By Lonnie Schilling, CEO of Birdstep and Anders Påls, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development of FOGG
The ability to switch wireless devices such as tablets and smartphones automatically between Wi-Fi and a cellular service has so far been seen largely as a way for mobile operators to cope with proliferating traffic by getting data off their networks. But the real promise of such seamless switching between cellular and Wi-Fi lies in being able to deliver a continuous high quality experience that maximises coverage and optimises network performance. This in turn requires software in the user’s device to execute the transparent switching on the basis of business rules, taking account of factors such as traffic levels on the two networks, the user’s device status and the applications currently running.
Surprisingly perhaps it is a vendor of devices, HP, rather than a mobile operator that has gained the limelight with one of the world’s first successful roll out of intelligent switching between Wi-Fi and cellular. HP’s DataPass service provides users of HP’s Windows and Android devices, including laptops, tablets and detachables, a pre-installed SIM and cellular service combined with Birdstep’s EasySmart Intelligent Network Selection allowing transparent and seamless switching between Wi-Fi and their cellular service. This service is enabled by two Swedish companies, Birdstep through its client software called EasySmart and FOGG with a SIM card for accessing relevant cellular networks.
Devices come with both the SIM card and client software factory installed so that the DataPass service comes straight out of the box with no action required by the user. This is a key differentiator, according to Andres Påls, Co-founder and VP of Business Development at FOGG. “If you land on a 3G network for instance, the device is activated instantly,” said Påls, contrasting this with dongle based options for accessing mobile services available from some operators. Dongle based services require setup and configuration from the user and tend to generate significant numbers of help desk calls that impose costs on the operator.
By contrast HP’s DataPass has worked very reliably and generated remarkably few help desk calls since roll out commenced in Europe in September 2013. The next phase of the project is commencing and will address additional geographies outside Europe.
The real value proposition is an always-connected service backed by seamless and transparent Intelligent Network Selection, ensuring a consistent superior user experience through what Birdstep calls Experience Continuity. With Birdstep’s EasySmart family of products the user experience is enhanced by a seamless and transparent authentication and login, followed by Policy, or simply put, rules, which are provided to the EasySmart software that instruct the device when, where and how to select between using cellular and Wi-Fi. Furthermore, the quality of the Wi-Fi networks are continuously being measured to ensure first that the Wi-Fi network can maintain the service level of the cellular network and avoid switching to Wi-Fi if there will be a degradation in service.
While Birdstep and FOGG will continue to work together on the HP rollout their strategic partnership is also being extended to other market segments such as OEM’s, MSO Cable Operators and other large brands interested in providing their customers with a reliable, always smartest connected service. Birdstep’s Experience Continuity refers to heterogeneous network services combining cellular and Wi-Fi to give users the best of both worlds with transparent Intelligent Network Selection between the two.
This is something you will be hearing a lot more about in the coming months starting with Birdstep’s Workshop at the WBA’s Carrier Wi-Fi Summit (24th and 25th February), during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. You can register here: wballiance.com/carrier-wi-fi-summit/register-now/
