Vodafone Netherlands will be the first operator to deploy Ericsson’s RBS 6402 launched last year at the Consumer Electronics Show. The RBS 6402 targets venues that are too small to need Ericsson’s Radio Dot small cell solution. Vodafone Netherlands will deploy this solution in its customer-facing shops. In the Netherlands, Vodafone operates about 400 shops serving over 5 million business and residential customers.
The RBS 6402 picocell is about the size of a tablet and can be deployed in roughly 10 minutes, according to Ericsson. It supports 3G, Wi-Fi and LTE, delivering 300 Mbps LTE speeds with carrier aggregation.
Just last week, Ericsson announced another internal deployment of its small cells by a carrier partner. Verizon Wireless will deploy Ericsson’s Radio Dot solution at its regional headquarters in Southfield, Mich. While the Radio Dot system is meant for larger buildings, the RBS 6402 addresses buildings up to 5,00 square meters in size.
“We have estimated there are approximately 10 million buildings that can be served by a solution like this,” said Arun Bhikshesvaran, Global CMO for Ericsson. “It is not a huge campus where you would have multiple Radio Dots deployed, but it will be large enough that one RBS 6402 can cover the entire building. That is where this product is positioned. It is between the Radio Dot system and the macro network.”
Vodafone has a been a small cell pioneer, working with SpiderCloud Wireless to deliver in-building solutions in the U.K., and most recently partnering with SpiderCloud and Cisco to market small cell solutions through Cisco’s channels. Last year, Vodafone and Ericsson agreed to collaborate on in-building cellular solutions.
“As a strategic network supplier to Vodafone, Ericsson is delivering on our promise to work closely with Vodafone to expand its opportunities in the enterprise market with our small cell portfolio,” said Valter D’Avino, head of Ericsson’s Western and Central European regions.
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