The pace of technology evolution in mobile networks is happening ever more rapidly, and this panel from the HetNet Expo 2014 explores some of the major changes happening in networks today as well as what the future may look like.
John Bramfeld of Advanced RF Technologies, Jeffrey Funderburg of AT&T, Barry McLaren of Ericsson, Mark Reynolds of the University of New Mexico and Asad Vaince of Boingo Wireless discuss trends and challenges, particularly as related to distributed antenna systems, small cells and Wi-Fi.
“There are a lot of realities, and we’re working through these realities with our operator customers to really understand where the money can be spent most efficiently in the short term, which buildings you should spend our money on and why, and which solutions should be deployed,” said McLaren.
The panel talked about the challenges and opportunities emerging as LTE-Advanced features begin to be deployed in wireless networks.
“I think LTE-Advanced provides a lot of additional features, and we’d like to see these features be able to work from small cells and a macro standpoint and have that seamless coordination, so you can take advantage of these features both indoors and out and have seamless mobility between the two,” said McLaren.
Adding to the complexity are the ever-changing combinations of frequencies that are being used in operator networks.
“Frequency is kind of a dry topic, but … we have to keep constant pace with it,” said Bramfeld,speaking about how DAS installations must evolve along with carrier network advancements – but still maintain backwards-compatibility.
The panelists offer their perspectives on the development and implications of “5G” as well as the role of Wi-Fi – it’s worth a watch, so check it out below. Additional video coverage of panels, presentations and interviews from the HetNet Expo 2014 is available on RCR’s YouTube site.
