Overview
The Internet created a paradigm in the wireline telecommunications industry that resulted in the development of new services and applications based on Internet protocol (IP) technology. The influence of the Internet and IP technology has extended to encompass the cellular industry where standards bodies, operators, and radio access network (RAN) equipment vendors have embraced IP as the networking architecture of choice for delivering a whole new class-of-service application offerings. This tutorial describes this wireless IP–based communications architecture and discusses some of the benefits cellular operators can expect to gain by employing it.

A brief overview of the architecture’s structural components is provided along with an explanation of how its open, packet-based characteristics enable quick development and delivery of end-to-end solutions that are able to take advantage of new technology as it emerges. Future convergence paths are also explained to set the context for understanding the graceful progression to IP–based wireless technology.

Upon completion of this tutorial, you should be able to accomplish the following:

• describe the new-world, wireless IP–based communications architecture
• identify and discuss the benefits cellular operators can realize by implementing this architecture

The Internet is unprecedented in its impact on the world community of industries, institutions, and individuals. In some way, the Internet has touched most of our lives in terms of how we communicate, how we promote our products, how we teach our children, and how we invest our time. No media adoption curve has been faster than the Internet’s. In the United States alone, it took almost 40 years for 50 million people to use radio and 15 years for 50 million people to use TV and cellular communications. Internet users reached the 50-million mark in just 5 years.

During that time, the world became increasingly mobile, defined by the take-it-with-you philosophy we have developed regarding information and our access to it. For the wireless cellular industry, that shift in attitude has created the opportunity to add mobility to Internet accessibility—effectively allowing subscribers to carry the power of the Internet with them anywhere at any time (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Internet Wave Chart

The convergence of wireless and Internet usage is already underway. Globally, Internet users as a whole are projected to increase from about 200 million at present to almost 1 billion by the year 2005. During the same period of time, global wireless subscribers are expected to increase from 300 million to over a billion.

With these market dynamics in mind, several industry-leading businesses have agreed that next-generation wireless networks will leverage the packet-based technology of IP. This strategy provides operators with the unique opportunity to deliver a multitude of new services to mobile cellular subscribers in a manner more customizable than previously possible (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Projected Wireless Internet Convergence

As the industry continues to invest heavily in advancing IP technology for supporting real-time applications such as voice with reliable service and toll quality, it is expected to further accelerate the introduction of new network capabilities that are defined within IP standards for network implementations.

Next-generation architecture will be flexible, open, and standards-based. It will facilitate a smooth migration from existing hierarchical circuit-switched technology to peer-to-peer, packet-switched networks. These wireless networks of the not-so-distant future will be able to take advantage of the true peer-to-peer communications technology of IP to deliver better value to service operators and end users alike (see

Figure 3

).

Figure 3. Existing Architecture versus IP Architecture

There are four key deliverables that the wireless IP network of the future must provide:

1. superior end-user experience—The network must be customizable, easy to use, and allow fast access to all services from a single device.
2. orderly network migration—There must be a smooth migration path from existing network protocols to the new wireless IP network, and the new network must demonstrate superior performance.
3. reduced cycle time to commercialize applications—The network must make Internet applications easy to implement in the wireless world. Thus, existing services are made immediately available, while new applications may be made available in the wireless world at the same time or faster than they are made available to wireline users.
4. reduced cost of ownership—The new network must make the business case for the wireless Internet achievable, particularly for worldwide operators and service providers.