Unlicensed Mobile Access

During the past year, mobile and integrated fixed/mobile operators announced an increasing number of fixed-mobile convergence initiatives, many of which are materializing in 2006. The majority of these initiatives are focused around UMA, the first standardized technology enabling seamless handover between mobile radio networks and WLANs. Clearly, in one way or another, UMA is a key agenda item for many operators.Operators are looking at UMA to address the indoor voice market (i.e. accelerate or control fixed-to-mobile substitution) as well as to enhance the performance of mobile services indoors. Furthermore, these operators are looking at UMA as a means to fend off the growing threat from new Voice-over-IP (VoIP) operators.However, when evaluating a new 3GPP standard like UMA, many operators ask themselves how well it fits with other network evolution initiatives, including:
o UMTS
o Soft MSCs
o IMS Data Services
o I-WLAN
o IMS Telephony
This whitepaper aims to clarify the position of UMA in relation to these other strategic initiatives. For a more comprehensive introduction to the UMA opportunity, refer to "The UMA Opportunity," available on the Kineto web site (www.kineto.com).

Mobile Network Reference Model

To best understand the role UMA plays in mobile network evolution, it is helpful to first
introduce a reference model for today's mobile networks. Figure 1 provides a simplified
model for the majority of 3GPP-based mobile networks currently in deployment.