Issues of site acquisition, backhaul and power have been significant small cell deployment challenges, but the industry is starting to get a better handle on how to address them – and as a result, small cell deployments began to ramp up in 2015, with...
Nokia Networks executives stressed during Mobile World Congress last week that "5G" isn't just marketing hype, but rather that innovative new use cases and commercialization may be here sooner than the industry thinks.
Although still prestandardized, 5G trials and partnerships are developing in earnest. RCR...
Public-private partnership model for fiber networks gaining traction
The growing trend of municipalities moving to control their own high-speed broadband destiny is exemplified in what's happening in Huntsville, Alabama.
Local electricity, gas and water provider Huntsville Utilities is constructing a publicly-owned fiber optic network. The move...
Both companies look to boost 5G cooperation this year
BARCELONA, Spain – Chinese vendor ZTE, together with compatriot telecom operator China Mobile, announced a "5G" high-frequency prototype.
“The ZTE-developed prototype operates on a 15-gigahertz carrier with a bandwidth of 500 megabits and boasts a hardware structure...
The small cell market has seen its share of ups and downs in the past few years, with initial hype for the technology not panning out as quickly as many had hoped. But 2015 seems to have been a turning point for small cells,...
The National Association of Tower Erectors' annual conference is always a good opportunity to take the tower industry's pulse, and this year attendees reported record turnouts in New Orleans despite the fact the Mobile World Congress event occurred at the same time in Barcelona,...
Arab telco has finalized LTE-A Pro tests in Kuwait
BARCELONA, Spain – Kuwait-based telecom operator Zain expects to carry out tests of LTE-Advanced Pro technology, also referred to as "4.5G" technology by some vendors, across its regional footprint, the group’s CEO Scott Gegenheimer told RCR...
The company boosted managed services contracts in 2015
Chinese telecom and technology vendor ZTE expects revenues from its service business to grow approximately 20% in 2016. Chen Huachun, VP at ZTE and head of the company's service unit, told RCR Wireless News growth will be...
Cellular signal boosters have often been viewed as consumer product nuisances that can cause major interference to mobile operators’ networks. However, operators have sometimes made use of so-called “industrial” signal boosters: rural operators have used them to enhance their coverage in areas with few...
Verizon Communications has started "5G" field tests with Nokia Networks, testing pre-standards technology in Verizon's live network in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Verizon and Nokia said they tested an "extreme broadband" use case to look at the viability of replacing high-speed, indoor wireline connections with...
Like a number of global operators, Ooredoo is in the process of transforming its network architecture to a next-generation infrastructure. Ooredoo’s UNIFY strategy is about driving ICT transformation to deliver a digital customer experience through more simple and agile IT. As part of the...
Korean telco plans to unveil 5G device prototype
BARCELONA, Spain – Korean operator SK Telecom and Nokia Networks claimed a network test resulting in over-the-air transmission speeds of 20.5 gigabits per second at this week's Mobile World Congress event. SK Telecom said the test meets...
5G vision is to connect all the things in the world to all the clouds in the world
BARCELONA, Spain – “We want to connect all these devices in the world, through a network, to all the clouds in the world,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, SVP,...
Key partners include Ericsson, Nokia, Verizon and Korean carriers
BARCELONA, Spain – Intel announced partnerships with telecom operators and vendors designed to to pave the way for the deployment of smarter and more efficient "5G" wireless networks. Intel said efforts towards the provisioning of innovative...
Nokia unveiled new ‘5G’-ready radio access solution
BARCELONA, Spain – Finnish vendor Nokia Networks expects to see initial deployments of “5G” networks before 2020, according to company CEO Rajeev Suri.
“2020 is probably where we see global volume deployments but we will start to see a...
The First Responder Network Authority extended the deadline for request for proposal responses, and released the first set of answers to the 402 questions on its RFP for a national public safety LTE network.
The number of questions is fewer than the 650 questions the organization received on...
5 things to know today: Verizon's XO buy and 5G tests, AT&T's LTE drones and $10 billion investment
1. Verizon Communications has agreed to pay $1.8 billion for XO Communications' fiber-optic network business. In addition, Verizon will lease available wireless spectrum from XO, and has...
'Pre-5G' initiatives include massive MIMO, UDN and MUSA
BARCELONA, Spain – Chinese vendor ZTE said it expects to market "pre-5G" technology in certain parts of Asia and Europe this year.
“This year, 'pre-5G' is the key technology,” said Zhang Jianguo, GM of ZTE's wireless product operation division, just...
Emphasis on openness, collaboration to help telcos achieve massive scale
BARCELONA, Spain – As Facebook has grown to support a staggering 1.58 billion users, the company has devised purpose-built network infrastructure designed to allow global access to a massive data repository. Now Facebook is looking...
Small Cell Forum CEO says small cells creating nearly $1 billion in annual revenue
BARCELONA, Spain – The advent of smartphones and increased availability of mobile broadband networks have fundamentally changed the way people live and work. And with demand for data growing at a tremendous pace,...
Largest LTE carrier uses Huawei small cells to improve indoor wireless coverage
BARCELONA, Spain – Small cells are changing the outside-in paradigm in providing in-building cellular coverage, with China taking a leadership position.
“When you go to the indoors, you may suffer from poor coverage,” said...
Ahead of Mobile World Congress, industry convenes to look to the 5G future
BARCELONA, Spain – The data explosion driven by video-hungry consumers and the burgeoning "Internet of Things" brings into focus the need for advancements to LTE networks in the run up to "5G"...
Huawei '4.5G' technology supports advanced services, opens up new verticals
BARCELONA, Spain – As mobile operators continue to look for new revenue streams, attendees at Huawei's 4.G Summit agreed ultrareliable LTE networks could create exciting opportunities in diverse vertical markets.
Huawei is pushing its "4.5G" technology...
Huawei hosts first ever 4.5G Summit ahead of Mobile World Congress
BARCELONA, Spain – While much of the discourse in the telecom industry is currently focused on "5G," Chinese vendor Huawei is pushing for deployment of its so-called "4.5G" solutions as a way to extend...
