Commscope's 4G / 5G Outdoor Small Cell Solutions

Commscope are well known for their small cells deployment solutions. Their small cell densification page contains a lot of different implementations, some of which have been compiled in the image above.

CommScope provides virtually everything needed to deploy outdoor small cells—from base station antennas, RF transmission systems and fiber to poles, concealment solutions and more. The Professional Services team can help with network designs, construction plans, and permitting.

In addition, Commscope offers a wide range of concealment options that integrate advanced technology into aesthetic packages to complement urban streetscapes and meet permitting requirements. The small cell site concealment solutions are designed to meet both thermal and aesthetic requirements across multiple types of radios and environments.

This 4G/5G Outdoor Small Cell Solutions Brochure provides more details while the Metro Cell Concealment Solutions video shows the solution.




Related Posts:

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Vodafone UK improving coverage with Phone Boxes, Mini-masts & Manhole Covers

KDDI to test 5G with base stations built in Street Lights

Street lamp incorporating the base station function in consideration of the landscape - by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

My earlier posts with street lighting and lampposts were mainly with Philips (see here and here) and one detailed one from EE (via Andy Sutton)

In fact the picture above reminded me of this tweet:

When is a telegraph pole not a telegraph pole? When it's a cell site. #industrialarchaeology #gsm #3G #mobilefuture pic.twitter.com/t1WzZ5crU5

— Andy Sutton (@960sutton) September 8, 2015

Anyway, the new article says (translated by Google translate from Japanese):

In experiments, we used a street lamp that incorporates the base station function inside the pillar so that the antenna and the radio are not noticeable. We set up one in the parking lot adjacent to the municipal wreckage field in Yeomachiro and investigate tourist reactions on the landscape and the reach of the radio waves. The period is one year from October this year. Since the 5G base station has not yet been downsized, experiments predict the radio range using the current 4G base station.

So from what I understand (news sites here and here):

• KDDI will be testing initially using 4G because 5G base stations are still quite big. It looks like a small cell but could be an RRH as well
• This experiment will start in October and last a year
• As it mentions relay, I am assuming in-band backhaul.
• As its on a sightseeing spot, they want to see how people react to this
• They will also examine the impacts of weather, terrain and look at maintenance issues as well.
• The intention is to roll it out commercially by 2020

Disguising Small Cells in Rural areas

We all want good mobile coverage but we do not want the cell towers in our backyard. The main reason being that somehow this can affect our health and maybe cause cancer. There is absolutely no link between cellphone radiation and cancer as I have discussed in an earlier post here. With more studies having been done, any possible links between cellphone tower and existence of cancer seems to diminish. On the WHO list, exposure to radio emissions is now category 2b (possible carcinogens), along with coffee, talcum powder and many other substances to which we all expose ourselves.

As a result, the mobile operators have started disguising cell phone towers. A cellphone tower inside the bell tower, rear right, is seen over the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Ankeny, Iowa. In rural areas disguising also doesn't affect the scenery.



The cactus cell tower in Arizona is another great example of coverage by stealth.

Small cells on the other hand is a whole new ball game. We are so used to seeing WiFi routers that people will probably not bat an eyelid with the small cell above by Vodafone in Cranborne.

Another disguise is the bird box cell booster, also by Vodafone. It picks up the mobile signal from the nearest network mast, and boosts it to provide better coverage in the surrounding area. This would definitely fit with the surrounding but getting power can sometimes be tricky.

Do you know of any disguised small cells, please let us know.