Wavion updates Wi-Fi offloading solution to 802.11n

Wavion Ltd. updated its outdoor W-Fi offloading solution designed for wireless service providers facing congested networks in urban areas. The company’s WBSn (Wavion Base Station based on the 802.11n standard) combines spatially adaptive two-way Beamforming technology with the latest 802.11n standard and 3×3:3 MIMO technologies to deliver what it says is the highest range and capacity of any outdoor Wi-Fi system on the market.
The 10-year-old Israeli company said its end-to-end solution is rated for severe outdoor conditions, which makes it stand apart from most Wi-Fi equipment, which is designed for indoor use. The company has delivered solutions to more than 70 countries, targeting service providers, government and enterprises. It counts Tata in India and the top three Chinese operators as customers, said CEO Tal Meirzon.
The WBSn supports SIM-based authentication in real time when switching back between the 3G and Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi technology will complement LTE technology as those networks are built out. Indeed, Wavion thinks Wi-Fi will be built in parallel with those networks, said Lior Mishan, Wavion’s director of marketing. “Operators are looking more and more at Wi-Fi as part of their strategy to reduce costs, offload traffic and give the consumer a better experience,” said Mishan. In fact, Wavion expects Wi-Fi data offload to be a $500 million market in two years.
While Wi-Fi is used to offload traffic from the cellular networks in developed countries, Wi-Fi is used as the access technology in developing countries like India, where 3G services are just being deployed. Those operators are using Wi-Fi as a way to meet the challenges that come from increased voice use on the network. Tata used Wavion’s solution to add wireless coverage of about 50 square kiloters in Navi Mumbai, deploying 220 base stations at 2.4 GHz on rooftops and towers to provide coverage to about 10,000 subscribers.
Wavion’s solution, including its Beamforming and Interference Immunity Suite, enable its solution to get better coverage, higher capacity and better in-building coverage, without interference, all of which are important in a carrier-grade deployment. “Interference is one of the greatest challenges with Wi-Fi,” Mishan said. The company estimates that service providers will see a 50% reduction in capital and operating expense with the solution.