HSPA+ Evolution to Release 12: Performance and Optimization

13 Smartphone Performance

Pablo Tapia, Michael Thelander, Timo Halonen, Jeff Smith, and Mika Aalto

13.1 Introduction

In recent years the wireless industry has witnessed an impressive surge in smartphone and data services adoption: in 2013, smartphones accounted for nearly 50% of worldwide handset sales; however, in the USA alone this figure was even more dramatic, surpassing the 90% mark [1].

While the wide adoption of data services is quite positive to the operator from a revenue standpoint, there are big challenges associated with the amount of traffic being generated by modern smartphones. Smartphones are powerful computing devices with fast Internet access speeds that enable a similar connection experience to that of typical home computers. Such performance levels permit wireless customers to enjoy a wide range of wireless services, from typical web browsing to live streaming of high definition video, which entails a higher consumption of data content overall. Furthermore, as will be analyzed later on this chapter, the better the device, the more data it is bound to consume, which puts operators in the difficult situation of juggling the desire to satisfy their customers and the need to limit their impact on network resources.

The resource consumption associated with increased smartphone penetration is not only tied to the amount of data transferred, but also involves an even higher increase of network signaling: unlike typical computers, smartphones are always connected ...