Backhaul Is Key to Small Cell Success, Heavy Reading Says

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The small cell market is exploding, with many new vendor startups and technology options, giving operators a slew of choices to help them keep up with the ever growing data traffic, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, a paid research service of Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com).

Wireless Backhaul for Small Cells: Who's Doing What covers wireless backhaul options for outdoor, public access small cells, because this segment of the market has been a hotbed of innovation recently and it's the most challenging to get right. The report covers the main challenges of small cell backhaul and the technology and spectrum options that are available. It identifies 16 new companies, as well as new service provider business models that have emerged to address the small cell backhaul challenge. Finally, the report profiles the small cell backhaul strategies of 11 wireless backhaul vendors.

For a list of companies analyzed in this report, http://twimgs.com/audiencedevelopment/LRHR/PDFS/4gltei0813_companies.pdf

"Operators recognize the need to deploy small cells to add network capacity if the current trend of phenomenal data traffic growth continues," notes Michelle Donegan, research analyst with Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider and author of the report. "To keep up with the rate of mobile traffic growth, operators have many options for network improvement."

Obvious though it sounds, the wireless backhaul opportunity for outdoor small cells depends on the size of the public access small cell market, Donegan says. "The small cell market is difficult to nail down because each mobile operator has a different small cell plan based on its own coverage and capacity needs, as well as traffic and subscriber growth forecasts," she continues. "Recent product and technology developments have flooded operators with many candidates that aim to match those requirements; therefore, it is too soon to identify which type of wireless backhaul and which frequency bands will emerge as the dominant solutions."

Key findings of Wireless Backhaul for Small Cells: Who's Doing What include:

• Outdoor, public access small cells will require a mix of fixed and wireless backhaul
• Wireless backhaul will be critical for small cells
• Many startups have emerged with new wireless backhaul products designed for small cells; those with partnerships with larger vendors have an advantage
• Most operator small cell plans are in trial and evaluation phase
• Spectrum availability is primary consideration for wireless backhaul
• The next 18-24 months will be dynamic as operators clarify small cell backhaul strategies and smaller vendors consolidate

Wireless Backhaul for Small Cells: Who's Doing What is available as part of an annual single-user subscription (6 issues per year) to Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900 (single-user license).

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/4glte. For more information on all Insider services, please visit www.heavyreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

David Williams
Global Director of Sales, Research
Heavy Reading
858-829-8612
david.williams@ubm.com

Press/analyst contact:
Jennifer Baker
Marketing Director, Light Reading Communications Network
617-747-4110
jennifer.baker@ubm.com

About Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com)
Heavy Reading is an independent research organization offering deep analysis of emerging telecom trends to network operators, technology suppliers, and investors. Its product portfolio includes in-depth reports that address critical next-generation technology and service issues, market trackers that focus on the telecom industry's most critical technology sectors, exclusive worldwide surveys of network operator decision-makers that identify future purchasing and deployment plans, and a rich array of custom and consulting services that give clients the market intelligence needed to compete successfully in the global telecom industry. As a division of UBM Tech (tech.ubm.com), Heavy Reading contributes to the only integrated business information platform serving the global communications industry.

SOURCE Heavy Reading