Nokia Networks Tests "High Speed Cell FACH" to make smartphone browsing faster, reducing power consumption

Nokia Networks testing reveals outstanding results, as 3G feature boosts click-to-reaction time by 65% and cuts network signaling by 80%

Nokia Networks has conducted the first live network trial of a software feature that improves smartphone performance on 3G networks. Nokia 'High Speed Cell FACH' cuts smartphone-generated network signaling by up to 80%, boosts response time by up to 65% and achieves up to 20% faster browsing.

Up to 40% power savings, contributing to longer smartphone battery life for subscribers, were also shown. The tests were run on the commercial 3G/HSPA network of a major European operator using test devices fitted with Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors that support High Speed Cell FACH.

Running applications such as WhatsApp Messenger, Facebook Messenger, web browsing and e-mail, smartphones often send and receive small data packets of just a few hundreds of bytes or a few kbytes. High Speed Cell FACH handles these small data packets more efficiently to improve the overall customer experience and enable operators to support a higher number of smartphones on their networks.

“Smartphones already outsell feature phones and by 2018, smartphone penetration in some developed markets is expected to exceed 90%. With virtually all these smartphones being 3G-enabled, it’s important to be able to improve network efficiency under high signaling load,” said Thorsten Robrecht, vice president, Mobile Broadband portfolio management at Nokia Networks. “Nokia Networks already offers a unique set of software features to reduce smartphone signaling. High Speed Cell FACH is now the next step.”

'High Speed Cell FACH' is the Nokia Networks name that encompasses three 3GPP standard features – Enhanced Cell_FACH Downlink, Enhanced Cell_FACH Uplink and Enhanced DRX Cell_FACH. As part of the trails, these power savings were achieved in Qualcomm Technologies’ 3G cellular modems, i.e. baseband chipsets including radio frequency modules.