In-building RF planning tools for small cells

Written by David Chambers

Published on Thursday, 13 June 2013

Radio planning tools are used throughout the wireless industry to determine the most effective location, configuration and parameters for base stations. But networks are becoming more complex and users are demanding better performance in the buildings where they work, live and visit. This means that the planning tools also need to become more sophisticated and work alongside automated SON (Self Organising Networks) technology built into the small cells and supporting servers.

Small Cell World Summit 2013 Report

Written by David Chambers

Published on Thursday, 06 June 2013

The 50% increase in delegates at this year's Small Cell World Summit in London reflects the industry's rapidly changing views about small cells. 98% of operators now see them as an essential part of their roadmap. Attendance was up from 460 to 720, including 230 operator delegates from 110 companies. A separate parallel backhaul session attracted up to 70 delegates. We saw several DAS vendors for the first time, one commenting that this event was bigger than the comparable DAS one. There were a few lively debates at times too.

Small Cell Classification and Terminology

Written by David Chambers

Published on Thursday, 30 May 2013

There seems to be an increasingly vague set of terms and differing scope being used when describing Small Cells. This leads to confusion when comparing forecast numbers, examining how operators are deploying them and ensuring conversations relate to the same baseline. I've even heard it said that vendors often have to begin initial customer meetings by taking several minutes to set the ground rules.

Here we look at not only what a common set of terminology could be, but some of the underlying reasons behind the subtle differences.

China market update for Small Cells and LTE 2013

Written by David Chambers

Published on Tuesday, 28 May 2013

China has the potential to be a huge market for small cells - the numbers are huge. With some 1 billion mobile subscribers, even a small course change creates an enormous industry impact. We find that while Picochip/Mindspeed dominate the 3G TD-SCDMA small cell designs, the door is open for other chipset vendors to capitalise on TD-LTE. The timescale for LTE in China remains unclear, but the huge potential to upgrade many of today's 4 million public Wi-Fi hotspots into small cells would a very tempting market for any aspiring small cell vendor.

Data caching reduces backhaul costs for Small Cells and Wi-Fi

Written by David Chambers

Published on Thursday, 23 May 2013

Backhaul connections for small cells are seen to be a costly component, especially for outdoor/public access where dedicated wireless equipment is required. The higher bandwidth demands from LTE and Wi-Fi place ever greater loads driving further investment. Data caching, storing frequently accessed data within each small cell, could significantly reduce backhaul bandwidth required and also improve the quality of service to customers. We look at two small cell vendors who champion this approach.

Wireless Broadband Alliance enable seamless cellular and Wi-Fi using Small Cells

Written by David Chambers

Published on Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Wi-Fi is being mandated for many public access small cells, with an product specification of a tri-mode 3G/LTE/Wi-Fi small cell commonly thought of as an ideal long term goal. Relatively low takeup of Service Provider Wi-Fi to date isn't helped by clunky, unintuitive and potentially insecure login screens.

Tiago Rodrigues, Program Director at the Wireless Broadband Alliance explains how the WBA has developed a solution which makes Wi-Fi access as easy as cellular roaming, where and how this could be rolled out, and what the WBA/Small Cell Forum partnership could deliver next.

LTE small cells create opportunity for new mobile network entrant in the UK

Written by David Chambers

Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013

Something interesting is happening here in the UK, which may be a forerunner of what could happen elsewhere. BT, the encumbent fixed network operator, bought some 2.6GHz spectrum in the LTE auction earlier this year. Having initially said they had no plans to launch their own retail mobile network, they are now changing their approach and announced they may do so within the next 12 months.

We look at the context of how the commercial makeup of mobile network operators are evolving and are now becoming three distinct components. Is this a trend that will continue and be adopted more widely, or is BT's move an indication of consolidation to come?

ThinkSmallCell Interview with Gordon Mansfield, Chairmain Small Cell Forum, May 2013

Written by David Chambers

Published on Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Gordon Mansfield, AVP – Small Cell Solutions at AT&T, has been Chairman of the Small Cell Forum since last September, and we caught up with him before Small Cell World Summit to hear how the Forum has evolved under his new leadership. He explained their Release Program, reveals where the strongest areas of interest are, discusses some terminology confusion and explains how the membership has evolved.

This shows a considerable move of focus from earlier residential femtocells (which aren't going away) onto both Enterprise and so-called Public Access small cells (Metrocells and Picocells).

Small Cell Chipset Vendor Landscape 2013

Written by David Chambers

Published on Tuesday, 07 May 2013

A lot of investment has gone into development of specialist silicon for small cells in recent years. In this article, we've taken a step back and reviewed the landscape, talked to many of the major players, and developed our view of what's going on. It might be controversial for some, but should help navigate through the plethora of press releases and announcements.