Stretching the Limits - CW Small Cell SIG April 2014

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Published on Tuesday, 08 April 2014 16:06

Written by David Chambers

We chose the title - Stretching the Limits - for this UK industry specialist conference to focus on current thinking of how best to squeeze extra capacity from cellular networks. With 5G still some years off, would the consensus be entirely towards Small Cells or would other technologies factor into the mix? Presentations from analyst, vendor and operator speakers combined with an interactive audience Q&A session to deliver an interesting snapshot of current industry thinking.

The mix of more than half a dozen mainstream solutions available will offer different returns over the next 3-5 years, leading to a transition from today's mainstream LTE macrocell deployments towards a greater focus on Small Cells.

Four ways to add capacity – from Sectorisation to Small Cells

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Published on Wednesday, 02 April 2014 16:42

Written by David Chambers

As networks grow and need to add capacity, there are several different ways to achieve frequency reuse. We compare and contrast four options.

First, a quick recap of the three ways to increase capacity on mobile networks...

Increasing the accuracy of indoor location using Small Cells

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Published on Thursday, 27 March 2014 16:34

Written by David Chambers

Last month, US FCC regulators announced plans for new rules to accurately report the location of emergency calls made from smartphones inside buildings. Other countries could easily follow suit. I spoke with Rich Lee CEO of iPosi, a GNSS indoor location technology company, to discuss the various technology solutions available to address this issue.

He believes that Small Cells provide one of the best platforms to systematically determine indoor mobile location, not only meeting the proposed FCC 50 metre target but achieving accuracy eventually down to 1 metre using their "toolbox" technologies that combines sensitive GPS receivers with precise timing systems.

Dean Fresonke, ClearSky, explains a comprehensive approach to Small Cell as a Service

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Published on Tuesday, 25 March 2014 16:56

Written by David Chambers

 In a deal just announced, ClearSky Technologies (who operate a Small Cell gateway as a managed service) has teamed up with Knight Enterprises (a cable TV and broadband contractor whose field staff physically install equipment in the street and in customer premises. The partnership, serving the South-eastern United States, offers a service similar but slightly more encompassing of that seen touted in the UK by Virgin Media.

We spoke with Dean Fresonke, ClearSky's Co-Founder and SVP Business Development, to understand more about the mechanics of large scale Small Cell deployment and why they've chosen to go down this route.

Skip the 5G hype and invest in more Small Cell methodology

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Published on Thursday, 20 March 2014 15:47

Written by David Chambers

European leaders have recently admitted that the region is losing out on the race to adopt 4G/LTE. Their solution is to win the race for 5G. I doubt this will solve the immediate issue and wonder if 5G should be less about additional technology steps and more about how the industry operates.

How should Network Operators track usage to determine where Small Cells fit?

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Published on Monday, 17 March 2014 09:25

Written by David Chambers

The pattern of usage of Smartphones continues to evolve quickly. What tools and metrics should operators be tracking to understand better how and where their customers are using wireless services? How will these feed through to determine where and when to deploy new network capacity?

Using unlicensed spectrum for Small Cell Backhaul

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Published on Thursday, 13 March 2014 15:38

Written by David Chambers

Wi-Fi is growing in popularity despite (or because) it operates in unlicenced spectrum. LTE-U (using LTE technology in the Wi-Fi spectrum bands) has become another recent hot topic.

Taking things a step further, several backhaul vendors are proposing use of unlicensed (Wi-Fi) spectrum to connect Urban Small Cells or remote radio heads back into the network. Is this a sensible fit with delivery of consistent and high quality cellular service?

Interview with Mike Schabel, VP Small Cells, Alcatel-Lucent

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Published on Tuesday, 11 March 2014 16:37

Written by David Chambers

We met with Mike at Mobile World Congress, where he updated us on the recent progress that Alcatel-Lucent has been making in the Small Cell space. He reported progress on their Qualcomm-based joint product development, clarified a recent announcement to work with a DAS vendor and shared his views of the longer term Small Cell market direction.

Converging Cellular and Wi-Fi using Small Cells

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Published on Tuesday, 04 March 2014 17:05

Written by David Chambers

For several years now, Wi-Fi has been an alternative and usually completely independent method of accessing the Internet than through the cellular network. There has been little or no synergy or commonality between the two. Some visionaries talk of Wi-Fi as just another RAN (Radio Access Network), which fits alongside 3G and LTE, albeit operating in unlicenced spectrum.

With the growing uptake of Carrier Wi-Fi, we look at various technical options of how Wi-Fi and Licenced Cellular are converging.