Small Cells | Microcell, Picocell and Femtocell
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| Credit | Jeswin on Freepik |
Small cells are low-powered cellular radio access points used for voice, video, and data transmission, designed to provide network coverage to smaller areas. These transmission points called “nodes” are placed close to end users, located in both indoors and outdoors, and operated in a licensed, shared, or unlicensed spectrum.
Small cells are a form of infrastructure for handling very dense voice, video, and data traffic demands because they provide capacity, which allows for faster, more reliable wireless service.
Small cells installed outdoors on city infrastructure like street lights, utility poles, and light poles will often already have power infrastructure in-place. While small cells deployed indoors can source power from the building in which they provide service.
In outdoor settings, wireless microwave connections can also be used for the purposes of small cell back-haul, the method used to transport voice, video, and data traffic from a small cell will depend on the wireless carrier or infrastructure operator’s capabilities. While fiber-based transmission technology such as GPON and XGS-PON is optimal, often only hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology standards, such as DOCSIS 3.0 or DOCSIS 3.1 are available.
Small cells are one of the key digital infrastructure building blocks for 5G and take a variety of forms, including a micro-cell, picocell, and femtocell. Instead of replacing traditional macrocells (also known as cell towers), small cells supplement this infrastructure to enhance network coverage and capacity in crowded city locations and inside buildings.
Macrocells, high-powered structures that keep the signals of wireless networks strong across large distances and wide areas. In contrast, small cells serve densely populated areas like city centers and public stadiums, which have specific capacity needs.
In comparison with the structure, macrocells typically range from more than a hundred feet in height, while small cells are placed at heights of less than 100 feet – and often closer to 20 feet.
Also, small cells deliver higher throughput and data rates for end users which, in turn, provides additional capacity to a macro wireless network.
The costs for a single small cell node and its corresponding fiber are less than a macrocell, making these deployments more cost-effective than a single macrocell (cell tower) – however, several small cells would need to be built to even approximate the coverage of a macrocell.
There are three main types of small cells; microcells, picocells, and femtocells. These cellular base stations typically cover a small area and are used to extend coverage to areas or to add network capacity in locations with very dense cell phone usage, such as hotels and motels.
Each type of small cell, whether it be a microcell, picocell, or femtocell, all have self-contained base stations, which are responsible for radio transmission and reception “to” or “from” the mobile station.
Microcells provide the greatest coverage and support the highest capacity for users amongst the small cell types. Typically, microcells are installed outdoors on city infrastructure like street lights, utility poles, light poles, and slim line poles. However, given their range of 600 feet to 3,000 feet, microcells can serve both outdoor and indoor spaces simultaneously.
Usually, microcells are deployed in dense urban environments to cover a high-demand city block where macrocell coverage may not be sufficient. A microcell can support 100 to 2,000 users and typically has transmission power levels of 2 to 20 watts.
Microcells are the most expensive to deploy, requiring professional installation and zoning & permitting approvals. Still, microcells offer unique benefits, such as the ability to use software-defined connections to deal with limited line-of-sight in challenging urban environments.
Picocells, which often referred to as a metrocell, provide a coverage range of 300 feet to 1,000 feet, which is smaller than microcells but greater than femtocells. Typically, picocells are installed indoors, at large venues including airports, hotels, hospitals, offices, and schools.
Usually, picocells are deployed in these high-traffic indoor spaces, where a single coverage area has multiple picocells. A single picocell can support 30 to 100 users and has ‘medium’ transmission power levels of 250 Milli-watts to 2 watts.
Picocells are owned by the enterprise or the owner of the buildings where they are deployed. While the transport of voice, video, and data traffic (back-haul) from the picocell uses a wired connection, such as fiber.
Femtocells, which wireless carriers refer to as mini cell towers, provide the shortest coverage range and support the smallest capacity for users amongst the small cell types. Specifically, femtocells are compact equipment installed indoors for home and small office use, providing a coverage range of less than 100 feet.
The primary purpose of a femtocell is to improve signal quality.
Femtocells are owned by the end user or subscriber, often an individual, who either purchases the equipment directly or receives it as a subsidy from their wireless carrier, as part of their service plan. While the transport of voice, video, and data traffic (back-haul) from femtocells relies on the end user’s wired Ethernet broadband connection, leveraging either digital subscriber line (DSL), hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), or fiber optics – thus relying on the Internet for transport.
