Soon You'll Be Able To Build Your Own 4G Network Over Wi-Fi Frequencies (hpe.com)

Long-time Slashdot reader Esther Schindler writes: An industry consortium called MulteFire wants to help you build your own LTE-like network that uses the Wi-Fi spectrum, with no need for carriers or providers, writes Andy Patrizio. Just don't expect to get started today. "In its basic specification, MulteFire Release 1.0 defines an LTE-like network that can run entirely on unlicensed spectrum frequencies. The alliance didn't try to do too much with the 1.0 spec; it simply wanted to get it out the door so partners and manufacturers could begin adoption. For 1.0, the alliance focused on the 5-GHz band. More functionality and more spectrums will be supported in future specs." Why would you want it? As Patrzio explains, MulteFire's target audience is fairly obvious: anyone who needs speed, scalability, and security beyond what Wi-Fi offers. "MulteFire is enabling cellular technologies to run in unassigned spectrum, where they are free to use it so long as they follow the rules of the spectrum band," says Mazen Chmaytelli, president of the MulteFire Alliance." Is this something you think would make a difference?
The alliance includes Qualcomm and Cisco Systems, and the article points out some advantages. LTE cell towers "can be miles apart versus Wi-Fi's range of just a few feet. Plus, LTE's security has never been breached, as far as we know."

Comments

It's a good thing

[93 Escort Wagon]

... that existing 5Ghz wifi bands never get congested or oversubscribed, amirite?

Re:Not a good Neighbour

[squiggleslash]

Wifi also needs exclusive spectrum to work properly: try setting two APs to the same frequency and putting them side by side. Most people get a serious reduction in Wifi throughput, of the order of 50-90%, if their neighbor has an AP on the same frequency, and that's despite walls and others obstacles reducing the competing AP's signal to a level that you can't connect to it directly.

LTE and Wifi both use OFDM which is an air interface technology that tolerates a certain amount of noise. So it's unlikely LTE will be unusable in situations where Wifi is usable.

I don't see this as a problem. I'm more concerned that this isn't what the summary says it is: being able to independently implement LTE sounds good to me, but IIRC the major push is for LTE that requires a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum, rather than exclusively unlicensed. If they're also working on the latter, then awesome, it'd be nice to see how well an alternative to Wifi works, and something whose security is based upon physical SIM cards rather than passwords could be a big improvement, in theory.

Re:No, you wont

[squiggleslash]

Apparently not, see first and second FAQ answers. Sounds interesting, it'll be interesting to see how well it works and how cheap the hardware would be. The major issue will be legacy devices that only support Wifi.

Re: umm...

[Brockmire]

An LTE base station has WAY better transmitter and receiver than the clients. They also use high gain antennas. We're talking multiple watts vs the clients.

Bit of disinformation going on here.

[Computershack]

LTE cell towers "can be miles apart versus Wi-Fi's range of just a few feet.

A friend of mine uses a trunk radio system with linked sites utilising 5GHz wifi (Ubiquity gear for those interested) for the inter site control channel data link. The sites are over 40 miles apart. Of course LTE sites can be miles apart if you're putting them on a tower and the range would be greater than a wifi router in your house because at those frequencies communications effectively works on clear line of sight. Put those LTE transmitters in your house and the range would be no different than regular wifi.