5G small cell network implementation accelerates, capacity expansion to be gained

Governments and private operators have been implementing small cells for expansion of capacity and better coverage. Various initiatives have been taken and technological advancements would enable better coverages.

Implementation of 5G infrastructure has become essential and governments want companies to take initiatives for implementation across the country. In the recent visit to Apple’s headquarters at Cupertino, the U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Apple needs to widen its portfolio with development of 5G infrastructure in the country. The network operators have been operating on various frequencies and many bands have been occupied. So, they need to use different equipment. Small cells would do the work for them, however, there is a scarcity of equipment in the country due to security concerns with Huawei. However, President Trump asked Tim Cook to manufacture such equipment for enabling 5G coverage to the U.S. citizens. He considered that the company has all the resources and expertise to build such equipment.

Market players have been looking forward implement small cells in 5G networks to improve capacity and offer better quality of experience. To deploy streamlined small cells, Altran outlined that there will be combination of 5G New Radio RAN software framework with small cell solutions of Shenzhen Gongjin. This combination will be based on Qualcomm FSM100xx 5G Platform. According to the companies, this setup would bring simplification of deploying small cells for operators. N. Mohan Rangan, the Group SVP and Chief Engineering Officer at Altran, outlined that the combination solution will help in the rapid development and deployment of 5G small-cell solutions that address the needs of various verticals and enable variety of mobile broadband business use cases. Hu Zumin, the Senior Vice President of Mobile Business at T&W, highlighted that small cells would become “a major building block” for 5G networks. Mr. Zumin added that it is one of the first firms in China to implement the Qualcomm FSM100xx 5G Platform. This collaboration highlights that the small cell deployment has been taking place across the world with operators’ need for effective solution to improve capacity on its emerging 5G networks. According to the research firm Allied Market Research, the global small cell 5G network market is expected to reach $6.87 billion by 2026.

In another collaboration, Deutsche Telekom, the Swedish Umeå Institute of Design (UID), and Covestro have collaborated in pilot project for development of 5G small cells. They have been developing antenna housing suited for urban landscape. In this pilot project, Covestro develops innovative material solutions, on the other hand, Deutsche Telekom offers technical expertise on antennae for expansion of networks and mobile wireless. This had begun with a study on the ground in Düsseldorf. Attractive antenna housing with structures and colors that catered to aesthetic and technical requirements. Deutsche Telekom plans to install more small cells for implementation of 5G in lanterns, stoplights, or facades. Moreover, the company also highlighted that it has been utilizing small cells in its LTE expansion.

The implementation of small cells is on the rise across the world and various governments would take initiatives for capacity expansion. Technological advancements would offer more benefits in coming years and solutions will be offered across different industry verticals.

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