Overall, of the different types of small cells, femtocells are the cheapest to deploy – costing only hundreds of dollars – given that they are self-setup and have a small form factor. To this end, a femtocell base station’s condensed size is often similar in form to a Wi-Fi router.
Small cells are a form of infrastructure for handling very dense voice, video, and data traffic demands because they provide capacity, which allows for faster, more reliable wireless service.
Small cells installed outdoors on city infrastructure like street lights, utility poles, and light poles will often already have power infrastructure in-place. While small cells deployed indoors can source power from the building in which they provide service.
In outdoor settings, wireless microwave connections can also be used for the purposes of small cell back-haul, the method used to transport voice, video, and data traffic from a small cell will depend on the wireless carrier or infrastructure operator’s capabilities. While fiber-based transmission technology such as GPON and XGS-PON is optimal, often only hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology standards, such as DOCSIS 3.0 or DOCSIS 3.1 are available.
Small cells are one of the key digital infrastructure building blocks for 5G and take a variety of forms, including a micro-cell, picocell, and femtocell. Instead of replacing traditional macrocells (also known as cell towers), small cells supplement this infrastructure to enhance network coverage and capacity in crowded city locations and inside buildings.
Macrocells, high-powered structures that keep the signals of wireless networks strong across large distances and wide areas. In contrast, small cells serve densely populated areas like city centers and public stadiums, which have specific capacity needs.
In comparison with the structure, macrocells typically range from more than a hundred feet in height, while small cells are placed at heights of less than 100 feet – and often closer to 20 feet.
Also, small cells deliver higher throughput and data rates for end users which, in turn, provides additional capacity to a macro wireless network.
The costs for a single small cell node and its corresponding fiber are less than a macrocell, making these deployments more cost-effective than a single macrocell (cell tower) – however, several small cells would need to be built to even approximate the coverage of a macrocell.
There are three main types of small cells; microcells, picocells, and femtocells. These cellular base stations typically cover a small area and are used to extend coverage to areas or to add network capacity in locations with very dense cell phone usage, such as hotels and motels.
Each type of small cell, whether it be a microcell, picocell, or femtocell, all have self-contained base stations, which are responsible for radio transmission and reception “to” or “from” the mobile station.
Microcells provide the greatest coverage and support the highest capacity for users amongst the small cell types. Typically, microcells are installed outdoors on city infrastructure like street lights, utility poles, light poles, and slim line poles. However, given their range of 600 feet to 3,000 feet, microcells can serve both outdoor and indoor spaces simultaneously.
Usually, microcells are deployed in dense urban environments to cover a high-demand city block where macrocell coverage may not be sufficient. A microcell can support 100 to 2,000 users and typically has transmission power levels of 2 to 20 watts.
Microcells are the most expensive to deploy, requiring professional installation and zoning & permitting approvals. Still, microcells offer unique benefits, such as the ability to use software-defined connections to deal with limited line-of-sight in challenging urban environments.
Picocells, which often referred to as a metrocell, provide a coverage range of 300 feet to 1,000 feet, which is smaller than microcells but greater than femtocells. Typically, picocells are installed indoors, at large venues including airports, hotels, hospitals, offices, and schools.
Usually, picocells are deployed in these high-traffic indoor spaces, where a single coverage area has multiple picocells. A single picocell can support 30 to 100 users and has ‘medium’ transmission power levels of 250 Milli-watts to 2 watts.
Picocells are owned by the enterprise or the owner of the buildings where they are deployed. While the transport of voice, video, and data traffic (back-haul) from the picocell uses a wired connection, such as fiber.
Femtocells, which wireless carriers refer to as mini cell towers, provide the shortest coverage range and support the smallest capacity for users amongst the small cell types. Specifically, femtocells are compact equipment installed indoors for home and small office use, providing a coverage range of less than 100 feet.
The primary purpose of a femtocell is to improve signal quality.
Femtocells are owned by the end user or subscriber, often an individual, who either purchases the equipment directly or receives it as a subsidy from their wireless carrier, as part of their service plan. While the transport of voice, video, and data traffic (back-haul) from femtocells relies on the end user’s wired Ethernet broadband connection, leveraging either digital subscriber line (DSL), hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), or fiber optics – thus relying on the Internet for transport.
Overall, of the different types of small cells, femtocells are the cheapest to deploy – costing only hundreds of dollars – given that they are self-setup and have a small form factor. To this end, a femtocell base station’s condensed size is often similar in form to a Wi-Fi router.
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