Apple iOS 4.2 addresses smartphone signaling deluge

Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) latest iOS operating system update includes a feature designed to reduce the amount of signaling traffic the iPhone 4 generates on mobile networks, according to Nokia Siemens Networks.

The onslaught of smartphones on carrier networks has ushered in heavy signaling traffic because the devices are making constant queries of the network as they move among cell sites to push email, access social networking tools and conduct other repetitive actions. Carriers are pushing their handset vendors to support a feature called fast dormancy, which is part of the 3GPP Release 8 set of specs. Fast dormancy allows the mobile device to quickly make a query to the radio network controller to release the connection so that it can return to the idle state faster. That means the device is relaying the fact that the phone is going dormant, saving signaling channels.

NSN's implementation of fast dormancy on the Apple iOS 4.2 basically sets rules on how, and how often, a smartphone moves between idle and active modes while still protecting battery life. Signaling traffic rather than the sheer amount of mobile data has been blamed for degrading the quality of some 3G networks. Research In Motion is also expected to release handsets supporting the fast dormancy feature in the first quarter of 2011.

For more:
- see this Light Reading Mobile article

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