Will multi-operator small cell solutions make the process of towerco-led small cell deployment more efficient?
As towercos increasingly look to diversify their offerings to MNOs, and distributed networks become more and more necessary in urban network densification in advance of 5G, the business case for providing small cells as a service could be accelerated with multi-operator small cell solutions. Who are the current leaders in the development of multi-operator small cells, and what business models could they facilitate?
Akin to the multi-tenancy model, multi-operator small cell solutions can enable towercos to generate incremental revenues by offering small cells as a service. By choosing a multi-operator solution, installation of small cells is made more efficient, investments are future-proofed, and a myriad opportunities are opened up for towercos to position themselves as the ideal neutral host for operators looking to densify urban outdoor networks and improve indoor coverage.
TowerXchange has spoken to the market leading developers of multi-operator small cell solutions, and provided a useful comparison of the products on offer from CommScope, Huawei, ip.access, and SpiderCloud.
If you are interested in understanding more about the small cell market and the opportunities for towercos and other third party distributed network service providers, come to the TowerXchange Europe Meetup in London on 4th and 5th April and hear directly from the companies leading the charge.
Visit here for more information or to register for this year’s event
Question: What product or service have you developed for the multi-operator small cell market, and under what model does it operate, e.g. multiple independent small cells, multi-radio cells, using shared spectrum, using unlicensed spectrum?
Answer: CommScope
CommScope offers the OneCell system – a hybrid small-cell solution that combines features from DAS, C-RAN and small cells to provide a scalable solution for indoor environments with demanding capacity and coverage requirements that uses the ethernet existing infrastructure for fronthaul. CommScope solutions include metro-cell concealment solutions for outdoor deployments. These are designed to address the challenges that mobile operators face in moving the telecom infrastructure from macro sites to DAS or small cells – closer to the subscriber and in locations that are less visible, easier to access and difficult to protect.
For reliable wireless voice connectivity, and for supporting visitors or customers, cellular is the clear choice. No manual authentication is required, and voice is inherently and fully supported. The user does not become a burden on the enterprise IT department, rather they are supported by their mobile service provider. According to research commissioned by CommScope, 87 percent of building professionals believe that it is imperative to have in-building cellular coverage in all areas of their buildings.
Answer: Huawei
Huawei offers two multi-operator Small Cell solutions: LampSite and SingleDAS.
Huawei’s LampSite Small Cell solution can be configured to support multi-operator operation via Multi-operator Core Network (MOCN) or Multiple Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN). MOCN uses shared spectrum with shared radio units, and MORAN uses dedicated spectrum and dedicated radio units for each operator, but it shares the baseband unit and the remote hub across operators.
Huawei’s SingleDAS is a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) that can accept multiple RF sources from multiple operators and the signal is aggregated allowing for a transmission over shared antennas.
Answer: ip.access
Our most recent innovation has been in the Neutral Host space, where we introduced the Viper™ platform at MWC2016. It comprises a virtualized core, and a range of base stations to support multi-operator solutions.
Our primary market is indoor enterprise, but we have products coming soon to address multi-operator rural extension. We’ve targeted the product set specifically at the Neutral Host provider, with lots of management and OSS features to support network management by the Neutral Host provider, and provide visibility of the network performance by those sharing the spectrum. It also supports the Neutral Host and their Mobile Network Operator partners by supporting SLA creation and monitoring.
Answer: SpiderCloud
SpiderCloud builds a scalable small cell Enterprise RAN “E-RAN” for buildings and commercial spaces from 1,000 square meters to 150,000 square meters. The E-RAN has small cells available in 3G/LTE, LTE/LTE (licensed spectrum), and LTE-LAA (licensed and unlicensed supplemental downlink) in a number of bands. SpiderCloud is a contributing member of the CBRS Alliance (shared spectrum in USA market) and the E-RAN system supporting 3.5Ghz TDD-LTE CBRS small cell system has completed SAS interoperability and is going through commercialisation. SpiderCloud is a contributing member of the MulteFire Alliance (uplink/downlink in unlicensed spectrum) and will develop products as chipsets emerge. E-RAN can operate in a shared spectrum model, independent systems sharing Ethernet transport, and unlicensed.
The full interview is available here.
March 3, 2017
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