Wireless technology giants Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm have forged a plan to collaborate in the creation of small cell base stations that will make 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi ubiquitous and more powerful in the home, on the street and at work. Welcome to the era of ultra-broadband.
The plan is to combine Alcatel-Lucent’s innovation in developing small cell solutions with Qualcomm’s mobile and networking technologies to boost wireless reception in urban environments, shopping malls and enterprise venues.
The two companies plan to jointly invest in a strategic R&D programme to develop the next generation of Alcatel-Luent lightRadio small cell products featuring Qualcomm’s FSM9900 family of small cell chipsets.
“This initiative perfectly illustrates The Shift Plan we announced last month, which will see Alcatel-Lucent focus on growth technologies, including those facilitating ultra-broadband access,” said Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michael Combes.
“We also said we would actively seek collaboration with key industry players. In working together with Qualcomm Technologies – a world leader in advanced wireless platform solutions such as its small cell chipsets – Alcatel-Lucent will continue to be positioned at the forefront of innovation in the small cells market.”
Increased ownership of smartphones and tablet devices could see a thousand-fold increase in the demand for wireless data, said Qualcomm CEO and chairman Dr Paul Jacobs.
“Small cells greatly increase capacity by bringing the network closer to the user, thus enabling operators to serve the anticipated 1000x growth in mobile data traffic and dramatically improving the experience for wireless subscribers.
“Working together with industry leaders like Alcatel-Lucent, we can accelerate the dense deployment of small cells globally, driving another significant leap in advanced wireless broadband technology and services,” Jacobs added.
Cell communications image via Shutterstock
