Alcatel-Lucent introduced a new Compact Metro Cell Outdoor family that is 50 percent smaller than existing metro cells.
The Compact Metro Cell Outdoor family, which is currently being trialled with a number of operators around the globe, integrates the baseband, an LTE radio, higher power output and modular design options, including external antennas. The compact size also allows them to be wall-mounted and hidden from view, with just the antenna visible, and optimally placed to offer customers the highest service quality.
Alcatel-Lucent said operators can connect these CMCO devices via backhaul into their wider network. In addition, the ability to bypass the embedded baseband unit (BBU) means they will also be able to connect via a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) to a centralized BBU, managing multiple radios. This will allow them to smoothly evolve networks and leverage the efficiencies offered by a virtualized RAN architecture.
Key features of the 9764 Compact Metro Cell Outdoor Family:
- Small form factor (approximately 6K cubic centimeters for a 2x2W).
- Support for LTE mobile ultra-broadband connectivity, with Wi-Fi as an option.
- Increased capacity, supporting up to 200 users
- Later versions using system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology will support 60 MHz within one box, as well as the ability to daisy chain to aggregate multiple small cell sectors.
- Radio-on-chip (RoC) technology which enables 43% greater power efficiency compared to small cells solutions without this technology.
- Coverage and capacity support for different scenarios, made possible by various output power: 2x1W for dense urban locations (to complement the existing Metro Cell family), 2x2W for optimal coverage and capacity, 2x 5W for the highest coverage
- Use of a variety of external antennas (directional or omni directional).
- The ability to allow operators to smoothly evolve towards a vRAN architecture, leveraging a centralized BBU.
- The Compact Metro Cell Outdoor family is commercially available now within the 1800 MHz frequency, B7 operating band and 2600 MHz frequency, B3 operating band, with a full complement of frequencies for FDD and TDD available throughout 2015.
“The goal of this product was to enable operators to seamlessly and simply integrate the product inside of existing street furniture and simplify municipality zoning approvals. Our existing Metro Cells continues to help them with pole-mounting and wall-mounting applications, while we are expanding their deployment options with the Compact Metro Cell Outdoor,” stated Mike Schabel, Vice President of Small Cells in Alcatel-Lucent.
