But the capacity of small cells, which use licensed spectrum, is dependent on the availability of that limited spectrum, can be degraded by interference between small cells, and requires significant planning. To cope, some service providers are looking to use Wi-Fi to augment their investment in small cells.

BACKGROUND:

A number of vendors, including BelAir Networks (acquired by Ericsson), Ruckus and IP.Access, have announced Wi-Fi integrated LTE and HSPA picocells. At , concerned Wi-Fi integrated small cell technology. Alcatel-Lucent, for example, announced a secure Wi-Fi gateway for small cells and an integrated Wi-Fi option for its existing femtocell and picocell products. also to help operators integrate Wi-Fi into small cells, while Airspan Networks announced the integration of carrier Wi-Fi to its LTE small cell solution.

Integrating the Wi-Fi radio in a small cell will open a host of opportunities and benefits to cellular carriers, including:

* Cost-effective additional capacity: Integrating Wi-Fi radios into small cells provides cost-effective capacity and additional coverage for small cells, particularly for those cells that are targeted for public usage, like picocells, over and above their available cellular capacity. This additional boost will further help small cells deliver seamless data services in dense urban sites reeling under the capacity crunch, and will also enable a small cell site to gracefully handle peak capacity hours.