Small Cell Forum (SCF) last week published the first informed and consensual view of 5G small cell network architectures and product definitions.
Building upon consensus within the industry and informed by a comprehensive, world-first requirements survey of operators, small cell deployers and other supply chain members, the release provides a valuable reference for the ecosystem as a whole, as well as for external stakeholders such as governments and regulators.
SCF238 5G Small cell architecture and product definitions is available to download here: http://scf.io/doc/238, and its key outputs include:
· Definition of a 5G small cell network
· Top indoor and outdoor small cell deployment scenarios meeting 5G use cases
· Summary of 5G small cell RAN architecture options
· Summary of small cell regulation and power classes
· Reference hardware configurations for the main 5G small cell products expected to be on the market from 2020-25
The first such study of its kind, the report provides an informed view of the most important configurations and specifications for companies deploying small cells between now and 2025. It aims to provide a consensus view and concise definition of the types of 5G small cells being rolled out now and in the near future. It also includes definitions of the key characteristics of the different types of commercially viable 5G small cell RAN products that will be available over the next five years, including 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance 5G disaggregated open RAN specifications – work that covers macrocells, but also includes microcells and picocells.
This study also provides a uniquely detailed analysis of the capabilities that small cells will need to support in any combination of architecture and deployment environment.
Prabhakar Chitrapu, Chair of Small Cell Forum
In the early days, small cells looked fairly similar, regardless of the environment in which they would be deployed, and were easily distinguishable in size, weight and power output from other mobile equipment. In the 5G era, small cells will be deployed in a far wider range of scenarios, and form factors and architectures will be extremely varied.
