Fujitsu
Laboratories Ltd.
Fujitsu
Develops Connection Control Technology for LTE and Wi-Fi to Improve
Communication
Speed in Wi-Fi Areas
-
Approximately doubles communication speed, on average, by automatically
batch-setting communication routes for devices in an area -
Kawasaki,
Japan, January 26, 2017 Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development
of connection control technology for LTE and Wi-Fi to boost communication speed
in areas with Wi-Fi. When devices doing high-load communications tasks, such as
streaming videos, are concentrated on a single Wi-Fi access point,
deterioration in communications speed for each of these devices is a problem.
Up to this point, devices have been equipped with technology to enable them to
choose a communications route to mitigate communication speed deterioration,
such as connecting to LTE instead of Wi-Fi when the Wi-Fi's communication
quality is poor. However, as each device determines its communications route
independently, without considering the impact on other devices, this can
instead cause overall communications speed to decrease. Fujitsu Laboratories
has now developed connection control technology that uses a cloud-based connection
control ability to predict communications speed when multiple devices change their
connection at the same time, and can automatically set communication routes for
multiple devices on the same Wi-Fi access point all at once based on that
prediction.
As a result
of performance evaluations of this technology carried out by changing the distribution
of devices using a telecommunications carrier's LTE network, it was confirmed
that this technology can increase communications speed by about a factor of two,
on average, compared with previous technology. With this technology, mobile
users can even more easily make use of services that require high
communications speeds, such as videos.
<Development
Background>
In recent
years, with the spread of smartphones and tablets, there has been an increase
in high-load traffic, such as videos. In addition, Wi-Fi is being expanded, and
it is expected that, with the further expansion of areas in which it is
possible to use
Wi-Fi in
the future, users will have more opportunities to enjoy watching videos and using
other services while out and about. Current technology allows a large number of
users to connect to public Wi-Fi, however, when users who are watching videos
or using other high-load communications are concentrated around a single access
point, the communications speed can drop, causing situations in which videos
stop playing. There is a demand for technology that can avoid this type of
situation, without stress on users.
<Issues>
Currently,
several technologies have been applied as methods of improving communications speed
for Wi-Fi users, such as a technology that limits reductions in communications speed
by having the device autonomously change to connect to LTE, and technologies
that limit the number of users that can connect to a Wi-Fi access point. With
existing technologies in which each device determines its communications route
based on communications quality without considering its impact on other
devices, situations could arise that reduce overall communications speed, as
when Wi-Fi is chosen even when users doing high-load communications are
concentrated around a Wi-Fi access point, or when LTE is chosen even in
situations where there are not many users who can use Wi-Fi.
<About
the Technology>
Now Fujitsu
Laboratories has developed connection control technology in which a dedicated
application is installed on a device that communicates with the connection control
function on the control server, which predicts communication speed if multiple devices
changed their connection at the same time. It then automatically sets communications
routes for multiple devices in a given Wi-Fi service area all at once based on
that prediction. Features of the technology are as follows.
1.
Technology that estimates the volume of usable wireless resources
With this
technology, by installing a dedicated application on a device, the server can control
each device, but because devices without the application are also using Wi-Fi
and LTE wireless resources, the amount of wireless resources available to
controlled devices can change. Therefore, the dedicated application installed on
the controlled device first collects information on current communication
speeds and wireless quality, and notifies the connection control function on the
control server. The connection control function then calculates the
communication speed if there were sufficient usable wireless resources from the
wireless quality information, and by comparing this with the actual
communication speed, estimates the volume of usable wireless resources. This
then enables connection control that responds to the situation in that
location.
2. Wireless
communication route optimization technology
With the
connection control function, this technology calculates the predicted communication
speed for each controlled device in a Wi-Fi service area using information about
the volume of wireless resources that can be used and wireless quality
information from controlled devices for each routing pattern, whether each
controlled device uses Wi-Fi or LTE for its communication route. Using these
results, it chooses the distribution pattern of communication routes that
maximizes overall communication speed in the area, and then the connection
control function on the control server notifies the dedicated application on
each device that corresponds to that pattern, and then carries out switching of
the communication route.
<Effects>
Fujitsu
Laboratories set up a Wi-Fi access point in a communication area covered by a telecom
carrier's LTE network, then placed multiple devices in the area covered by the
Wi-Fi
access point and measured their communication speeds, both when using existing technology
and when using the newly developed connection control technology.
Measurements
were taken while varying the placement of the devices, and it was confirmed
that the new technology could, on average, double communications speed,
compared with existing connection control technology. With this technology,
services that require high communication speeds, such as streaming video, can
be used even more easily in Wi-Fi service areas.
<Future
Plans>
Fujitsu
Laboratories aims to conduct even larger-scale field trials using this
technology to improve its stability, with the goal of commercializing it in
fiscal 2018. Also, Fujitsu
Laboratories intends to move forward on
expanding functions to enable selection of radio access technologies for 5G,
aiming for application from fiscal 2020 onwards.Source Link: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2017/0126-01.html
