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4.5G and 5G will see increasing deployment of virtualisation in the network, with a move to the Cloud RAN. There will be multiple flavours of cloud RAN architecture, with some RAN features based in a centralised cloud environment and some being kept as close as possible to the access point. This architectural split will be driven by a host of differing considerations, from fibre, backhaul and site availability, to the end deployment use cases operators are trying to fulfil. For instance, an operator requiring the
tight coordination and configuration of small cells can exploit centralisation to provide a common point of resource and mobility management. But latency sensitive features will require a presence closer to the edge, perhaps right at the cell itself. Wherever the split between the dedicated and the shared resource, between the virtual and the physical, lies, it will have a direct impact on small cell designs. Developers must be equipped to be able to produce technology stacks that can be flexibly adapted to market demands.
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VIRTUAL REALITY
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Mobile Edge Computing and the intelligent edge requires small cells
The goal of Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), being driven now within standards body ETSI, is to use computing resources collocated with cell sites to enable use cases such as proactive caching, backhaul optimisation, and highly localised application delivery. That also requires the distribution of core network capabilities, such as policy and analytics, to the edge of the network so that they can be enriched with radio-network information. In the case of the delivery of applications that require very low latencies, that will mandate the deployment of small cells that themselves act as hosts for these edge clouds, or cloudlets. MEC is a key enabling technology for 5G, and small cells are a key enabler for MEC.
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Moving to cloud architecture is promising for the RAN – but there’s no one way to do it
We are seeing the emergence of an “IoT small cell”
Many of the use cases for the cellular IoT applications rest on the sort of capabilities that small cells will be uniquely well-placed to deliver. Very high bandwidth solutions will benefit from the spectral reuse that densely deployed small cells can offer. Very low latency use cases, such as Augmented and Virtual Reality and smart or self-driving vehicles, healthcare, public safety and industrial automation will require a highly responsive network that can react in near real time to a service request, with very little signalling flow to and from the core network. We are already seeing the development of small cells optimised for IoT performance – prioritising responsiveness, reliability and 100% availability over throughput and support for voice quality metrics. From the aggregation of new spectrum bands, to the adoption of new architectures, to the relentless progress of network innovation through 4.5G and 5G, small cells will move from their current role as an important tactical tool to forming the strategic heart of the network.
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LTE-A PRO features will tax small cell software systems
Although 5G development is already imminent, LTE innovation will not stop. 3GPP has adopted the term LTE-Advanced PRO for all its releases from R13 onwards, giving a formal marker to what is more loosely known as 4.5G. These 4.5 features will only see faster throughputs, tighter scheduling and coordination requirements, smarter algorithms and so on. This will result in increased throughputs and data rates and the demands made on system software will scale accordingly, requiring software to be more efficient to match up to the enhanced data rates that they pull through. System and small cell designers will need to be aware of the innovation path as 4.5 capabilities move forward.
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SMALL CELLS MARKET UPDATE TMN 9