An ABI Research report predicts that beginning in 2025, the deployment of 5G small cells would increase dramatically in response to the rising demand for mobile bandwidth.
By making available low, mid, and high-band airwaves, 5G will provide a balance of range and capacity, which is a significant improvement over previous generations of mobile technology.
The most cutting-edge 5G applications will be supported by the high band spectrum’s enormous capacity and exceptional indoor propagation characteristics. Its lower range compared to other bands, however, means that network operators will need to deploy additional access points to compensate.
5G small cells
This increased spectrum diversity, in conjunction with Massive MIMO macro cells, has been sufficient so far in supplying this capacity, but it is likely to become insufficient as the number of 5G devices and traffic volume increase. ABI predicts that by 2026, data will have increased to 1676 exabytes, growing at an annual rate of 63%.
Microinfrastructure, such as tiny cells, will henceforth be crucial in supplying this capacity in locations where erecting new masts is impractical or where preexisting technology is inadequate.
ABI Research estimates 12 million 5G small cells by 2027, with deployments enhanced by breakthroughs in technology and form factor.
5G tiny cells enhance network capacity and extend coverage in crowded locations with weak signals. They also allow network operators to utilise their existing spectrum more efficiently, says ABI Research‘s Fei Liu.
5G small cells have additional design and performance problems than earlier generations. Tiny cells must be smaller, lighter, and handle 100MHz and 200MHz bandwidths. 5G deployment situations are more diverse, forcing suppliers to develop comprehensive solutions.