GSA, Huawei release white paper on "Small Cell Networks”

NEW DELHI: The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) jointly with Huawei and other major vendors has released a white paper on "Small Cell Networks” that marks the first time the industry has reached a consensus on indoor network digitalization and cloud based Small Cell network architecture. The joint white paper will help operators build future-proof, sustainable mobile broadband networks.

"The exponential growth in data traffic and the number of connections from the Internet of Things means that operators must consider upgrading the mobile network to provide greater coverage and capacity at the right time and region,” said GSA President Joe Barrett. “As an important part of the mobile network, the deployment of Small Cell is of strategic importance.”

In the past few years, operators have significantly improved the user experience of the hotspot by deploying Small Cell and received a good return. Beijing Capital Airport increased its data traffic by 67 times over two years after deploying Small Cell. With the introduction of a large number of high-frequency spectrum resources in the future, mainstream base station coverage will be further reduced. Small Cell will assume an increasingly important role.

The Small Cell Forum predicts that by 2020 global Small Cell shipments are expected to reach 10 million.The joint white paper pointed out that indoor areas are always the high-value market of telecom operators. Indoor data traffic accounted for more than 80% of the total. The digital indoor network provides large network capacity and rich digital innovation services, which effectively reduces the cost of O&M and supports future evolution to 4.5G and 5G technologies. It is the best way for operators to cope with the challenge of indoor deep coverage. The white paper also calls for the industry to further increase investment in indoor digital networks to upgrade from the traditional analog ecosystem to a digital ecosystem.

The deployment of massive Small Cell will bring great challenges to the efficiency of network operation, the coordination of macro-micro-networks and the scheduling of backhaul resources. The new cloud based network architecture of Small Cell can help operators reduce the complexity of Small Cell network deployment, enhance network scalability, improve spectrum efficiency, and promote business innovation. This can be achieved by cloud-based network collaboration, cloud-based network management and cloud-based services openness. The white paper believes that Small Cell will accelerate the commercialization of cloud-based architectures to help operators build 5G-oriented evolvable networks.

The joint white paper also provides strategic advice on how to effectively use unlicensed spectrum technology and deploy more efficient macro-micro-integrated networks.

"Small Cell networks are bringing ever-increasing value to the mobile industry," said Peng Honghua, president of Huawei's Small Cell product line. "Whether it's operators, equipment vendors or integration partners, we are always exploring how to work together, using Small Cell technology to enhance the user experience and create new value-added services. The Joint white paper pointed out the direction for the Small Cell industry development. Huawei is very willing to work closely with industry partners to build a Small Cell ecosystem full of opportunities and vitality ".