Operators should Deploy Carrier Grade Wi-Fi with their 14M Outdoor Small Cells as they Climb the Data Mountain

As worldwide Mobile Broadband Traffic heads toward 200 Exabytes per year, operators deploy 4G LTE, LTE-A, plead for spectrum, and try to manage usage through policy and pricing. The physics of mobile broadband radio do not follow Moore’s Law of digital scaling, so leading-edge operators are ready to address the physical realities of small cells. Nevertheless, the question remains; why not deploy carrier grade Wi-Fi with the small cells?

Industry advocates and operators are calling for more spectrum, and with HotSpot 2.0 gaining traction, operators should consider unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum and Small Cells with Carrier Grade Wi-Fi as part of their portfolio. “Wi-Fi is an integral part of the smartphone and tablet experience,” says Joe Hoffman, practice director, mobile networks, “and operators will do well to make Carrier Wi-Fi a part of that experience.”

Mobile Operators, led by top-tier firms such as China Mobile and AT&T are incorporating Wi-Fi solutions in their HetNet architectures and many other operators will follow. “The added capacity and incremental economics of incorporating Wi-Fi into a HetNet portfolio are almost self-evident,” adds Hoffman. This research highlights both infrastructure and specialist vendors and their approaches to Small Cell and Wi-Fi integration. Additionally, the discussion includes the challenges facing integration and their solutions.

Deploying a Small Cell with an integrated Wi-Fi solution is part of an overall strategy that operators will find maximizes the investment return from Small Cells. These additions leverage the investment of Small Cell deployments and require an incremental CapEx to add Wi-Fi into the solution mix.

ABI Research’s “Small Cells and Wi-Fi Integration Status” is the latest analysis in the Small Cells and Carrier Wi-Fi Market Research. The service includes additional Research Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Vendor Matrices, Market Data, and focused Insights.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.