MobilityFirst, LTE and the evolution of mobile networks

This paper compares MobilityFirst, a future architecture for the Internet that emphasizes mobility support as essential core network functionality, with LTE, the dominant architecture that is being adopted as the upgrade path to 4G by cellular mobile network operators. The comparison is tentative because MobilityFirst is under-development as part of the NSF's Future Internet Architecture (FIA) research program, which was launched in 2010; while LTE is already in the early stages of commercial deployment globally by mobile operators. A novel aspect of the FIA program is to consider how proposed research architectures for the future Internet might impact industry/market structures and public policy. In keeping with this goal, it is clear that such an evaluation of MobilityFirst requires consideration of the ways that MobilityFirst might interact with LTE. After describing how these architectures differ, we offer preliminary thoughts on the implications of both for business models for future cellular mobile networks and for spectrum management policies. We explain how MobilityFirst is compatible with LTE, while offering the potential to stimulate innovation and competition through its more favorable compatibility with unlicensed spectrum regimes.