Qualcomm Technologies, Sprint and Airspan demonstrated the second phase of an over-the-air trial of an LTE TDD hyper-dense small cell network.
They selected Phoenix International Raceway as an ideal venue to conduct hyper-dense small cell network trial due to the large fan attendance, the challenging radio frequency (RF) conditions and the high mobile data demand during NASCAR events.
“Small cells will play a critical role in Sprint’s network strategy,” said Iyad Tarazi, vice president of network, Sprint.
Qualcomm Technologies has installed 31 small cell base stations in the garage area of the Phoenix International Raceway to test density limits, measure network performance capabilities and quantify the potential impact on users’ mobile experiences.
This hyper-dense network demonstration, built with Airspan’s AirSynergy 2000 LTE-Advanced Pico Base Stations, is powered by Qualcomm small cell chipsets and UltraSON technology. The hyper-dense network has an equivalent density of 1000 cells per km2operating on Sprint’s band 41 LTE-TDD spectrum.
In November of 2013, as part of the Phase 1 trial, Qualcomm showcased UltraSON’s ability to improve wireless data performance and quality of service in hyper-dense small cell networks while reducing signaling load to the network.
In the phase 2 trials, Qualcomm demonstrated significant capacity gains with hyper-dense small cell networks compared to existing large area cellular technology, providing better user experiences across the whole trial area with UltraSON.
Dan Rabinovitsj, senior vice president, Qualcomm Atheros, said: “This trial of a hyper-dense small cell network allowed us to showcase how our silicon and software solutions, including UltraSON software, improve the aggregate throughput of a cellular network, and reduce frequent handovers and signaling load to the core network.”
While traditional macro cell towers excel at providing wide area coverage, small cell deployment is designed to offer a more cost-effective solution to deliver high levels of mobile data capacity in both indoor and outdoor venues, with the added benefit of exceptional performance in areas of dense usage like shopping centers, hospitality venues, and sporting events.
