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Telecom Lead: Ericsson has introduced its
small-cell products, including a pico radio base station with integrated Wi-Fi.
The company said that it is now feasible to easily add
small cells to the network in the form of Ericsson’s new small RBS products,
using both 3GPP-licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum such as Wi-Fi, both
of which can be transported over the same backhaul.
The new picos strengthen Ericsson’s RBS 6000 portfolio,
and complements the macro layer of radio base stations in environments where
network traffic is high, to increase network capacity and performance.
Along with the pico RBS introduction, Ericsson is also
releasing an Indoor Pico Gateway, to enable indoor deployments that are fully
coordinated with the macro layer.
The integrated nature of Ericsson’s hetnet solution
typically offers operators at least a 50 percent lower total cost of ownership
for the small cell layer compared to using a multivendor approach.
“With Ericsson’s new small RBS products and our
unique approach to hetnets, operators can offer the same services with half the
spectrum compared to using separate vendors for the small cell layer. By
combining an improved and densified macro layer with low-power small cells,
very high traffic volumes can be supported. This is the best way forward for
operators that want to offer their customers a mobile lifestyle and a truly
seamless user experience,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, CTO at Ericsson.
The pico RBS with integrated Wi-Fi helps
to provide a comprehensive solution to heavy traffic needs as part of the
hetnet proposition.
ZTE Corporation has also launched its TD-LTE multi-mode Pico base station at Mobile
World Congress 2012.
