The rapid increase of mobile data services, driven by smartphones and tablets, has accelerated data-traffic growth to the point where macro cellular networks are no longer sufficient to meet subscriber demand in many high-density settings. While the introduction of LTE technology in the macro cellular network will provide partial relief, traffic volumes will continue to grow faster than operators can economically add capacity.

Ruckus Wireless recently introduced SmartCell, a heterogeneous small cell wireless edge system that lets operators easily inject wireless capacity, increase coverage and enable new edge services while relieving radio access, backhaul and core infrastructure bottlenecks created by the deluge of data traffic hitting their networks.

SmartCell solves these problems by combining a multi-radio, multi-function access point, the SmartCell 8800, with the small cell HetNet edge services platform, the SmartCell 200 gateway. With SmartCell, mobile operators can gain a capacity boost from LTE small cells, cutting costs and complexity by co-locating and combining them with Wi-Fi access points, sharing site-lease agreements and backhaul. The integration of Wi-Fi and LTE small cells within the cellular core also helps operators optimize network utilization across the radio access network, providing a further improvement in performance, and creating a seamless experience for their subscribers.

One of the primary problems operators face with small cell deployments is the costly and time-consuming process of site acquisition. According to company, by combining Wi-Fi, cellular and backhaul within a single, small form factor device, the SmartCell 8800 is an ideal solution for rapid deployment in dense urban environments where flexible power, mounting and backhaul options are crucial to realizing network coverage objec¬tives. The Ruckus SmartCell system also integrates seamlessly with existing mobile operator 3GPP and LTE macro infrastructures with no disruption using standard 3G and 4G core interfaces. Regardless of the access method (cellular or Wi-Fi) the SmartCell 200 gateway makes full use of existing core systems such as authentication, billing and service provisioning interfaces to deliver a radio access-agnostic and -transparent experience for subscribers.

To improve the user experience, operators want to eliminate the hassle of installing special software on subscriber phones for authentication as well as simplifying the Wi-Fi connection process. Current I-WLAN integration requires client handsets to support technologies such as IPSec and IKEv2 for authentication. However very few of today’s smart mobile devices support this. To simplify the authentication experience, the Ruckus SmartCell system employs a clientless approach using EAP methods with IEEE 802.1x port-based authentication. Clients simply connect to the wireless network using the preferred EAP method with underlying secure AES encryption. The network then handles the 802.1x authentication process and integrates into the mobile packet core in a secure and manageable manner.