Indoor digitalization driven by capacity demands, business models focused on owner ROI, value-added services
Consumers are hungry for mobile data, particularly video content, and the demand for this type of service largely comes from users in transit hubs, offices or other indoor venues, which are...
Wi-Fi interoperability, enterprise sales and costs could slow small cell adoption
The market for the coverage and capacity benefits of a small cell deployment are there, but enterprise adoption is a key challenge facing mobile carriers, according to an opinion column by Peter Thornycroft of...
IGR provides a refresher on the benefits and challenges of using 600 MHz spectrum, noting great coverage at the expense of greater capacity
As the Federal Communications Commission’s 600 MHz auction gets underway, I thought it would be a good time to review some of...
Brocade Communications has agreed to buy Ruckus Wireless in a deal worth $1.2 billion, which the companies say will create a "pure-play networking company." The goal is to deliver products and solutions that span the continuum from the heart of the data center to...
Mobile Experts digs into the use of 5G technology, small cells and different transmission methods at a Silicon Valley zoo
The San Jose Municipal Zoo recently announced plans to equip its large mammals with sensors for better tracking. In some ways this is yet another...
Retail and logistics industries most aggressive
A survey of more than 500 hundred global companies across 17 industries found more than one-third either have deployed small cells or plan to do so this year. The research, conducted by Nemertes for the Small Cell Forum, showed...
Qualcomm, a major proponent of deploying cellular in unlicensed spectrum using the LTE Unlicensed technology, is developing LTE-U small cells with partners Samsung and SpiderCloud Wireless.
LTE-U is seen as a way for carriers to keep up with demand for mobile data, but, because the...
Sprint is exploring a major shift in the way wireless service is delivered as it works to upgrade its network while implementing cost cuts throughout the company. One of the biggest costs associated with small cell deployments is backhaul, the connection that brings mobile network traffic...
Sprint CFO Tarek Robbiati says the struggling U.S. carrier is looking to the future and "5G" with its as-yet unspecified network improvement plans, which revolve around a densification strategy.
Robbiati made the remarks this week during Deutsche Bank's Media, Internet and Telecom conference.
“We’re not building a...
Small cells could signal a 'new neutral'
Neutral host providers like ExteNet Systems and Mobilitie foresee a shift in their business models as network architectures become more distributed. The term "neutral host" means these companies host different carriers on shared infrastructure, just as tower owners...
Verizon CFO said carrier will not wade into unlimited data fray as it continues to balance spectrum and infrastructure
Verizon Communications may have a lot on its plate in terms of expanding its Verizon Wireless operations, but CFO Fran Shammo appeared calm at a recent...
Boingo transforming from infrastructure provider to managed services provider
Mobile World Congress was decidedly a "5G"-oriented show, but Boingo Wireless CTO Derek Peterson was on hand to emphasize the long-term importance of Wi-Fi to the telecom ecosystem.
In an exclusive interview with RCR Wireless News, Peterson...
Xirrus wants to make Wi-Fi as secure and reliable as LTE
Most of us have seen headlines that say Americans value Wi-Fi more than food, friends and sex, at least in the short term. But if you read beyond the headlines, people actually value a...
With small cell momentum on the rise, an increasing number of companies are seeking engineers with experience in both distributed antenna systems and other small cell technologies.
RCR Wireless News rounded up a sampling of recent listing of companies who are looking for small cell...
Issues of site acquisition, backhaul and power have been significant small cell deployment challenges, but the industry is starting to get a better handle on how to address them – and as a result, small cell deployments began to ramp up in 2015, with...
The small cell market has seen its share of ups and downs in the past few years, with initial hype for the technology not panning out as quickly as many had hoped. But 2015 seems to have been a turning point for small cells,...
Cellular signal boosters have often been viewed as consumer product nuisances that can cause major interference to mobile operators’ networks. However, operators have sometimes made use of so-called “industrial” signal boosters: rural operators have used them to enhance their coverage in areas with few...
As more small cells are deployed, scalability and reproducibility become central to return on investment, and new industry solutions are available that seek to streamline processes and shrink costs in order to make small cell testing viable.
This report looks at challenges of getting small cells...
Things are finally looking rosier for small cells, as the technology has started to gain its long-awaited deployment momentum. Small Cell Forum said in a recent report 2015 was a "turning point year" for the technology, with larger deployments coming online and the industry...
Evolution toward 5G, small cell deployments and dark fiber all impact backhaul outlook
Network densification, currently being driven by deployment of small cells, will be a pillar of next-generation "5G" mobile networks. But as demand for capacity drives infrastructure expansion, carriers and managed services providers...
In-building wireless testing can be more complex than outdoor network testing because there are more potential sources of interference, and more variables to coordinate. An indoor small cell environment can include multiple radios and antennas; when these are aligned they can help support one...
On this episode of HetNet Happenings, host Sean Kinney, managing editor at RCR Wireless News, learns about antenna concealment solutions from Jon Fitzhugh, CEO of Colorado-based ConcealFab. Fitzhugh highlights how concealment solutions can help ease deployments, as well as how it's important to produce...
Carriers upgrades DAS, small cells, cells on wheels and more ahead of big game
More than 75,000 football fans are expected to descend on the San Francisco metropolitan area for the Feb. 7 Super Bowl. To keep up with the expected demand for LTE capacity,...
5 things to know today ...
1. The small cell opportunity for commercial property owners continues to grow. Vertical Bridge has made a deal to manage wireless sites at 250 real estate investment trust-owned health care facilities. Welltower is a REIT that funds real...
