Small Cells: An MNO View

David Fittall

Network Evolution & Customer, Radio

O2 Telefonica UK.

Outdoor small cell 4G deployments today

Outdoor small cells deployment challenges today• Suitable locations

– Integrity, dimensions of street infrastructure– vs. Traffic demand– Dominance vs macro– Precise placement of the small cells required.

• Backhaul– Cost, bandwidth & availability

• Suitable equipment design & form factor

• Concession owners/councils– Revenue or Digital agenda?– Source of revenue for TowerCos– Monopoly of available assets.– Street de-cluttering regime– Planning permission – lack of consistency– Road closures/permissions for deployment/maintenance

• Non-ideal solution to indoor capacity/coverage• Solution needs to scale – macro preferred.

Outdoor small cells & 5G?

• Higher frequencies, higher data rates – increase in small cells

• So…….all the current issues plus:– Backhaul is even more critical– bandwidth & latency, architecture

changes, access & cost.

– Smaller coverage footprint

– For 5G all MNOs are expected to drive small cells demand in the same locations.

– Sharing models will be need to be examined

– Cost & scale

– Even less suitable for indoor coverage/capacity

• Indoor solutions needed for 5G

Indoor Small Cells: Neutral Host

Thank you

Presentation title Author's name 13 June, 2018 Confidential