Apple is currently addressing iPhone network utilization issues by implementing a new feature in iOS 4.2.1 that reduces traffic generated by idle apps, according to the tests run by the smartphone giant Nokia. This feature could possibly lead to improved performance on AT&T’s heavily-utilized network and will also help to extend battery life.

Nokia Siemens Networks announced the results in a blog post today at the company’s Smart Lab in Espoo, Finland that indicate that iOS 42 supports Network Controlled Fast Dormancy (NCFD), which is a part of the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8 set of specifications. This feature, which Nokia has introduced on its own system enables the network and smartphone to dynamically determine how frequently the phone switches between idle and active states. This will help cut down on signaling trafic loads, which some observers have claimed was the root of problems AT&T has faced as more and more iPhones came onto their network.

The older versions of iOS have used a more crude version of network dormancy to improve battery life, which was essentially telling the radio to just drop the data connection as soon as any requested data is received. When the iPhone needs more data it needs to set up a new data connection, which reduces demand on the battery but taxes the signaling channels used to set up connections between a device and a cellular base station. Base stations use those signaling channels to set up the data connection, as well as signaling phone calls, SMS messages, voicemails, and other network traffic. This would explain how areas with a lot of iPhones often experience network slowdowns: it’s not just that iPhone users consume more data (although we do) but also that these signaling channels become overloaded.

The current standardized form of NCFD requires support from the carrier to be built into the cellular base stations. AT&T has not specifically announced whether their network supports NCFD but they hav said they are revamping their infrastructure in part to deal with increased demand from iPhones and iPads. In fact, a Wall Street Journalstory from earlier this year detailed how Apple “rejiggered“its software to work better with AT&T’s network.

What do you think? Have you observed an improvement in network performance and longer battery life after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1? Let us know in the comments section below.

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[Source: Engadget, Nokia (blog), Wall Street Journal]

Authors: _GadgetNews

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