Nokia might not make phones anymore, but that hasn't stopped it from running tests on how to improve smartphone performance over 3G. It's just finished testing a new software feature, and claims it will make for quicker browsing and longer battery life.
The feature is called Nokia High Speed Cell FACH. Nokia says it can increase browsing speed by 20 per cent, cut smartphone-generated network signalling by 80 per cent, and boost response time by 65 per cent.
Not only that, it can also result in power savings of up to 40 per cent, which will make for much longer battery life. Impressive.
To conduct the tests, Nokia ran apps like WhatsApp Messenger, Facebook Messenger, browsed the web, and sent emails from smartphones. To take advantage of the speed and performance boosts, you'll need a smartphone that runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that supports High Speed Cell FACH.
"Smartphones already outsell feature phone and by 2018, smartphone penetration in some developed markets is expected to exceed 90 per cent," Thorsten Robrecht, video president, mobile broadband portfolio manager at Nokia Networks said in a statement. "With virtually all these smartphones being 3G-enabled, it's important to be able to improve network efficiency under high signalling load.
"Nokia Networks already offers a unique set of software features to reduce smartphone signalling. High Speed Cell FACH is the next step."
For more, check out Nokia's whitepaper (PDF download link).
Nokia sold its mobile division to Microsoft, but still has its infrastructure and services division called Nokia Networks.
Read more: What is 4G? A complete LTE mobile internet guide