Intelligent Caching Strategy for Mobile Communication Networks

Inhalt:
Modern mobile radio communication will bring wireless broadband access to all users. However a full coverage even in urban areas is not accomplishable or reasonable. In fact there will be a high density of Hot Spot zones offering several 10 Mbit/s of bandwidth and zones of only limited access via cellular networks like GSM/GPRS or UMTS in between. The employment of intelligent caching strategies will increase the overall performance of such heterogeneous network structures and virtually extend broadband access towards a full coverage. Intelligent caching is based on the principle of buffering information in advance in periods of high transfer rates and consuming them during idle episodes between these zones. Therefore it is benefecial to optimise download rates in such specific areas. Customers will get the impression of a continuous wideband connection. The paper will expose the performance gain due to caching strategies and how future WLAN networks have to be dimensioned for optimal usability. The new concept can overcome the problem of patchy coverage and provide a virtually continuous broadband Internet access.