DALLAS – Small cells and network evolutions beyond LTE dominated conversations – or at least the agenda – during the opening day of the 2012 LTE North America conference in Dallas, as attendees seemed to have moved beyond the still ongoing commercial deployments of LTE services and onto the fine tuning of those networks.
The small cell issue was tackled deftly by Admad Armand, staff VP LTE at MetroPCS, who noted that a cast majority of cell sites use less than one-third of a carrier’s spectrum assets, though the remaining minority will be sites that perplex carriers going forward. While small cells are seen as one way in which carriers can densify their networks in high traffic areas, Armand said carriers will be challenged to offset interference issues caused by closely spaced small cells pumping out coverage in the same spectrum bands as an operator’s base coverage model using traditional cell sites. One way to tackle that issue is the use of different frequency bands to handle capacity in urban environments, an avenue a number of carriers are looking to take.
One of those operators looking at offering such a solution is Clearwire, which is aggressively trying to lure carrier customers to hook a ride on its LTE plans to begin deploying services in larger markets using its vast 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings. During a keynote address, Clearwire CTO John Saw explained that the carrier is looking at an LTE deployment initially focused on the country’s top 40 markets, most of which it already covers with its WiMAX-based offering. The migration to LTE in those markets is expected to involve just a channel card at the base station and software re-flash, avoiding any sort of work on the actual towers.
While Clearwire’s initial LTE plans are still dependant on network funding, the carrier is also looking forward to what it termed a “phase two” deployment that will see the carrier expand service to new markets. The carrier recently scaled back its initial LTE launch plans due to financial considerations, with the carrier now planning to convert just 2,000 towers to LTE by mid-2013, down from an initial estimate of around 8,000 towers.
Saw also explained that the carrier’s LTE plans were just a first step that will eventually lead to LTE-Advanced technology allowing the carrier to dig even deeper into its deep spectrum resources. Almost taunting rival carriers, Saw noted that while some operators will be forced to implement costly cell splitting initiatives in order to gain greater capacity with their current spectrum holdings, Clearwire would be able to just throw more spectrum at the problem.
Tom Sawanobori, VP of network planning at Verizon Wireless, also took a look down the evolution path, noting to an attendees question that a future in which the carrier could begin operating without its legacy CDMA-based network would be possible only after the carrier rolls out voice over LTE technology. Sawanobori echoed recent comments from Verizon Wireless management that the carrier would likely to begin rolling out voice capabilities over its LTE network beginning in 2014.
In the meantime, Verizon Wireless is looking to add spectrum support in the 1.7/2.1 GHz band, capacity improvements in the form of small cells and further tie together network elements through heterogeneous networks in order to milk greater coverage and capacity from its LTE offering. As to the possibility of tapping into a partnership with the likes of Clearwire or other wholesalers in order to provide capacity improvements, Sawanobori cautioned that the carrier would need to factor in several components, including business models and device support.
But, what’s next? Well, Deutsche Bank managing director Brian Madoff noted that the move to LTE-Advanced would likely propel the industry to just about the limit of physics in regards to air interface efficiencies and that the next level of efficiencies would likely have to come from the control layer. Madoff added that the industry was on pace to require up to a 1,000-times increase in system capacity, with network densification and spectrum re-use both tapped as likely sources of that increase, which could only be handled with an improved control plane.
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