Small cells promise to boost capacity and throughput in areas of high usage more cheaply than macro cell deployments, while allowing more efficient use of spectrum than macros, and providing improved coverage at the cell edge and indoors. Bringing the radio signal closer to the user should also help to improve device battery life.
For anyone who thought that voice over LTE (VoLTE) was the only thing sustaining the case for IMS, the evidence from Informa’s IMS World Forum, which was held this week in Barcelona, would suggest otherwise.
While acknowledging the need to relieve capacity bottlenecks by offloading data traffic from their networks, mobile operators are looking for ways to better manage the process in order to maintain customer contact and build value.
A number of high-profile setbacks in recent weeks have further dented the already weakened business case for WiMAX.
In a widely anticipated move, Russian operator Yota revealed plans in May to switch tack and start rolling out LTE. The company, which has always preferred to describe itself as a mobile broadband provider rather than a WiMAX operator, had been rumored for some time to be contemplating the change. It will start to deploy LTE networks in five cities later this year.
The traditional macronetwork model is under fire as operators look for more cost-effective deployment strategies that target network capacity where it is most urgently needed. It is a trend that doesn’t end with the RAN but extends into the backhaul and core networks and is coupled with the drive to reduce the per-bit cost of transporting data across the entire network.