Het Nets

MWC26: New Small Cells Aimed at Densification, Indoor Spaces, and Key Trends

March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by edgubbins, posted in Het Nets

Summary Bullets:

• Vendors unveiled a variety of new small-cell base station products at Mobile World Congress (MWC), meeting demand for 5G network densification and indoor penetration.

• Some new small cells address specific trends such as neutral-host networks and improved uplink performance needed for video streaming and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases.

Multiple mobile network equipment vendors announced new small-cell base station products at the MWC event in Barcelona (Spain) this month, including major RAN vendors and lesser-known names and spanning indoor and outdoor products of various architectures. Some of these addressed specific trends such as neutral-host networks and improved uplink performance needed for video streaming and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases.

Continue reading “MWC26: New Small Cells Aimed at Densification, Indoor Spaces, and Key Trends” →

At its 5G Summit, ZTE Advances RIS and Introduces ‘RAN Composer’

December 1, 2023December 1, 2023 by edgubbins, posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation

Summary Bullets:

• At the ZTE 5G Summit in Bangkok (Thailand) in November 2023, ZTE continued its focus on RIS with a next-generation prototype that consumes less power than its predecessor.

• ZTE also introduced ZTE RAN Composer, a solution that inserts general-purpose computing into the baseband unit to aid AI-based RAN optimization applications.

At the 2023 ZTE 5G Summit in Bangkok (Thailand), ZTE presented a range of views on 5G’s continuing and future evolution, including presentations from operators and analysts in addition to ZTE representatives. The company also highlighted two forward-looking technologies that stood out: reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and what ZTE has branded as ‘RAN Composer.’

Continue reading “At its 5G Summit, ZTE Advances RIS and Introduces ‘RAN Composer’” →

Verizon Turns 5G Spotlight to Midband Spectrum in 2022

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by , posted in Het Nets, Ultra Broadband

Summary Bullets:

Verizon will exceed its 2021 plans of adding 14,000 ‘5G Ultra Wideband’ cell sites that operate at mmWave frequencies.
While mmWave buildout will continue, Verizon signaled that its 2022 5G buildout plans will center around the C-band spectrum it obtained at auction earlier in 2021.

U.S. operator Verizon announced in December it has already exceeded its previously announced 2021 target of building 14,000 ‘5G Ultra Wideband’ cell sites using so-called millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. However, the company also left a clear signal to the industry that it is ready to devote more attention to providing 5G in midband spectrum in 2022 and beyond. Continue reading “Verizon Turns 5G Spotlight to Midband Spectrum in 2022” →

2021 Predictions: Four Things to Watch in Telco Ecosystems and Operations This Year

January 12, 2021January 12, 2021 by Andy Hicks, posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, OSS/BSS/CEM

Summary Bullets:

Carriers will increasingly incorporate the public cloud into their infrastructures, requiring their partners to help them with hybrid and multicloud management as well as edge capabilities.
Greenfield transformation champions Rakuten, Dish, and Jio will have to show results in 2021.

2020 turned out to be a bye year in the predictions game. Having painstakingly teased out the incipient trends for the year, analysts watched as COVID-19 upturned everything, forcing telcos to reallocate their network CapEx and vendors to scramble to add cloud capacity, develop new analytics, and adjust their deployment services. While 2020 sped up operators’ moves toward cloudification, it also delayed non-essential projects as well as work on the standards that will help mobile carriers to monetize their extensive investments in 5G infrastructure. While the coronavirus will continue to affect telecoms transformation in 2021, it is now baked into telcos’ plans, allowing – we hope – more certainty about the events of the coming year. Continue reading “2021 Predictions: Four Things to Watch in Telco Ecosystems and Operations This Year” →

Can ONF Bring Open Source to the RAN? ORAN and vRAN Make the Timing Right to Try

August 25, 2020 by , posted in Het Nets, Ultra Broadband

Summary Bullets:

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) has launched a ‘Software-Defined Radio Access Network’ project aimed at developing open-source RAN solutions using an ‘app store’ model for network optimization features.
This effort will be helped by the open RAN (ORAN) and virtual RAN (vRAN) movements now gaining steam, but it will also confront some of the same hurdles facing open RAN – including opposition from incumbent major vendors.

