LAS VEGAS — Network densification will eventually enable operators to support service innovation and monetize their infrastructure investments. But in the near term, the focus is on cost-effective deployment of new infrastructure that will build capacity and coverage without eroding profitability, and can scale to support new services down the road.
“That really is driving the thinking of the major operators around the world, is how do you gate the amount of capex that’s being spent and balance that with growth in subscribers and growth in ARPU?” said Philip Sorrells, VP of strategic marketing for wireless at CommScope. “How do operators add capacity and capabilities and spend their capex in a way that they can recover that with better ARPU?”
CommScope joined many other CTIA exhibitors in showcasing capacity solutions that try to minimize both investment and footprint for operators, and at the same time offer an ability to scale to meet future demands. Many of the DAS and small cell solutions this week use software to scale or reconfigure bandwidth.
Integration of Wi-Fi with cellular coverage is another solution that can ultimately cut costs. Operators are realizing that they need to leverage unlicensed spectrum, and vendors are offering solutions that enable both cellular and Wi-Fi in a single form factor.
“In these smaller locations, you need to be able to provide the coverage and capacity at a lower cost, both in terms of capex and ongoing opex,” said Petter Blomberg, strategic product manager for small cells at Ericsson. “We believe that the coverage, capacity and cost challenges mean that you have to leverage both Wi-Fi and cellular to get the combined benefits.”
This week at CTIA 2014 Ericsson launched a new small cell that integrates 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi.
