Mobile Broadband Demand May Lead to Small Cell Central Offices

Wireless network operator deployments of small cells will bring major changes to the way the operators architect their networks, said Iain Gillott, President of wireless research firm iGR.

In addition to triggering the deployment of fiber backhaul to small cell sites, iGR believes small cells needed to satisfy mobile broadband demand will drive wireless operators to establish local data centers that will resemble traditional Class 5 central offices -- an ironic twist for an industry that has been consolidating and decommissioning central offices. While traditional macrocell networks were designed for mobile users passing through coverage areas, mobile data often is consumed while users remain in specific locations for an extended period of time. Coffee shops become 4G hotspots at busy times as customers find on-site Wi-Fi to be overloaded and switch to 4G. The place where the baseband equipment will be housed could look something like a traditional central office, said Gillott, who expects a major wireless operator to have about 1,000 such locations nationwide, including several such locations in each metro area. These central office-like locations also could serve another important function -- housing content servers for offerings such as You Tube and Netflix, thereby minimizing latency and improving the viewer’s experience.