Active DAS challenges small cells on the way to 5G
Modern DAS systems challenge small cells by building on their inherent advantages of neutral host, and macrocell parity and adding features such as traffic steering and multiple network convergence (for example Wi-Fi or public safety) on the same in-building backhaul. They also challenge small cells by tackling one of the main drawbacks: cost per square foot of installation and OPEX needed for system cooling and operation.
However, small cells do not immediately provide a neutral host capability and are complex to configure and virtualize since the baseband, unlike DAS, is distributed in each small cell which must coordinate with its neighbor to mitigate interference.
Hybrid systems are a recent development where the best of DAS and small cells merge. “These systems centralize the baseband function like DAS but use Cloud RAN (CRAN) techniques to distribute signals over dedicated fiber to remote radio heads in the building,” says Nick Marshall, research director, networks. “ABI Research believes that it is innovations such as these that are laying the groundwork for in-building 5G.”
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