Backhaul Options for Outdoor Small Cells
PurchaseMany mobile network operators, having built their networks primarily for coverage are starting to experience limitations in capacity. This capacity "crunch" is particularly noticeable in high density metropolitan, urban, and suburban areas. The drivers behind this high demand for capacity are complex and depend on a number of factors including device availability, network bandwidth coverage, pricing, and applications. One of the main challenges for a mobile network operator when adding a small cell underlay for capacity is backhaul. There are many more small cells in a given area than macrocells and they all must be interconnected to the mobile core. There are many solutions for mobile backhaul that use microwave, optical fiber or copper as a transport medium and there is no "one size fits all" approach. Each solution has its pros and cons. Consequently, it is up to the vendors of backhaul infrastructure access to tailor their solutions and products to optimize small cells for each scenario.