Densification is underway with current LTE networks and will intensify as 5G is rolled out in the coming years, according to a survey of 50 mobile operators commissioned by Small Cell Forum and Rethink Technology Research.
Discussing the research, Chairman David Orloff said, “The industry is seeing explosive growth in the number of small cell deployments, which provide the densification solution to grow today’s LTE networks, as well as providing a fundamental building block for tomorrow’s 5G deployments. This research shows the confidence and emphasis that operators around the world are placing on the technology.”
The survey forecasts rapid industry growth, with new non-residential small cell deployments growing at a compound annual rate of 36 percent between 2015 and 2025. They will reach just shy of 8.5 million – 22 times more than 2015.
Forty percent of mobile operators reported they plan to deploy 100 to 350 small cells per square kilometer in the areas they densify by 2020. And with the arrival of 5G, 58 percent of operators expect to focus on small cell deployment. This builds on the current trend of small cell deployment for Enterprise, which jumped up 98 percent in the past two years – and is expected to skyrocket by 1,600 percent over all between 2015 and 2025.
