Telecom Services

Sprint to make investment in small cells in SMB locations

May 3, 2016

Commscope announced its deal with Sprint to deploy S1000 small cells for use in high density traffic, intended for small and medium-sized business locations.

This move has been strategized by the company so that it can deliver faster data speeds indoors alongside making sure of a high quality LTE experience as a part of its Sprint network densification plan.

“The CommScope S1000 small cell, with its support for 2.5GHz LTE and managed Wi-Fi, is a highly cost-effective way for us to give our customers even faster data speeds indoors,” said Jay Bluhm, vice president of network development and engineering, Sprint.

It works on Qualcomm FSM small cell and Qualcomm VIVE Wi-Fi chipsets, and supports both 2.5 GHz TD-LTE and 802.11ac dual-band, dual-concurrent Wi-Fi.

The technology also provides support to the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, permitting Sprint to offer managed Wi-Fi hotspot services.

The S1000 small cells allot a turnkey wireless solution for small- and medium-sized offices and retail locations that need high quality wireless services for both employees and visitors. These cells are claimed to be designed in a cost-effective, power efficient and compact form factor.

The cells contain a hybrid self-organizing network (SON) approach which joins with the automated provisioning function of the CommScope Device Management System(DMS) and can be self installed with the use of Qualcomm UltraSON technology in the device. As a result, the installation and coexistence with macro networks and neighboring small cells becomes less complex. This also improves the user experience and is also economic.

The cells were first offered by the company in October 2015 when Airvana was acquired by it.

“Meeting the mobile data demands in today’s business environment and providing great mobile experiences requires the best use of both LTE and Wi-Fi, and we are pleased to be working with CommScope and Sprint to deliver converged small cells to the market,” said Neville Meijers, vice president, Business Development, Qualcomm Technologies.