Generic Access Network

Generic Access Network or GAN is a telecommunication system that extends mobile voice, data and multimedia (IMS/SIP) applications over IP networks. Unlicensed Mobile Access or UMA, is the commercial name used by mobile carriers for external IP access into their core networks. The latest generation system is named Wi-Fi Calling by a number of handset manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, a move that is being mirrored by carriers like T-Mobile US.

Essentially, GAN allows cell phone packets to be forwarded to a network access point over the internet, rather than over-the-air using GSM/GPRS, UMTS or similar. A separate device known as a "GAN Controller" (GANC) receives this data from the internet and feeds it into the phone network as if it were coming from an antenna on a tower. Calls can be placed from or received to the handset as if it were connected over-the-air directly to the GANC's point of presence. The system is essentially invisible to the network as a whole.

In its most common form, GAN is used to allow UMA-compatible mobile phones to use WiFi networks to connect calls, in place of conventional cell towers. This can be useful in locations with poor cell coverage where some other form of internet access is available, especially at the home or office. The system offers seamless handoff, so the user can move from cell to WiFi and back again with the same invisibility that the cell network offers when moving from tower to tower.

Since the GAN system works over the internet, a UMA-capable handset can connect to their service provider from any location with internet access. This is particularly useful for travellers, who can connect to their provider's GANC and make calls into their home service area from anywhere in the world. This is subject to the quality of the internet connection, however, and may not work well over limited bandwidth or long-latency connections. To improve quality of service in the home or office, some providers also supply a specially programmed wireless access point that prioritizes UMA packets.

History

UMA was developed by a group of operator and vendor companies.[1] The initial specifications were published on 2 September 2004. The companies then contributed the specifications to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as part of 3GPP work item "Generic Access to A/Gb interfaces". On 8 April 2005, 3GPP approved specifications for Generic Access to A/Gb interfaces for 3GPP Release 6. [2] and,[3] and renamed the system to GAN. But the term GAN is little known outside the 3GPP community, and the term UMA is more common in marketing.

Modes of operation

The original Release 6 GAN specification supported a 2G (A/Gb) connection from the GANC into the mobile core network (MSC/GSN). Today all commercial GAN dual-mode handset deployments are based on a 2G connection and all GAN enabled devices are dual-mode 2G/Wi-Fi. The specification, though, defined support for multimode handset operation. Therefore, 3G/2G/Wi-Fi handsets are supported in the standard. The first 3G/UMA devices were announced in the second half of 2008.

A typical UMA/GAN handset will have four modes of operation:

In all cases, the handset scans for GSM cells when it first turns on, to determine its location area. This allows the carrier to route the call to the nearest GANC, set the correct rate plan, and comply with existing roaming agreements.

At the end of 2007, the GAN specification was enhanced to support 3G (Iu) interfaces from the GANC to the mobile core network (MSC/GSN). This native 3G interface can be used for dual-mode handset as well as 3G femtocell service delivery. The GAN release 8 documentation describes these new capabilities.

Advantages

For carriers:

For subscribers:

Disadvantages

Service deployments

The first service launch was BT with BT Fusion in the autumn of 2005. The service is based on pre-3GPP GAN standard technology. Initially, BT Fusion used UMA over Bluetooth with phones from Motorola; since Jan 2007, it has used UMA over 802.11 with phones from Nokia, Motorola and Samsung[4] and is branded as a "Wi-Fi mobile service". BT has since discontinued the service.

On August 28, 2006, TeliaSonera was the first to launch an 802.11 based UMA service called "Home Free".[5] The service started in Denmark but no longer offered.

On September 25, 2006 Orange announced its "Unik service", also known as Signal Boost in the UK.[6][7] However this service is no longer available to new customers in the UK.[8] The announcement, the largest to date, covers more than 60m of Orange's mobile subscribers in the UK, France, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands.

Cincinnati Bell announced the first UMA deployment in the United States.[9] The service, originally called CB Home Run, allows users to transfer seamlessly from the Cincinnati Bell cellular network to a home wireless network or to Cincinnati Bell's WiFi HotSpots. It has since been rebranded as Fusion WiFi.

This was followed shortly by T-Mobile US on June 27, 2007.[10] T-Mobile's service, originally named "Hotspot Calling", and rebranded to "Wi-Fi Calling" in 2009, allows users to seamlessly transfer from the T-Mobile cellular network to an 802.11x wireless network or T-Mobile HotSpot in the United States.

In Canada, both Fido and Rogers Wireless launched UMA plans under the names UNO and Rogers Home Calling Zone (later rebranded Talkspot, and subsequently rebranded again as Wi-Fi Calling), respectively, on May 6, 2008.[11]

In Australia, GAN has not been implemented but it has been reported that Apple and Vodafone have engaged in discussions regarding implementation of the technology for compatible devices running iOS 8.[12]

Since 10th April 2015, Wi-Fi Calling has been available for customers of EE in the UK initially on the Nokia Lumia 640 and Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge handsets.[13]

AT&T[14] and Verizon[15] are going to launch Wi-Fi calling in 2015.

Industry organisation UMA Today tracks all operator activities and handset development.

UMA is not implemented in Asia, Australia, Africa and some European countries.

