Enhanced capacity and coverage by Wi-Fi LTE integration

Wi-Fi provides cost-effective data capacity at hotspots in conjunction with broadband cellular networks. The hotspots are required to capture a large number of users and provide high data rates. Data rates, over the Wi-Fi interface, are influenced by the media access protocol, which loses throughput due to contention based protocol delays and unintended collisions when a large number of users are active. The hotspot range that determines the number of users that can associate is limited by the lower power of the client rather than the access point. By diverting the traffic destined to the access point via another access network, both range and efficiency can be improved. This uplink redirection or diversion is achieved by simultaneous use of the Wi-Fi and LTE radio interfaces. Three options, loose, tight, and hybrid integration, are presented to providing enhanced capacity and coverage.