Nokia is trying to help operators that may see damage to their brands when consumers experience crappy Wi-Fi service in their homes. The vendor is introducing several enhancements to its in-home Wi-Fi solution that are intended to enhance Wi-Fi performance and simplify network management.
The solution is actually a meshed network system with gateways and beacons—something operators can white label and offer to their customers. If they so choose, they can use Nokia’s Wi-Fi Care Portal to effectively manage devices and quickly identify and resolve issues or upsell services, such as broadband capacity or additional beacons, to improve network performance.
Nokia says the solution stems from the strain on home Wi-Fi networks where the sheer number of devices is wreaking havoc and leading to signal interference and degradation.
Signals from simple home appliances like a microwave can create problems in performance. Nokia notes that with more than 30% of calls related to poor in-home connectivity, operators increasingly are challenged with troubleshooting issues that are often the result of third-party Wi-Fi solutions. If they don’t have adequate visibility into the home, the operator can end up with lengthy trial-and-error procedures or expensive truck rolls to try to fix issues.
“For many users, the concept of Wi-Fi and broadband access are synonymous, putting many operators on the front line of customer complaints if Wi-Fi performance is impacted,” said Federico Guillen, president of Nokia’s Fixed Networks business group, in a press release. “Depending on the tools available to operators, this can become either a business challenge or an opportunity. Nokia’s enhanced in-home Wi-Fi solution is unique in that it addresses the end-customer need for a better Wi-Fi experience while providing service providers with the tools and visibility they need to quickly resolve issues, enhance customer loyalty and create additional revenue-generating opportunities.”
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Nokia says its solution can identify up to 17 different interference sources occurring at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz whereas it says the typical product currently on the market only detects about four. The vendor also said its Wi-Fi portfolio comes with a Gigabit performance promise to every corner of the home.