June 19, 2018 As a cost-effective solution to help organizations fill coverage gaps, increase bandwidth and get ready for seamless 5G connectivity, small cell technology solutions are making a big impact. While it’s not necessarily a new concept, small cells are getting more and more attention.
In addition to being a power efficient and affordable solution, small cell technology has also become more flexible and attractive. Moving beyond coverage within commercial buildings, hospitals, airports and other indoor spaces, small cells have become key components of outdoor network densification as well.
Driving Force Behind Small Cell Technology
From indoor applications where macro antennas might not be able to reach to outdoor environments like sports venues and rural neighborhoods, small cells increase capacity and coverage where it’s needed most. Due to the increased consumer demands for indoor and outdoor connectivity, market trends are experiencing an evolution.
And, organizations must evolve along with the trends.
According to the report, “Small Cells: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide 2018-2024,”Growth is a result of the implementation of the tremendous amount of digital content from video on smart phones, from the digital economy, IoT, robots, drones, self-driving cars, and artificial intelligence. The digital economy rides on the back of small cells 5G signal transmission which is a 10x improvement in capacity over existing broadband.”
The report identifies additional driving forces behind the small cell technology market, including:
- Need for local communications network evolution
- Availability of ultra-reliable software
- Effective software to control agile infrastructure
- Automation that facilitates large-scale, low-cost network densification
- Decrease costs by implementing network through third-party deployments
- Effective integration of base small cell technology
- Achieving systems integration with open and interoperable standards to ensure competition and economies of scale
- Adoption of 5G Era technologies that require a shift in processes
Small Cell Technology Benefits
Small cells require low RF power output, they have a small footprint and can be quickly deployed indoors or outdoors. At five times faster downloads and half the time to deploy, indoor and outdoor small cell technology delivers better performance and reliability, ultimately enhancing the experience for the end-user.
Small Cell Applications
Small cell technology lies at the heart of the evolving infrastructure and are used widely across a broad range of commercial and government applications.
- Enterprise small cell technology, generally indoors, are primarily coverage and capacity driven, for those with a need for high reliability.
- Urban small cell technology are typically deployed in areas of high-demand density and usually on an open-access basis for customers. They are usually deployed outdoors on street furniture or indoor public locations such as a mall or transportation hub.
- Rural and remote small cell technology can be used to offer coverage for public safety communications, disaster recovery communications, rural communities, remote industrial locations, special events as well as military and transportation needs.
Small Cell Technology Project Management
The number of small cell technology deployment is predicted to rapidly increase over the next few years from approximately 13,000 small cells in 2017 to over 800,000 total deployments by 2026. With these rapid changes ahead, it’s essential to work with an experienced telecom engineering provider. At KMB, we offer full-service telecom engineering consulting services and are licensed in the United States and Europe. We take a systematic approach with your project from start to finish to ensure your goals are met.
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Contact KMB to learn more about our small cell technology engineering consulting services.