London needs 70,000 small cells, says Picochip
Full LTE coverage, and capacity for new services, needs a huge number of metrocells to be deployed by 2015
Published: 3 October, 2011
READ MORE: Spectrum | UK | PicoChip Designs | Femtocell | LTE
A key theme this conference season is the need to deploy LTE using small cells to maximize capacity and quality of service. The notion has become almost undisputed among would-be 4G carriers, as seen in repeated presentations at last week's Broadband World Forum in Paris and Base Station Conference in the UK. But few are giving concrete estimates of just how many of these shrunken cells will be required - a gap which femtocell silicon leader Picochip sought to fill.
According to modelling carried out by the UK firm, world class LTE coverage of London would require 70,000 small cells, including about 2,000 for the Underground subway system (which currently has no cellular service). CTO Doug Pulley presented the calculations at the Base Station Conference, bringing together actual traffic patterns and demographics as well as data on probable new services enabled by 4G.
"While Wi-Fi will offer some respite to the network, ultimately London's population density means that small cells, deployed in the most congested areas, are the only way for the mobile networks to cope with the traffic," Pulley said. About 12,000 of the envisaged total would be outdoors, in areas where the macro network would be congested; 2,000 would be on the Underground; and the remainder would increase capacity indoors, via publicly accessible femtocells or metrocells.
Rupert Baines, VP of marketing at Picochip, said in a statement: "While 70,000 small cells may sound like a lot, compared to the cost and complications associated with improving the network using macro base stations, small cells offer a much easier, quicker and cheaper solution for network operators."
More SPECTRUM News
More UK News
More PICOCHIP DESIGNS News
COMMENTS
Carrier Broadband Performance: Africa & Middle East
Carriers are using mobile broadband as their weapon of choice in the fight against the commoditization of voice and falling ARPU. This...
Voice over LTE: Market Analysis and Forecasts
VoLTE offer unique advantages in lowering a carrier's voice infrastructure economics and promises to improve voice quality, device...
Satellite Phones: Will Dual Mode Help the Phoenix Rise from the Ashes?
Satellite phones have followed an arduous path since their much-hyped launch more than a decade ago. The hype was followed by an e...
