As mobile operators try to meet the demand for data in the most crowded environments, equipment vendors are eager to supply them with small cells, distributed antenna systems and Wi-Fi offload solutions. But carriers are learning to look at the specific problems they want to solve before looking too closely at the solutions.
“The most important thing to AT&T and most carriers at this point is finding the right solutions in a [heterogeneous network] world,” said Paula Doublin, AT&T’s AVP for antenna solutions, DAS and small cells, speaking on an RCR Wireless News webinar. “There’s certainly not one size fits all. It’s important that we recognize all the tools that are available in the toolbox and understand which is the more applicable solution for the challenge that you need to solve.”
Forward-thinking vendors are getting the message and are diversifying their portfolios in order to offer more flexible solutions. Two recent acquisitions illustrate this trend: CommScope’s purchase of Airvana and Digital Bridge’s acquisition of ExteNet Systems. CommScope is one of the world’s leading vendors of distributed antenna systems, and the Airvana purchase gives the company a complementary small cell offering. Digital Bridge owns towers through its Vertical Bridge unit, and now it has DAS and small cell assets and capabilities through ExteNet Systems.
At the recent CTIA Super Mobility event, Vertical Bridge made an important announcement that shows how the companies hope to expand their small cell and DAS offerings. Vertical Bridge said it has exclusive rights to deploy wireless infrastructure on the billboards owned by Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings.
“We believe billboards will play an increasingly important role in the deployment of all networks, and CCOA has the best locations for carriers who are looking to enhance services for mobile consumers,” said Vertical Bridge CEO Alex Gellman.
Clear Channel Holdings is a subsidiary of IHeartMedia. Vertical Bridge purchased a tower portfolio from IHeartMedia several months ago. With the addition of the billboard rights, Vertical Bridge said it now owns or manages a more than 40,000 site locations, including towers, rooftops, utility attachments and billboards.
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