| By Business Wire |
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| November 8, 2012 04:47 PM EST |
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Technology market research firm Infonetics
Research released excerpts from its just-published Small
Cell Coverage Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, for
which Infonetics interviewed wireless, incumbent, and competitive
operators around the world about their small cell buildout plans.
ANALYST NOTE
“To the small cell vendors of the world, we know what you want to hear,
but what you need to hear is that the small cell market simply isn’t
going to explode as many are predicting,” cautions Stéphane
Téral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier
economics at Infonetics
Research.
“The reality is,” Téral
continues, “a majority of operators are still using distributed antennas
(DAS)
in their mobile networks for coverage, and despite all the talk about
using small cells to boost capacity in large venues, operators we
interviewed believe DAS will remain a fundamental tool for malls,
airports, stadiums and the like. Yes, small cells are poised to play a
major role in 3G and 4G network expansion, but operators are going to
pick the right tool for their needs, be it coverage, capacity or both;
indoor, outdoor or both; and small cells aren’t always the right
solution. The bottom line is, small cells -- I’m not talking about
residential femtocells here -- remain a tiny market compared to
macrocells, and will take time to reach meaningful penetration.”
SMALL CELL COVERAGE STRATEGIES SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
-
73% of the operators Infonetics interviewed have already deployed
small cells, mainly in homes and enterprises, indicating solid
experience with femtocells
-
Of those that have deployed small cells, 3/4 have done so using the
1.5GHz–2.2GHz spectrum, the most common band across all geographic
regions
-
80% of respondent operators currently use DAS
in their cellular networks for coverage optimization
-
Like last year, the top drivers for deploying small cells are
optimizing in-building coverage and high data usage areas, and
non-expandability of the macro network
-
Survey respondents rate interference with the macro network as
the #1 barrier to deploying small cells, although falling 14
percentage points from last year’s survey
-
The highest-rated feature for public access small cells among
operators interviewed is self-organizing network (SON)
capabilities
SMALL CELL SURVEY SYNOPSIS
For its 27-page small
cell coverage strategies survey, Infonetics interviewed independent
wireless, incumbent, and competitive operators from Europe, North
America, Asia and Latin America about their small cell buildout plans.
The study provides insights into small cell deployment plans and
drivers, technical challenges, implementation barriers, deployment
locations, spectrum ranges, and DAS
usage. To buy
the survey, contact Infonetics: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp.
RELATED RESEARCH
RECENT AND UPCOMING RESEARCH
Download Infonetics’ research brochure, publication calendar, report
highlights, tables of contents, prospectuses and more at http://www.infonetics.com/login.
TO BUY REPORTS AND SURVEYS, CONTACT SALES:
N. America (West), Asia, Latin America: Larry Howard, larry@infonetics.com,
+1 408-583-3335
N. America (East), Texas, Midwest: Scott Coyne, scott@infonetics.com,
+1 408-583-3395
Europe, Middle East, Africa: George Stojsavljevic, george@infonetics.com,
+44 755-488-1623
Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp
ABOUT INFONETICS
Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com)
is an international market research and consulting firm serving the
communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking
emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics
helps clients plan, strategize, and compete effectively. View
Infonetics’ About Us slides at http://bit.ly/QUrbrV.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50472161&lang=en
