Seamless connectivity is increasingly becoming an integral part of the connectivity service offerings of multiple system operators (MSOs). MSOs with their hybrid network infrastructure and varied service offerings may supplement their connectivity offerings with other wireless operators — for example, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreements with mobile network operators (MNOs) — in addition to leveraging their own infrastructure. Depending on the infrastructure they own, MSOs may have to contend with disparate sets of wireless infrastructures.
In such scenarios, the transition of the user’s data traffic between these disparate networks becomes critical for ensuring a consistent user experience. It is also key to enforcing uniform and personalized policies as users move in and out of coverage of these networks with regards to:
- The transition being optimally triggered, considering not just the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) but also the network congestion, availability of and interference from neighboring networks and the traffic requirements (based on traffic/application type).
- The transition being as quick and seamless as possible (without any noticeable service disruption to the user) while maintaining security and privacy of user data.
Addressing these challenges will enable seamless and consistent connectivity for subscribers, dynamically adapting to evolving user needs and network conditions.
CableLabs’ Work In the Seamless Connectivity Space
CableLabs recognizes the evolving mobile industry landscape driven by the introduction of 5G and the availability of new and innovative spectrum options. Aware of our members’ growing mobile subscriber base and a need to complement their existing broadband offerings, we understand how critical it is to resolve the pain points that they face today (or may face in the near future).
Considering this, CableLabs, in collaboration with our members, started a Seamless Connectivity working group (WG) to understand and validate some of these issues. The aim of the group is to come up with multiple solutions that could cater to specific member needs by aligning with their infrastructure and deployment strategies. Seamless connectivity is a key theme of the Technology Vision for the future of the industry.
One potential solution for addressing the seamless connectivity issue is ATSSS, or Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting. To learn more about the standardized ATSSS feature, watch our demo video below. You can watch the full video, “Harnessing ATSSS: Seamless Traffic Switching for Uninterrupted Connectivity,” here.
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To learn more, check out the paper on seamless connectivity that we published at SCTE TechExpo24.
If you have any questions on the ATSSS demo or seamless connectivity initiative or if you would like to participate in the working group and collaborate with us, please reach out to me or my colleagues Sanjay Patel, John Bahr and Neeharika Jesukumar.