MWC 2015 – Cisco Provides EE With Small Cells, Touts Cloud Network Analysis Platform

Cisco small cells will be used by EE to help boost the indoor mobile coverage of its business customers.

The network equipment manufacturer will also offer cloud-based ‘Mobility IQ’ software to operators keen to gain more information about their network and users.

Small cells have been touted as a cost effective way to boost mobile coverage in densely populated areas and inside buildings by using short range but high capacity spectrum. They connect to fixed broadband networks but use 3G or 4G radio technology rather than Wi-Fi.

Small cells

Speaking at Mobile World Congress 2015 (MWC) in Barcelona, EE and Cisco said small cells were suitable for small, medium and large businesses thanks to easy installation and compatibility with existing access points.

“We have constantly sought to take innovative approaches to providing the best mobile network with the best coverage and the best experience, and that has been a major factor in driving our success with UK businesses,” said Rakesh Murria, product director at EE. “Cisco has a high-quality small cell solution that works with all sizes and shapes of enterprise buildings, and its leadership in networking makes it an ideal partner for our continued growth in this market.”

“We’re delighted to be working with EE on the new wave of enterprise small cell deployments,” added Scott Morrison, vice president and general manager of Cisco’s small cell business.   “We are confident that our end-to-end solutions, which accommodate all building types with full Wi-Fi integration, will provide world-class support to EE and its customers well into the future.”

Mobility IQ

Cisco’s recently published virtual network index (VNI) predicts a ten-fold increase in mobile traffic over the next five years, something which the company says increases the need for technology like small cells and cheaper alternatives like femtocells and Voice-over-Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi).

However the VNI also claims the amount of data offloaded onto Wi-Fi networks will exceed cellular traffic, something which will make it more difficult for operators to see customer behaviour.

Mobility IQ is a SaaS analytics service that provides visual data cross Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE infrastructure, providing operators with more information on how customers use connected devices indoors and on business networks.

This, Cisco says, can help operators fix faults in problem areas and provide businesses with targeted marketing and useful information.

“Mobility IQ is a great example of Cisco executing on its service provider strategy, enabling our customers to drive profitable business outcomes through transformation,” explained Kelly Ahuja at Cisco’s service provider business. “This powerful new solution helps service providers and their business customers understand their own networks better, optimise the delivery of their services, and ultimately increase revenue.”

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