Why Sprint Needs 4G Small Cells

Tiny LTE base stations can enable operators to be faster and more nimble when trying to meet the need for 4G capacity, Sprint's Iyad Tarazi says

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

June 4, 2012

1 Min Read
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Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)'s small cell guru says that the operator needs tiny Long Term Evolution (LTE) radios to facilitate flexible and fast deployment of network capacity for 4G.

Sprint plans to launch its first six LTE cities in the middle of this year. The operator intends to cover 123 million people with LTE service by the end of this year and, next year, reach 250 million people with its 4G network.

Talking with Light Reading Mobile at the recent CTIA show in New Orleans, Sprint VP of Network Development and Engineering Iyad Tarazi explained why the operator has three LTE "picocells" in the works and more on the way.

"The reason we do small cells is that the days where you could build a cell site and [take] 12 to 18 months until you give relief to a customer are really not there anymore," Tarazi explained.

Click on the video below to learn more:

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Tarazi defines the upcoming LTE picocells as "primarily oriented towards one-watt radios for data offload." The operator will start with indoor models from vendors this year and outdoor radio with improved interference management capabilities in 2013.

For more background on the growing LTE small cell market, please check out this video overview from Heavy Reading analyst Berge Ayvazian:

{videoembed|221511}

For more

  • Sprint Tees Up LTE Small Cells

  • Sprint Counters Verizon's 4G Jibe

  • Sprint LTE Devices Arrive Before Network

  • Photos: A Sprint Network Vision Cell Site



— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

Full disclosure: These videos were filmed as part of a series sponsored by Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO).

About the Author

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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