When the Internet was first introduced, there was a vast increase in the amount of data flow on the fixed network. The same is expected to happen in mobile telecommunications, and in fact this move towards using data services can already be observed with increasing popularity of text messages and the introduction of 'picture messaging'. The next generation of mobile phones is expected to offer the user more and better such services, due to increased bandwidth. However, as the volume of information rises, information overload will start to become a serious problem, which is why access to high-bandwidth Wireless LANs will appeal to, for example, business users amongst others.
The main purpose of this project is to be able to offer the user the best possible service. At the moment, 3G operators see Wireless LANs as a threat that must be tackled. This is not the most beneficial approach, since Wireless LANs could complement 3G and offer a number of benefits that are currently lacking. In the project, a multi-service mobile terminal that is compatible with different standards is proposed, so that the user can make normal voice calls on 2G and 3G, and also access a number of data services from Wireless LAN "hot spots".
The project had to define such a service from the users' and the networks' point of view, since there are no specifications for how Wireless LANs would behave in such a scenario.
The final objective was to model the cost of installing and running one such 'hot spot', using transmission costs of ADSL as a guide. From this, it would be possible to estimate a range of access charge per user, and judge their reasonability. Other issues investigated were the number of Access Points that could be installed in such a hot spot to satisfy most demand at peak times and modifications to the access charge to recuperate costs. Poisson distribution was used to characterise the inter-arrival times of customers entering such a place and their distribution around the average value.