Playing it smart

Ensuring the best user experience in the shift to smartphones

Article published by Ericsson

 

As subscribers make the shift from feature phones to more resource-demanding smartphones, it is vital that operators continue to deliver a good user experience. Ericsson is leading the way in rolling out new network features, and collaborating with handset vendors and chipset makers, to help ensure users get the best experience when they switch on their new smartphones.

 

Millions of subscribers are making the switch to smartphones as more and more vendors launch devices and average selling price continues to fall. The latest figures from market research company IDC show that sales of smartphones reached 101 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 – up 87 percent from a year earlier – and total sales for the year were 302 million, up 75 percent on 2009. The market was given a significant boost by the arrival of Android, which has now surpassed Symbian to become the most popular smartphone operating system.

There are now more than 630 million 3G subscribers worldwide, and this figure is predicted to rise to one billion by the end of 2011. Many of these subscribers will be smartphone users.

This trend represents both an opportunity and a challenge for mobile operators.

The adoption of smartphones drives revenue for operators by opening up many more services and applications to subscribers on the move. The great success of mobile app stores has already demonstrated the value there is making it easy for subscribers to access ‘over-the-top’ Internet-based services on the move.

Smartphone owners are much bigger users of email, social networking and online video services than their feature phone-owning counterparts – and they like to use these services anytime, anywhere.

However, this change in user behavior means smartphones are much more demanding on resources, both in the mobile network and in the device itself. Smartphones demand more regular connectivity and higher bandwidth to handle the types of services subscribers expect to use on them. And they have more powerful processors and bigger displays than more basic phones. All of which leads to new demands on coverage, battery life and network capacity.

By having the best network, and managing the introduction of smartphones well, operators have an opportunity to offer the best user experience for subscribers moving from feature phones to smartphones, and ensure they remain loyal, satisfied customers. The mobile network itself can become a key differentiator by offering the best data speeds, latency and overall quality of service for over-thetop services.

 

Getting the ecosystem right

Smartphone user expectations are high, and making sure these expectations are met requires the often complex relationship between network infrastructure, mobile devices and user applications to work optimally.

Ericsson is working to ensure that new features designed to enhance the smartphone user experience are ready for commercial roll-out in the network and supported by smartphones at the same time.

A case in point is the new 3GPP standard Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC) feature, which will be rolled out during 2011. This feature improves power efficiency by allowing the smartphone transmitter and receiver to be powered down when there is no data to be sent or received, without the need to disconnect from the mobile network. The result is a 25–100 percent gain in battery life – depending on the applications being used – which significantly extends the length of time smartphone users can be online. This is a considerable improvement in battery life, when one considers that smartphone battery capacity itself has only improved by 60 percent over the past six years.

Ericsson has worked closely with ST-Ericsson to ensure that smartphones can take advantage of CPC – and other performance-enhancing features – as soon as they are available from the network. In addition, through its Interoperability Development Testing (IODT) and Multivendor Terminal Verification (MVTV) programs, Ericsson ensures that its network infrastructure and other vendors’ devices all work together properly to support new performance-enhancing features simultaneously.

During interoperability testing for CPC, ST-Ericsson’s Thor™ M5700series HSPA+ 21Mbps chipset was found to be the most power-efficient on the market, consuming less than half the power of existing HSPA+ 21Mbps modems in the ‘connected’ state with CPC.

Smartphone power efficiency and network capacity utilization are also improved by the use of HSPA+ 21Mbps modems, because higher bit rates enable shorter, more efficient data sessions. For the user, 21Mbps modems improve the experience of Internet-based services by delivering more then double the speed available from current 7.2Mbps devices.

The ST-Ericsson Thor M5700 series is the first 21Mbps modems that use just two chips – making it the smallest solution on the market. By reducing device makers’ bill of materials and minimizing heat dissipation, the Thor M5700 family of modems can be embedded in a wide range of devices. The first smartphone to be based on this new modem –the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, available from TMobile in the USA –recently became the first HSPA+ 21Mbps smartphone to hit the market.

Another feature that improves power efficiency is network-controlled Fast Dormancy. Rather than the device deciding by itself when to drop down to the dormant or idle state – which most smartphones do today – this 3GPPstandardized feature returns control to the network. This improves overall efficiency by preventing repeated dormancy and reconnection requests.

With CPC, HSPA+ 21Mbps modems, network-controlled Fast Dormancy and other features all contributing to improved speed and power efficiency, smartphone users will be able to enjoy the mobile Internet experience for longer while out and about. Being always connected will no longer come at the cost of shorter battery life.

The introduction of the CPC power-saving feature highlights the importance of aligning all aspects of the ecosystem when new features are introduced. By doing this, Ericsson is helping operators ensure that subscribers enjoy the best smartphone experience from day one.