Oslo, Norway and New Windsor, NY – June 25, 2013 – Birdstep Technology and Wireless 20/20 have announced a partnership to help Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Service Providers (SPs) reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and increase profitability for heterogeneous networks that combine 4G/LTE with Wi-Fi. The custom version of Wireless 20/20’s award-winning WiROI™ 4G Business Case Analysis Tool can now incorporate real usage data from Birdstep’s EasySmart, SmartANDSF and EasyAnalytics systems, enabling MNOs and SPs to optimize the use of Wi-Fi offload. They can offer the best quality of service while keeping investment in 4G capacity under control and maximizing profitability of their overall mobile infrastructure.
In addition to the mobile network analysis, the package includes Wireless 20/20’s recently announced WiROI™ Venue Tool enabling MNOs and venue owners to simulate the impact of deploying Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE side by side in high-density areas like stadiums, arenas, airports and convention centers. This tool dovetails with Birdstep’s client/server solution that can make real-time decisions over whether and when to offload data, based on policies set by the MNO/SP. It incorporates Birdstep’s SmartANDSF, an enhanced version of the Access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF), to make the offload process as seamless as possible, while achieving the optimum balance between end-user Quality of Service and operating costs.
While many products now support some form of Wi-Fi offload, most leave users having to find an available Wi-Fi network themselves, and lack the ability to optimize the offload process. Such passive solutions may bring more users on to Wi-Fi, but the amount of data offloaded is unlikely to reach the desired level. Using the Birdstep solutions, MNOs and SPs will have full control of Wi-Fi offload through an active approach that can automatically turn on Wi-Fi at the right time and place, determined by the operator’s policy or requirement, without requiring manual login. This capability makes the level of data offload much more predictable, and helps the MNO /SP maximize the impact of Wi-Fi Offload on their network deployment planning.
The WiROI™ Network Wi-Fi Offload Tool simulates the impact of Wi-Fi on an operator’s 3G/4G network plans. The model can analyze the impact of an operator’s own Wi-Fi network, crowd source Wi-Fi networks and aggregator Wi-Fi networks. The tool can assess the business case over a 10 year period, calculating how much data can be offloaded, how much TCO saving can be realized, and how to optimize the use of Wi-Fi to maximize ROI. The combination of WiROI™ with Birdstep’s Wi-Fi management solutions enables the impact of increased data offload and the resulting cost savings for the network to be identified more clearly, helping MNOs or SPs plan their heterogeneous deployments. It can also model different revenue schemes so that operators can analyze how best to monetize their investment in venue networks and obtain a complete return on investment analysis.
“The Birdstep EasySmart, SmartANDSF and Seamless Login technology significantly increases the chances that a smartphone will connect to a Wi-Fi network thereby increasing the amount of data offload to Wi-Fi”, said Randall Schwartz of Wireless 20/20. “Using the WiROI™ tool in a typical MNO business case, our analysis shows an operator can see an increase of 20X the savings that Wi-Fi Offload can bring to its 4G business case. In addition, the operator can see up to a 5X increase in the potential upside revenue.”
“I am pleased to be able to announce this partnership between Birdstep and Wireless 20/20 and their award-winning WiROI™ tool,” said Lars Esshagen, Executive Director Product Management and Product Marketing at Birdstep Technology. “I think that our joint efforts will be of great benefit to all SP/MNOs who plan to deploy any type of Heterogeneous networks.”
About Birdstep Technology, ASA
Birdstep Technology is a leading provider of Smart Mobile Data and Secure Mobility for operators, enterprises and governmental organizations. Drawing on extensive experience of successful customer projects and cooperation with operators, enterprise customers and OEM partners around the world, Birdstep delivers industry-leading solutions for wireless connectivity and service management.
Our Smart Mobile Data services offer advanced solutions for data offload, support automation and end user communication to network operators. Our Secure Mobility services offer solutions providing seamless and secure connectivity to business data for corporations and governmental organizations.
Birdstep Technology was founded in 1996 and has been listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange since 2002. The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with competence centers in Sweden, Finland and the United States. For more information, visit www.birdstep.com and follow @BirdstepTech on Twitter.
About Wireless 20/20, LLC
Wireless 20/20 is a consulting group focused solely on the broadband wireless market. Wireless 20/20 has helped over 60 broadband wireless operators around the world build business cases, analyze market opportunities, complete technology and vendor selections, and develop network roll out strategies. Our principals have been engaged in the broadband wireless industry since its inception and have a thorough understanding of the technical, business and product issues surrounding the development of wireless devices, equipment, networks and services. For more information visit: www.wireless2020.com.
WiROI™ is a trademark of Wireless 20/20, LLC.
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