The Impact of 5th Generation WiFi (802.11ac)Dr. Mazlan AbbasMIMOS Berhad

Dr. Mazlan Abbas@mazlan_abbasmazlan.abbas@mimos.my

Wi-Fi ac isinevitable...

But questions remain

What is ac?

When can weexpect it?

What will drive

adoption?

What will theimpact be?

Wi-Fi ac a quick primer

• Next generation Wi-Fi, first part of the ac specification to be ratified inFebruary 2013

• Some chipset vendors have already made available Wi-Fi ac chipsets to theirpartners. Devices already on the market

• It has been touted as Gigabyte wireless. Whilst possible, at its base level 1x1only as fast as 450 Mbps.

• Builds on many of the changes and innovations seen in Wi-Fi n

Four drivers for the adoption of Wi-Fi ac

Increasedinternet

usage

Success ofWi-Fi

integration inSmart TVdevices

Wi-Fi onlyportabledevices

Current andexpected

usageproblems

Increased Internet Usage

WiFi Only Portable Devices

Success of WiFi

Integration in Smart TV devices

Current and Expected

Usage Problems

Four drivers for the adoption of Wi-Fi ac

Increasedinternet

usage

Success ofWi-Fi

integration inSmart TVdevices

Wi-Fi onlyportabledevices

Current andexpected

usageproblems

1. Increased internet usage

1,365.71,539.1

1,722.81,919.22,000.0

1,500.0

Popularity of online videoOnline video users (mil.)

2,500.0

2,124.9

1,195.3

1,000.0

500.0

0.02010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

• Video is expected to be the main driver of internet traffic growth

• Unlike web browsing, email, software downloads video is time sensitive

2. Portable devices

Portable devices rely heavily on Wi-Fi

Tablets Smartphones Ultrabooks

• Ultrabook laptops often lack Ethernet ports• Tablets and smart phones users rely heavily on home Wi-Fi and hotspots• These devices are just emerging so Wi-Fi networks are only going to come under

more strain

• With such a large market that even a small percentage will be substantial• Short life cycles will have a positive impact on Wi-Fi ac install rates

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015• Wi-Fi ac will only be in smartphones at the earliest in 2013

2016

The smartphone effect

Smart phones sales (mil.) 2010-20161000

800

600

400

200

0

3. Smart TV devices

Smart TV devices on the rise

• Perhaps not all but certainly many of these devices will be connecting tothe internet over Wi-Fi.

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

-

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Global, in-home connected device sales forecasts

Connected TVs BD STB Console Media streamer

Stationary devices are opting for Wi-Fi

• Those that Smart TVs and games consoles that use Wi-Fi have higherconnection rates

• Suggesting users are not only reluctant to use Ethernet, but are comfortablewith Wi-Fi

• HD Video is a key service and improving performance will be essential goingforward.

Even Pay-TV is embracing Wi-Fi

4. Current and future congestion problems

The congestion problem• The 2.4Ghz spectrum,

used by Wi-Fi b/g/n isalready congested.

• Congestion causesinterference which hasa detrimentl effect onusers’ Wi-Fi experience

• Less important forapplications which arenot time sensitive

Congestion is already a problem

• Wi-Fi ac attempts to solve this congestion problem by abandoning the 2.4Ghzspectrum.

• It uses the 5Ghz spectrum exclusively.• At present 5Ghz is far less busy, so moving over to this spectrum shouldbenefit end users.

The negative impact of new connected devicesN

umbe

r of d

evic

es u

sing

W

iFi (

a/b/

g/n)

Use

r exp

erie

nce

Edging closer to that tipping point

• Almost at the point where Wi-Fi n is no longer a solution, but a problem• Some households closer than others• The average user does not understand the situation

• Expect Wi-Fi to just work

Impact of Wi-Fi ac

Wi-Fi ac can solve the congestion problem…

• Sending bursts of data to each in turn• The more devices the slower data transfer is as it takes the router longer

to come back round to the original device

Wi-Fi n can only send and receive data from one deviceat a time.

• Data is sent and recieved from each device, which receives the fullbandwidth on offer continuously.

• This should speed up data transfer and improve the user experience.

Wi-Fi ac can the demands of multiple devicessimultaneously due to multiuser MIMO (MU-MIMO)

• However it will only be fully ratified in the second draft which will beratified after 2012

MU-MIMO is one of the major innovations of the Wi-Fi acstandard

…. But expect 5Ghz to become clogged

• Some European operators that have adopted the 5Ghz spectrum for theirIPTV services are already reporting seeing congestion

• Inevitably the more devices that use the 5Ghz spectrum the greater thechance of interference and congestion.

• The challenge of what to do once this becomes a problem needs to be dealtwith ahead of time.

• Dual band solutions may be one solution.• The short range ad standard could be another

Behaviour will adapt to new throughput

New technology:Increased

Throughput

Temporary surplus

Increased usage ofold applications

Throughput deficit

New applications

Video will be accessible from everywhere

• Potent cocktail of:

• More devices, used in multiple rooms

• New lighter form factors will increase portability

• More reliable connections

• Greater throughput

• Plethora of services

Conclusions

• However, to avoid congestion down the line use of wireline technologiesshould be deployed where they can.

Wi-Fi ac is a major step forward and can support multipledevices much better than n.

• They will benefit most as they tend not to have room for multiple antenna

Smartphones will drive adoption of Wi-Fi ac

• These operators should seriously consider rolling out this technology as itshould significantly impact subscriber experience.

Inside the home the major hindrance to take-up of Wi-Fiac will be broadband operators.

References

• “Examining the drivers for the adoption and potential impact of Wi-Fi ac”, Andrew Landbrooke, WiFi World Summit, Sept. 2012, Barcelona

Thank You

Contact

Dr. Mazlan Abbas

@mazlan_abbas

mazlan.abbas@mimos.my