Wi-Fi and 5G 147
terminals’ battery life by minimizing their periods of activity; the rest
of the time, the terminal is on standby.
The division of the coverage area of a Basic Service Set (BSS) into
sectors, determining subsets of terminal machines, is called
“sectorization”. It is done by a set of antennas or a set of directional
antenna lobes to cover different sectors of the BSS. The goal of
sectorization is to decrease contention and interference by reducing
the number of terminals that can transmit simultaneously.
6.7. Small cells
“Small cells” is the term used to denote the new generation of cells
of very small dimensions. There are numerous factors which weigh in
favor of this solution, starting with reuse of frequencies, adaptation of
the cells to the size of a dwelling, lowering of energy consumption,
etc. Small cells are found in a variety of forms in network technology:
femtocells, which correspond to a home; metrocells, which provide
coverage in the street; hotspots, which are set up in public spaces; or
picocells, for companies.
The main rollout should take place between 2016 and 2020. The
first small cells appeared in 2010, and have become increasingly
common from 2012 onwards. In certain countries, such as the United
States and South Korea, there are at least three telecom operators
already commercializing femtocells.
In this section, we begin by examining femtocells, which are
devoted to connecting users in their homes and in the vicinity. We
also present hotspots, followed by picocells, and finish up with a
discussion of metrocells and microcells. We then go on to describe the
Passpoint technology, which is able to bring together all of these
smaller cells. In the next section, we shall look at backhaul networks,
the aim of which is to connect small cells to the core network. Finally,
we shall close this chapter by presenting some relevant aspects of
Software Radio, Cognitive Radio and the new generation of cells.
www.it-ebooks.info
terminals’ battery life by minimizing their periods of activity; the rest
of the time, the terminal is on standby.
The division of the coverage area of a Basic Service Set (BSS) into
sectors, determining subsets of terminal machines, is called
“sectorization”. It is done by a set of antennas or a set of directional
antenna lobes to cover different sectors of the BSS. The goal of
sectorization is to decrease contention and interference by reducing
the number of terminals that can transmit simultaneously.
6.7. Small cells
“Small cells” is the term used to denote the new generation of cells
of very small dimensions. There are numerous factors which weigh in
favor of this solution, starting with reuse of frequencies, adaptation of
the cells to the size of a dwelling, lowering of energy consumption,
etc. Small cells are found in a variety of forms in network technology:
femtocells, which correspond to a home; metrocells, which provide
coverage in the street; hotspots, which are set up in public spaces; or
picocells, for companies.
The main rollout should take place between 2016 and 2020. The
first small cells appeared in 2010, and have become increasingly
common from 2012 onwards. In certain countries, such as the United
States and South Korea, there are at least three telecom operators
already commercializing femtocells.
In this section, we begin by examining femtocells, which are
devoted to connecting users in their homes and in the vicinity. We
also present hotspots, followed by picocells, and finish up with a
discussion of metrocells and microcells. We then go on to describe the
Passpoint technology, which is able to bring together all of these
smaller cells. In the next section, we shall look at backhaul networks,
the aim of which is to connect small cells to the core network. Finally,
we shall close this chapter by presenting some relevant aspects of
Software Radio, Cognitive Radio and the new generation of cells.
www.it-ebooks.info