Smart cites advantage of small-cell network

MANILA, Philippines - Wireless giant Smart Communications Inc., a unit of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), sees less need to put up cellular towers with the introduction of small-cell network infrastructure.

The small-cell solution provides localized network capacity and coverage improvement in jam-packed areas and big events where people converge, or where wireless signal normally gets congested.

Aside from providing smoother connectivity for mobile users, small cells are being tapped around the world for their flexibility and promise of providing a cleaner signal with less power, making them environment-friendly.

In the long run, the use of small cells will also reduce the need to build more cell towers.

Smart deployed the country’s first small-cell network infrastructure during the 9th Asian Carriers Conference (ACC) in Cebu.

Small cells are miniaturized base stations that offer immediate means of providing stable and reliable mobile broadband or 3G (third generation) and long-term evolution (LTE) coverage, when and where required, and without the need to build new towers and cellsites.

Rolando Peña, head of technology at Smart and PLDT, said the configuration allowed the telco to efficiently and effectively serve the connectivity needs of over 1,300 participants from 45 countries.

 â€œThere is no better venue to showcase this kind of relevant network solution than at the ACC, where leaders of the global carrier industry discuss and share the latest technologies and breakthroughs in telecommunications and ICT,” he said.

Informa Telecoms & Media said in a report early this year that small cells would be one of the defining mobile network trends in the coming years.

The think tank also predicted that the installed base of small cells around the world is set to grow eight-fold to 92 million units in 2016 from around 11 million units in February.

However, the real measure of efficiency and optimum performance of small cells hinges heavily on a reliable wireless network.

PLDT has the country’s most extensive fiber optic cable network in the country, more than 71,000 kilometers, which provides the most resilient and reliable infrastructure to support the wireless network of Smart.