Smarter airtime use where it actually matters

Anyone running a busy sector knows the issue: one or two heavy users can quietly ruin the experience for everyone else. Voice calls break up. Interactive traffic stutters. Customers complain about “random” issues that are hard to pin down.

The new Station Selection feature changes how the access point schedules traffic. Instead of treating all stations equally, the AP now understands traffic priority per station and serves it accordingly:

• Voice traffic is prioritised most aggressively
• Interactive applications follow
• Background traffic is deliberately deprioritised

The result is more predictable airtime behaviour in dense sectors. VoIP stays usable, interactive traffic feels responsive, and background downloads stop impacting the rest of the network.

For operators selling higher-speed packages on shared infrastructure, this is a meaningful improvement in day-to-day quality of experience.

Better uplink performance on long links

Long-distance uplinks are often the first thing to fail as networks grow. The downlink looks strong on paper, but the uplink RSSI becomes the limiting factor.

This release extends Asymmetric Uplink Bandwidth to include management frames, improving real-world behaviour on long-range connections. By running a smaller uplink channel:

• Transmit power density improves
• Stable connections are maintained at range
• Downlink throughput is preserved

For South African operators pushing distance on rural links, this is a practical advantage.

Smoother TCP behaviour under load

High-speed networks do not always behave well when traffic transitions between fibre backhaul and wireless access. TCP microbursts can cause sudden latency spikes and packet loss, even when average throughput appears stable.

The new TCP Microburst Mitigation feature optimises how acknowledgements are handled on the uplink:

• Smoother data flow
• Reduced burst behaviour
• More consistent performance under load

This is an improvement that is noticeable in live environments, particularly under sustained usage.

Easier validation of MU-MIMO performance

The ePMP AX platform introduces advanced MU-MIMO capabilities, but validating performance has not always been straightforward.

The updated Wireless Link Test now exposes MU-MIMO capability indicators, allowing installers and network engineers to:

• Verify correct client grouping
• Confirm spatial stream utilisation

This simplifies commissioning, alignment, and troubleshooting, making MU-MIMO performance easier to validate in the field.

Stability and recovery improvements

Additional updates include:

• Improved GPS stability and signal validity
• Smarter scanning behaviour on subscriber modules, reducing downtime during AP recovery

These improvements reduce intermittent issues, improve recovery times, and contribute to overall network stability.