Pages

48

Deliverables

Released

3Q 2011

Product Code

RR-METR-11

Price

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The growth of smartphones has multiplied mobile data consumption, and capacity has become an issue of key importance. Because of congestion in the network, with both dropped data and voice sessions, users' experiences are degraded. Purchasing additional spectrum, which is a finite resource, is impractical for cost and timing reasons. One of the most efficient ways to improve capacity within a network is to reduce the cell size radius, and place the cell sites closer to each other, resulting in a more densely packed network of smaller cells. Outdoor small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells. There are economic advantages, as well as network advantages to deploying small cells. This study explores these advantages as well as the problems that are associated with these deployments. It also addresses other outdoor small cell topics such as the state of the market and its direction over the next five years, as well as drivers and barriers. Forecasts for small cells are segmented by region, power output, location, and radio interface for both shipped units and revenue.

What Questions Does This Report Answer?

• What is the timing of the deployment of small cells?
• What events or factors are currently driving the outdoor small cell market?
• What events or factors are currently creating barriers for the outdoor small cell market?
• In what direction will outdoor small cell deployments move over the next five years?
• Where will outdoor small cells be more readily adopted?
• When will outdoor small cells begin to grow in shipments?
• When will 3G small cells give way to 4G small cells?
• When will dual-mode outdoor small cells take off?
• Why aren't there more outdoor small cells deployments in the first half of 2011?

Who Needs This Report?

• Tier 1 telecommmunications infrastructure vendors
• Boutique small cell vendors
• Baseband semiconductor vendors
• RISC vendors
• DSP vendors
• Silicon vendors
• Mobile voice and data service providers