Transat Developing GSM/WLAN Roaming Solution
The American Transat Technologies has joined a small number of
companies that have announced a solution for integrating 3G services
with Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) technology. This approach
to 3G is said to cut network deployment cost by a factor of ten, and
gives cellular operators an additional revenue channel to build a
hybrid 3G/WLAN subscriber base.
Transat has demonstrated how a cellular data subscriber may
access the Internet from locations such as airports, offices and cafés
at very high speeds (up to 11 Mb/s), while being billed from his
cellular account. The cellular operators need only provide
inexpensive WLAN base stations on site. No proprietary hardware is
used - the WLAN cards and base stations are open standard and vendor
independent, as is the software interface, which is fully GSM
compliant. The novelty of Transat`s approach lies in the use of full
GSM protocols and security features, while replacing the standard
GSM radio card with a Wireless LAN card (802.11b/WiFi, CDMA, or
similar). The WLAN radio connection is made transparent to the GSM
protocols, and is invisible to the GSM network. The authentication,
authorization, encryption, mobility management and billing are all
fully GSM compliant. The communication flows seamlessly into the
core network because it is already using the right protocol.
"This solution combines the flexibility, security and
seamless integration of GSM, with the low cost - and blistering
performance - of 802.11," according to Transat CEO John Baker.
"There`s no fancy hardware - just some software, a WLAN card
and a SIM card holder for the PC. We are offering cellular operators
rapid deployment of WLAN services without any core network
investment."
For more information: http://www.transat-tech.com
MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: Software-only
solution for GSM/WLAN roaming is the right way of integrating the
two networks. Centralized billing and user authentication are key
requirements for hybrid solutions. We expect carriers to reluctantly
but surely adopt this approach as more and more public hot spots are
created and enterprises start implementing private hot spots for
their own employees in company-owned facilities..
