YOU ARE AT:Internet of Things (IoT)Wi-Fi/LTE-U tests lack LTE equipment

Wi-Fi/LTE-U tests lack LTE equipment

The Wi-Fi Alliance this week held a workshop to discuss the coexistence of Wi-Fi and LTE-Unlicensed technologies. LTE-U, or LTE in unlicensed spectrum, has already been tested by the chipmakers who want to build LTE-U chips, and they claim LTE can share the 5 GHz band without degrading the performance of Wi-Fi networks.

Companies that are focused exclusively on Wi-Fi equipment are not so sure, and the Wi-Fi Alliance has convened a Coexistence Task Force to conduct further tests. The association has also asked the Federal Communications Commission to await the results of these tests before approving any LTE-U equipment for commercial use. The Alliance hopes to oversee tests that use actual LTE-U equipment.

“LTE-U equipment is an important component of validating the test plan during development,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said in a statement. “Wi-Fi Alliance expects to contact LTE-U equipment vendors in the coming weeks and invite them to participate in validation efforts.”

“If/when LTE equipment is available, the LTE studies shall be performed using actual equipment, noting the manufacturer, model and revision numbers,” said the Wi-Fi Alliance. “As implementations may vary considerably, studies must be repeated with each different equipment set available.”

“The desired criteria is that the introduction of a co-channel LTE network will not impact an existing Wi-Fi network’s performance any more than introduction of a similar co-channel Wi-Fi network,” wrote the Wi-Fi Alliance in its coexistence guidelines document.

Specifically, these are the criteria the alliance is proposing:
Data traffic:

  • Throughput for Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi greater than or equal to throughput for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Packet loss for Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Frame re-transmission rate for Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.

 

Beacons and power save signaling frames:

  • Packet loss with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Jitter with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.

 

VoIP and real-time video:

  • Latency with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Packet Loss with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Jitter with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.
  • Frame re-transmission rate for Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi less than or equal to packet loss for Wi-Fi with LTE.

 

For mobile operators, LTE-U offers a way to maintain a connection for users who might otherwise not be able to access the network in congested areas. It also offers a way to count time spent in unlicensed spectrum against users’ data plans, instead of losing potential revenue each time a customer jumps to unlicensed spectrum.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Martha DeGrasse
Martha DeGrassehttp://www.nbreports.com
Martha DeGrasse is the publisher of Network Builder Reports (nbreports.com). At RCR, Martha authored more than 20 in-depth feature reports and more than 2,400 news articles. She also created the Mobile Minute and the 5 Things to Know Today series. Prior to joining RCR Wireless News, Martha produced business and technology news for CNN and Dow Jones in New York and managed the online editorial group at Hoover’s Online before taking a number of years off to be at home when her children were young. Martha is the board president of Austin's Trinity Center and is a member of the Women's Wireless Leadership Forum.