Collaboration to develop ‘small cells’
The result of the collaboration is expected to be an adaptive small cell that provides maximum performance and capacity with minimum cost of ownership. Mobile service providers are preparing for sustained and unprecedented growth in mobile data consumption, driven by smartphones, tablets and dongles.
Macrocell augmentation, spectrum additions and LTE provide some of the extra capacity, but most of the load will be shouldered by a major proliferation in public small cells. By creating a much denser mobile network closer to the point of use, users will experience data performance that approaches headline rates.
Dual-mode WCDMA/LTE small cells are said to have a number of advantages. They provide a smooth migration to LTE, whilst providing the near-term need for WCDMA capacity and maintaining support for voice services. There should also be significant power consumption and Capex advantages over separate systems.
The collaboration will fuel a new range of dual-mode WCDMA/LTE small cells for public space and metro environments, such as base stations designed for mounting on walls or street furniture, with performance up to 150Mbps LTE plus 64 calls/84Mbps WCDMA. The first products will be available in 1H 2012.
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