There are three types of small cells in the industry today: femtocells, picocells and microcells - each with its distinction based around its coverage capability and the number of individual users it can support.įemtocells are small mobile base stations that help extend coverage for residential and enterprise-level applications. The backhaul connections are made with fiber, wired and microwave connections, making configuration less complicated than previous forms. These small base stations (“transceivers”) are wall mountable for indoor applications, and many of the small towers or lamp posts are outdoors. Moreover, small cell hardware units are designed reduce complexity, and thus, implementation is faster and easier.” Low power transmitting stations can be easily deployed using small cell concept. This feature makes them perfect for the 5G rollout that promises ultra-high speeds, a million devices per square mile and latencies in the millisecond range.Īccording to RF Page, “Small cells work exactly similar to conventional cell concept with advanced techniques like MIMO, beamforming and millimeter waves for transmission. However, they are uniquely capable of handling high data rates for mobile broadband and consumers and, for IoT, high densities of low-speed, low-power devices. Small cells have all the same characteristics of the classic base stations that have been used by telecom companies for years. In short, small cells make use of low-power, short-range wireless transmission systems (or “base stations”) that cover small geographical areas or small proximity indoor and outdoor spaces. Major telecommunications providers in the United States are set to make heavy use of small cell technology to roll out 5G coverage throughout the country, but what exactly does this mean?