She said the industry will need to address issues related to the scalability, versatility and energy efficiency of networks. However, she also said it's difficult right now to determine what will be the applications and use cases that will drive 5G. "When you look at what we call 'killer apps,' even though we're starting with 5G, I think a few years from now, there will be use cases that will challenge and thrill, and we don't even know what they are," she said.

Keddy also said that it's uncertain whether a new air interface technology will be required for 5G. Any new air interface is very expensive, she said, noting that the industry has invested a lot in LTE and LTE Advanced. "So what I would see happening is a lot of augmentation," she said.

Keddy discussed the idea of separating the control plane from the data plane in networks. That would theoretically allow small cells to work with any air interface technology, whether it is LTE, Wi-Fi or millimeter wave technology. "It allows you to start combining differ technologies into the same architecture, which is very different," she said.

The Internet of Things, which Intel has made a major push around ever since Brian Krzanich became CEO last spring, will be a part of 5G, Keddy said. Others think so as well. Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers said at Mobile World Congress in February that he believes IoT will be a big part of 5G and that "unstructured and structured data will transform society and many industries."

Keddy said one of the challenges of 5G is to "accommodate a very diverse set of use cases."

Read more about: small cells, mobile networks, 5G
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By Tammy Parker

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