The Network Vision operator plans to use its partner's mini base stations in high-traffic areas where it is rolling out LTE, starting with indoor entertainment venues, transportation hubs and business campuses. It says the deployment will bring better broadband to its subscribers and help reduce its costs.
Why this matters
Sprint will need all the help in growing coverage and reducing costs it can get for its multi-mode Network Vision. The operator has told Light Reading Mobile that it isn't waiting until it blankets a market to roll out LTE, but rather until it has adequate street-level coverage, so any measures it can take to increase capacity should help expedite the rollout. (See Sprint's 4G LTE Scramble.)
The U.S.'s third-largest carrier currently has 15 LTE markets deployed, but plans to reach 120 million potential customers by year's end. Its competitors Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) have 337 and 47 markets, respectively.
sarahthomas1011, User Rank: Light Beer 12/5/2012 | 5:24:41 PM
re: Sprint's First to Deploy Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio
Sprint also already has 950,000 small cells on its network. It's definitely a hodge podge network, but they'll never have to explain it to their customers provided it all works well!
re: Sprint's First to Deploy Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio
It's interesting that Sprint is rolling out Alcatel-Lucent's metro small cells indoors first. It makes sense to cover or add capacity initially to busy places like airports or train stations or popular venues. Will an outdoor rollout soon follow -- lightRadios on lampposts?
And what of Sprint's other Network Vision suppliers -- is Sprint looking for LTE small cells from Ericsson and Samsung as well?
Light Reading founder Steve Saunders talks with VMware's Shekar Ayyar, who explains why cloud architectures are becoming more distributed, what that means for workloads, and why telcos can still be significant cloud services players.
A CSP's digital transformation involves so much more than technology. Crucial – and often most challenging – is the cultural transformation that goes along with it. As Sigma's Chief Technology Officer, Catherine Michel has extensive experience with technology as she leads the company's entire product portfolio and strategy. But she's also no stranger to merging technology and culture, having taken a company — Tribold — from inception to acquisition (by Sigma in 2013), and she continues to advise service providers on how to drive their own transformations. This impressive female leader and vocal advocate for other women in the industry will join Women in Comms for a live radio show to discuss all things digital transformation, including the cultural transformation that goes along with it.
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