The popularity of smartphones is pushing mobile operators to rethink the infrastructure necessary to provide consumers with the service and functionality they expect out of their mobile devices. Small cells are the go-to solution for the problem, but there are differing opinions on how the small cells should be deployed to meet the need of more bandwidth.

There are a few issues that need to be resolved before small cells will see widespread deployment, especially the interference issues that occur between small cells and the macrocells, according to this RCR Wireless (News - Alert) report. At the same time, the issue of mobile backhaul still looms large – will the microwave or millimeter wave be the answer?

Many are expecting the sub-6 GHz non-line-of-sight links with a point-to-point multipoint architecture to step up, as well as the 60 GHz and e-band millimeter wave technology to provide the capacity where LOS is available. What is needed is a unified approach to the problem, or there could be what has been termed as an “alphabet soup” of infrastructure throughout each region, which could cause connectivity issues.

Why have small cells been chosen as the way of the future? Cost is a primary factor as operators are finding that they can provide the performance requirements expected of them while limiting their cost of providing such technology. This is crucial for the growth of small cells to live up to expectations – backhaul has to be there, but only at low cost.

To ultimately ensure success, the backhaul issue has to be attacked from multiple levels. This means taking fiber solutions when they are available at lower than usual cost; LOS and NLOS, which can both be utilized to build up the backhaul infrastructure to a point where 4G LTE (News - Alert) can thrive in the urban and suburban environments.

Operators are finding that the NLOS backhaul has less capacity than LOS, but the question remains as to whether it is a flexible and cost effective choice. An advantage to going with a sub-6 GHz PMP is that they aren’t as expensive per link and they don’t require much equipment. Yet taking the total cost of ownership (TCO) per mbps, it would seem that the millimeter-wave choice would offer what is needed at less cost.

Operators are also taking into account cell density and cell capacity as they look at NLOS and its relationship to PMP and PTP. Operators can deploy a few cells in areas that have an increased cell capacity and see value added to their service. But if there is LOS, millimeter-wave backhaul can provide the same level of performance at roughly the same cost.

Obviously, there are many choices to be made in how backhaul for small cells will be provided. Fortunately, there are a variety of good options available. The first step, however, is to work out some of the kinks that are limiting the availability in small cells deployments and available bandwidth for mobile users who want anywhere access at any time.

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