Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    Alcatel-Lucent Looks to Combine WiFi, LTE

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    March 6, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      mobile networks

      Alcatel-Lucent wants to make it easier for network operators to leverage both cellular and WiFi technologies to increase bandwidth and improve the user experience.

      At Mobile World Congress 2015 (MWC) this week, Alcatel-Lucent officials unveiled the company’s Wireless Unified Networks initiative that essentially brings together stand-alone WiFi and cellular networks into a unified single network, a move that will enable service providers and network professionals to better address the growing demand for a better and more consistent mobile experience for everything from voice to video, according to company officials.

      It’s the latest example of the industry looking for ways to leverage both cellular and WiFi networks as more mobile devices become connected, and the mobile traffic becomes more bandwidth hungry. Cellular operators have increasingly been looking to WiFi networks for offloading some of the traffic, and users have had the ability to manually switch between cellular and WiFi.

      Now, service providers are looking at other options, like LTE-U, enabling LTE networks to run on the unlicensed spectrum normally used by WiFi networks. Alcatel-Lucent is a proponent of LTE-U, but officials also see the new Wireless Unified Networks strategy as another path to bringing cellular and WiFi more closely together.

      “As an industry, we have historically treated cellular and WiFi as unique technologies,” Mike Schabel, vice president of small cells for Alcatel-Lucent, said in a statement. “For example, the industry debates the merits of Voice/Data over WiFi versus Voice/Data over LTE. From a consumer perspective, it should simply be just wireless.”

      Through the Wireless Unified Networks effort, Alcatel-Lucent is using two technologies to bring cellular and WiFi more closely together. The WiFi boost technology leverages cellular to improve the performance of WiFi networks, while cellular boost uses unlicensed spectrum to enhance cellular performance.

      The technologies can be either used independently or at the same time. The WiFi boost combines the downlink capabilities of WiFi with the uplink of cellular, according to company officials. To leverage WiFi boost, end-user devices that are capable of both cellular and WiFi transmission need an update to their operating systems. In addition, software updates are needed to the network to blend the WiFi and cellular access networks to create a unified network.

      Alcatel-Lucent officials said that in typical homes, WiFi boost can grow download speeds by up to 70 percent and increase upload speeds, as well. It also doubles the WiFi range.

      Alcatel-Lucent officials said the company will put WiFi boost into trial test in the second quarter, and that general availability of the technology will come in the second half of the year.

      In addition, Alcatel-Lucent also is further enhancing performance by including a cellular downlink to the WiFi downlink of WiFi boost, which officials said is in line with LTE WiFi Aggregation (LWA), a standard being developed by the IEEE. Adding the cellular downlink also can more than double the download speeds of stand-alone networks, they said.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×