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Wireless local loop as a fixed/mobile convergence solution
Author(s) -
Webb William
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of communication systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.344
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1099-1131
pISSN - 1074-5351
DOI - 10.1002/1099-1131(200005)13:3<271::aid-dac432>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - computer science , telecommunications , computer network , cellular network , wireless , network packet , wireless network , mobile phone , convergence (economics) , service (business) , mobile telephony , user equipment , mobile radio , base station , economy , economics , economic growth
At first sight, wireless local loop (WLL) might seem an ideal springboard for fixed mobile convergence (FMC) since it utilizes mobile‐like platforms to provide a fixed service. However, a more detailed examination reveals a more complicated picture. For the user, FMC is the provision of a single phone which provides them with service wherever they are. For the network operator, FMC is the use of a single infrastructure to provide fixed and mobile communications. Hence, a combination of a WLL and cellular system provides FMC as far as the operator is concerned but not as far as the user is concerned. More complexity is added when considering whether voice will migrate to mobile networks whilst data will remain on fixed networks. In such a world, WLL systems would predominantly provide data. However, advanced WLL systems using packet switched infrastructure would allow the integration of mobile and fixed networks more readily than could occur with today's architectures.. Because WLL operators do not have legacy circuit switched networks to consider, they can reach the brave new world of packet switching more quickly and hence might well be the leaders in providing FMC in a packet environment. This paper looks at all these issues, and discusses the future role of WLL in the global telecommunications environment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.