The Open Networking Foundation – a group that promotes open-source networking technologies – announced a ‘Software-Defined Radio Access Network’ project aimed at developing open-source RAN solutions. Continue reading “Can ONF Bring Open Source to the RAN? ORAN and vRAN Make the Timing Right to Try” →

After the Dali Wireless-CommScope Court Fight, Legal Uncertainties Linger in the Enterprise RAN

May 18, 2020 by , posted in Het Nets, Ultra Broadband

Summary Bullets:

Enterprise RAN vendors CommScope and Dali each won damages in countervailing patent infringement cases last week, but an injunction against two Dali products may be of interest to the broader industry.
That injunction is suspended pending appeal. It may be rendered moot by expiring patents, and its impact may be mild even if upheld. Still, additional suits could foster lingering uncertainty in this space.

A legal battle over patent infringement between enterprise RAN vendors CommScope and Dali Wireless came closer to resolution last week, but a key aspect – an injunction that would prevent Dali from selling two primary products – remains uncertain. A Dallas judge upheld a jury verdict rendered last year that awarded damages to both companies in a patent infringement suit and related countersuit. CommScope was ordered to pay almost $9.5 million, plus additional interest, and Dali was ordered to pay about $6 million, plus interest. Continue reading “After the Dali Wireless-CommScope Court Fight, Legal Uncertainties Linger in the Enterprise RAN” →

New 5G Network Recommendations Complicate UK Operators’ Rollout Plans

February 1, 2020 by , posted in Het Nets, Internet of Things, Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband, Vendor Transformation

Summary Bullets:

The UK government has proposed limits in how much Huawei 5G RAN gear mobile operators deploy.
Exactly how operators will implement those limits is unclear, raising several questions.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s technical authority on cybersecurity, made big headlines this week by issuing recommendations for UK operators regarding how to honor national security concerns in selecting 5G network suppliers. But, beyond the headlines – primarily regarded as a win for Huawei, since the NCSC allowed a role for Huawei in UK 5G networks despite pressure from the U.S. – the NCSC’s actions raise plenty of questions about how UK operators will source, plan, and deploy their 5G radio access networks (RANs). Continue reading “New 5G Network Recommendations Complicate UK Operators’ Rollout Plans” →

RAN Vendors Targeting Enterprises Aren’t Waiting for 5G

January 25, 2017 by , posted in Het Nets, Internet of Things, Vendor Transformation

Ed Gubbins - Senior Analyst, Mobile Access Infrastructure — Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst, Mobile Access Infrastructure

Summary Bullets:

The lull between 4G and 5G operator spending motivates RAN vendors to penetrate enterprises before 5G, aided by new RAN technologies relevant to enterprises.
In penetrating enterprises, even RAN vendors with enterprise businesses face challenging organizational changes and market hurdles.

When RAN vendors talk about 5G, much of the discussion tends to involve targeting enterprise verticals and the Internet of Things (IoT). Take Ericsson, for example, demonstrating unmanned construction vehicles and remote surgery concepts. But, like many elements of their 5G discussions, RAN vendors aren’t waiting for 5G to target enterprises. Continue reading “RAN Vendors Targeting Enterprises Aren’t Waiting for 5G” →

AT&T’s AirGig Announcement: Why Now?

September 30, 2016 by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband

Summary Bullets:

AT&T wasn’t very candid in explaining how its latest lab project works, a twist on broadband over powerline.
Multiple forces might have given the operator reason to announce AirGig now, before it could say much.

AT&T’s announcement last week of a new technology dubbed AirGig was striking for a few reasons. One was the novelty of the technology itself, which enigmatically promised to transmit wireless signals around power lines rather than through them, putting a new spin on old broadband-over-powerline tech concepts and posing the possibility of self-backhauling mesh networks deployed along the power grid that could deliver 4G and 5G services to the home.

Another thing that was striking about AT&T’s announcement of AirGig was just how little about it the company was at liberty to discuss. For starters, how does the technology work, exactly? AT&T declined to elaborate much. How far could these networks (which use millimeter waves without necessarily being restricted to them and provide both access and backhaul) extend from a wireline backhaul source? It wouldn’t say. How would they be powered if, as AT&T offered, they wouldn’t need to physically connect to the power grid? Inductive (wireless) power transmission is one approach, the company said, but left it at that.

So, why announce a technology that is still being developed if you can’t say much about it? Continue reading “AT&T’s AirGig Announcement: Why Now?” →

What Does ‘5G-Ready’ Mean for Mobile Operators?

September 15, 2016 by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband

Summary Bullets:

Network equipment vendors have been pushing mobile operators to begin evolving their LTE networks toward 5G for some time.
Though vendors have their own reasons for this push, operators have several reasons to heed their advice.
At the same time, operators do need to avoid moving too early toward 5G.

For some time now, vendors of mobile access infrastructure have been urging operators to start evolving their networks toward 5G, well in advance of the technology being concretely defined.