­According to a forecast report by Dell'Oro Group, small cells will play an essential role in meeting the capacity and performance expectations of the future. While the RAN is an essential part of small cells, the backhaul and use of WiFi are equally important.

"We believe that the traditional macro methods for addressing capacity shortages will play an essential role going forward. But since there is limited licensed spectrum available, leveraging the unlicensed spectrum, re-using the licensed spectrum, and optimizing spectral efficiency per unit area will sooner or later be required to expand capacity - and equally important, to create a more uniform performance throughout the cell", said Stefan Pongratz, analyst with the Dell'Oro Group.

"It is of course very different to deploy base stations at street level versus installing base stations on rooftops and towers, and we anticipate this shift will challenge the incumbent vendors and open up opportunities for new entrants", continued Pongratz.