Cobham Wireless predicts increased focus on network densification in 2016
Editor’s Note: With 2016 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
Universal cellular coverage is now seen as a utility, with consumers expecting the full range of services to be available wherever they are. This demand has intensified with the popularity of LTE, which now has an excellent outdoor footprint across many countries.
However, there remains a problem enabling this coverage inside of buildings. During 2016, we expect a wider number of stakeholders to take a role in expanding coverage provision for their customers.
In addition to this consumer pressure, as consolidation in the telecom market continues and the number of operators per market decreases, we are likely to see increased focus on the coverage issue from regulators looking to ensure the remaining providers are meeting the coverage requirements set out in their licensing agreements.
Although regulator attention will likely be on rural areas, consumer pressure is likely to be firmly focused on urban issues such as the vast number of indoor “not spots” and coverage problems in outdoor areas of dense activity such as transport hubs and stadia. Operators will be forced to take action, but they may not have to take the financial impact alone.
During recent months we have seen a growing appetite from facilities owners and managers to take their own decisive action regarding indoor coverage issues by provisioning their own venues. Sometimes this is in partnership with their local carriers, but often this is a private project for the benefit of their own customers. Following the lead of many stadia companies who have installed their own distributed antenna systems, 2016 will be the year indoor cellular coverage becomes a major marketing tool for facilities managers and owners of venues where operators are failing to provision services themselves.
We can expect multi-use complexes, shopping centers, transport hubs and high-end apartment blocks to heavily promote these to tenants, easing the strain on operators to improve indoor coverage themselves and providing better indoor cellular coverage for their customers.
