Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Sprint Corp. recently demonstrated phase two of an over-the-air trial of TD-LTE small cells at the Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The venue  was selected for the trial because of large fan attendance and high mobile data demand during races, Qualcomm said, as well as challenging radio frequency conditions. Qualcomm installed 31 of Airspan’s AirSynergy 2000 LTE-Advanced pico base stations in the track’s garage area, which use the company’s small cell chipsets and self-organizing network (SON) technology. According to Qualcomm, the small cell network has an equivalent density of 1,000 cells per square kilometer operating in Sprint’s band 41 TD-LTE spectrum. Phase one of the trial, which demonstrated the company’s UltraSON technology for improving data performance and quality of service in small cell networks, was completed last November. Phase two focuses on capacity gains using small cells compared to existing macro cellular technology.
“NASCAR is one of the most challenging environments for wireless data delivery due to a highly dynamic wireless environment and very high demand for data capacity,” said Steve Worling, senior director of IT for NASCAR, in a statement. “We are constantly evaluating next-generation technology that can enable better on-track experiences for our fans and teams. Small cells are compelling given their low installation costs, modest physical footprint and potential to relieve the pressure put on the macro networks during the race from data hungry fans.”
Qualcomm Inc. also said this week that its retail solutions business will be providing the hardware for Major League Baseball’s iBeacon deployments for 20 stadiums for opening day of the 2014 baseball season.
–The Moscow metro transit system has deployed wireless broadband from Radwin for Wi-Fi access and paid advertising content to passengers on board trains. The company’s FiberinMotion product is in use in more than 80 trains in the Moscow transit system and supports nearly 1 terabyte of daily traffic per line.
—Ruckus Wireless Inc. said that managed Wi-Fi provider Deep Blue Communications is the first to deploy its SmartCell Gateway (SCG) 200 to provide private cloud-managed wireless LAN services for various verticals. Deep Blue specializes in wireless for hospitality, retail and public venue markets.
–The Federal Communications Commission has certified Nextivity Inc.’s CEl-Fi Smart Signal booster for T-Mobile users. The company says its offering is the only carrier-specific booster that meets the new Part 20 rules on consumer boosters, which went into full effect on March 1. Carrier-specific boosters are allowed to have higher gains than wideband boosters.
—Aruba Networks announced a new deployment of unified wired and wireless technology based on its Mobile Virtual Enterprise architecture at Bellevue College in Washington State. The college has more than 26,000 students, faculty and staff and a campus that covers more than 100 acres.
