Much smaller transmitters could be placed on lampposts, utility poles and buildings
As cell phones have spread, so have large cell towers — those unsightly stalks of steel topped with transmitters that sprouted across the country over the last decade.
Now the wireless industry is planning a future without them, or at least without many more of them. Instead, it’s looking at much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in a hand. These new transmitters could be placed on lampposts, utility poles and buildings — virtually anywhere with electrical and network connections.
If the technology works, it could offer seamless service, with fewer dead spots and faster data speeds.
Some big names in the wireless world are set to demonstrate “small cell” technologies at the Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest cell phone trade show. It starts Monday in Barcelona, Spain.
Alcatel-Lucent Unveils LightRadio Cube – Improved Mobile Base Station Solution
Alcatel-Lucent has just come up with what they claim to be a major break trough in the form of LightRadio cube, shown in the picture above. According to Alcatel-Lucent, these LightRadio devices are capable of replacing those huge cell phone towers along with antennas as well as the entire base station and thus cutting down the maintenance cost by 50%.
The Alcatel-Lucent LightRadio cube measures only 2.5 square inches and somewhat reminds us of the Xi3 Modular Computer but it serves an entirely different purpose. The LightRadio includes the antennas too and can support 2G, 3G and LTE either one at a time or simultaneously by just a click of a button. These cubes are firmware upgradable which means that they eliminate huge future costs associated with hardware upgrades. These LightRadio boxes can increase broadband capacity by 30% and will also consume less amount of power.
According to Alcatel-Lucent, the LightRadio will become fully functional by 2012 so stay tuned for more updates
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