Multi-Access Convergence

It's a neat trick-growing revenues with existing subscribers while minimizing CAPEX/OPEX-and now you can pull it off.

To expand the reach of revenue-generating services and applications, operators can make use of already-existing Wi-Fi and other access networks. This convergence -sometimes called fixed-mobile convergence or FMC - avoids the considerable CAPEX/OPEX expenses of growth fed by tower-and-power and macro-cell approaches.

FMC clearly holds promise for operators, but there's a catch: the Internet was never designed to substitute for a radio access network. Operators need to protect their mobile core from Internet-based attacks, and ensure the privacy of their users' sessions. They need to support mobility - to allow subscribers to move between Wi-Fi, femto and macro networks. They need to ensure quality of service. What they need is an intelligent bridge between the Internet and their core network. That bridge is the Airvana Universal Access Gateway - the UAG.

Real Value for Operators and Consumers
The UAG is a high performance, high availability, secure IP gateway that extends the mobile network using the fixed wireline infrastructure. The UAG resides at the edge of the operator's core network and acts as a gatekeeper for all the traffic flowing into the core from broadband and Internet access networks.

The UAG is ideally suited for dual-mode phone (or laptop) services, and for femtocell services. The Wi-Fi access points and femtocells create a "virtual" radio access network that vastly supplements the coverage and capacity of the mobile operator's traditional RAN, particularly inside homes and offices. The technology enables operators to improve customer satisfaction and grow revenues via new high-bandwidth multi-media applications and attractive "home zone" calling plans on mobile devices, while simultaneously offloading the traffic from their macro networks. Benefits enjoyed by operators include:

	Enhanced in-building coverage that improves voice and data performance, and helps reduce churn.
	Wireline/wireless service integration in both residential and enterprise deployments.
	Fewer capacity upgrades and capital expenses thanks to spectrum offload to Wi-Fi, and mobile switching center (MSC) port offload to landline backhaul.
	Significant reduction of network OPEX thanks to savings in power, tower space, and backhaul costs.
	Global roaming via Wi-Fi access.