UMA/GAN Beyond Dual-mode

While UMA is nearly always associated with dual-mode GSM/Wi-Fi services, it is actually a ‘generic’ access network technology that provides a generic method for extending the services and applications in an operator's mobile core (voice, data, IMS) over IP and the public Internet.

GAN defines a secure, managed connection from the mobile core (GANC) to different devices/access points over IP.

Femtocells - The GAN standard is currently used to provide a secure, managed, standardized interface from a femtocell to the mobile core network. Recently Kineto, NEC and Motorola issued a joint proposal to the 3GPP work group studying femtocells (also known as ‘Home Node B's or HNB) to propose GAN as the basis for that standard.

Analog Terminal Adaptor – T-Mobile US once offered a fixed-line VoIP service called @Home.[16] Similar to Vonage, consumers can port their fixed phone number to T-Mobile. Then T-Mobile associates that number with an ATA (analog telephone adapter). The consumer plugs the ATA into a home broadband network and begins receiving calls to the fixed number over the IP access network. The service was discontinued in 2010, however earlier subscribers were "grandfathered" in.[17]

Mobile VoIP Client - Consumers have started to use telephony interfaces on their PCs. Applications offer a low cost, convenient way to access telephony services while traveling. Now mobile operators can offer a similar service with a UMA-enabled mobile VoIP client. Developed by Vitendo, the client provides a mirror interface to a subscriber's existing mobile service. For the mobile operator, services can now be extended to a PC/laptop, and they can give consumers another way to use their mobile service.

Similar technologies

GAN/UMA is not the first system to allow the use of unlicensed spectrum to connect handsets to a GSM network. The GIP/IWP standard for DECT provides similar functionality, but requires a more direct connection to the GSM network from the base station. While dual-mode DECT/GSM phones have appeared, these have generally been functionally cordless phones with a GSM handset built-in (or vice versa, depending on your point of view), rather than phones implementing DECT/GIP, due to the lack of suitable infrastructure to hook DECT base-stations supporting GIP to GSM networks on an ad-hoc basis.[18]

GAN/UMA's ability to use the Internet to provide the "last mile" connection to the GSM network solves the major issue that DECT/GIP has faced. Had GIP emerged as a practical standard, the low power usage of DECT technology when idle would have been an advantage compared to GAN.

There is nothing preventing an operator from deploying micro- and pico-cells that use towers that connect with the home network over the Internet. Several companies have developed so-called Femtocell systems that do precisely that, broadcasting a "real" GSM or UMTS signal, bypassing the need for special handsets that require 802.11 technology. In theory, such systems are more universal, and again require lower power than 802.11, but their legality will vary depending on the jurisdiction, and will require the cooperation of the operator. Further, users may be charged at higher cell phone rates, even though they are paying for the DSL or other network that ultimately carries their traffic; in contrast, GAN/UMA providers charge reduced rates when making calls off the providers cellular phone network.

Devices

Routers

See also

References

  1. ↑ UMA Today
  2. ↑ TS 43.318
  3. ↑ TS 44.318
  4. ↑ The Register:BT Fusion goes Wi-Fi
  5. ↑ Home Free
  6. ↑ Unik in France
  7. ↑ Unik in the UK
  8. ↑ "About Signal Boost from Orange". EE. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ CB Home Run Integrates Mobile Phone and Wireless Internet For Improved Indoor Reception
  10. ↑ T-Mobile Introduces Unlimited Calling Over Wi-Fi With the National Launch of T-Mobile HotSpot @Home
  11. ↑ CNW Group Fido's home and mobile calling are now 'UNO' with one phone, one number and one bill
  12. ↑ Bender, Adam (June 3, 2014). "Vodafone eyes Wi-Fi calling for iPhones on iOS 8". Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "EE Launches Wifi Calling to Make Calls and Texts Available in Every Home". EE. April 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ Greg Kumparak (2014-09-12). "AT&T To Get iPhone 6-Friendly Wi-Fi Calling In 2015". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  15. ↑ Phil Goldstein (September 17, 2014). "Verizon Wireless plans to launch Wi-Fi calling in mid-2015". FierceWireless. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ T Mobile @Home
  17. ↑ T Mobile @Home discontinued
  18. ↑ DECT Web DECT/GSM DUAL MODE and the advent of the ONEPHONE SERVICE
  19. ↑ "Make a call with Wi-Fi Calling - Apple Support". Apple. 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  20. ↑ Leaked BlackBerry 9900 ROM adds Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi calling features
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ T-Mobile Extends Wi-Fi Calling to Android Smartphones (Press Release)
  23. ↑ Orange Launch the HTC Desire S with Signal Boost (UMA)
  24. ↑ http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFeatures.do?pinfoId=3403&directoryId=6001&treeId=3745&tab=0
  25. ↑ Orange launch the LG Optimus One with UMA
  26. ↑ T-Mobile Extends Wi-Fi Calling to Android Smartphones (Press Release)
  27. ↑ http://reviews.ebay.com/T-Mobile-HotSpot-amp-Home-Phones-UMA-Updated-30-05-10?ugid=10000000008431233
  28. ↑ http://www.tmonews.com/2013/05/t-mobile-announces-retail-availability-for-lumia-521-wi-fi-calling-and-all/
  29. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k7e3wlYglZI
  30. ↑ http://reviews.ebay.com/T-Mobile-HotSpot-amp-Home-Phones-UMA-Updated-30-05-10?ugid=10000000008431233

External links

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