Mobile data traffic has grown 4,000-fold since 2007 and will continue growing at a rate of 53 percent annually through 20201. 1,000x the bandwidth, new business models, new applications (connected cars, IoT, etc.). It’s a brand new world! What’s required? More spectrum, the Internet of Things, and many more cell sites.
Led by small cells, the number of mobile RAN nodes is exploding as mobile network operators and wireless providers evolve toward converged, 5G-enabled networks. Deploying and supporting these devices means balancing the requirements of three key interconnected challenges: site acquisition, backhaul/fronthaul and power. Without affordable and reliable power for the tens of millions of projected small cells, network densification will stall.
