Go Small, Young Man?

In the second half of the 19^th century, the key to American expansionism was the railroad. Once it reached across the country, it was significantly cheaper to move goods as well as settlers wanting to follow the adage of “Go west, young man” (and woman), and populate the wide-open spaces of the American west. But several factors slowed the construction of the transcontinental train, including harsh terrain and a shortage of raw materials.

Today it’s not more trains that are in need, but network capacity, and not just in the American west, but across the globe in the wireless space. Just as with the laying of track, there are a variety of reasons why wireless network capacity isn’t available as quickly as it could be, including the need for more small cells. Many people don’t want macro sites in their back yards and communities often put a variety of requirements on small cells in terms of their shape, color, and especially size. The size of the small cell is often the linchpin of whether a municipality will allow it or not on their streets.

The size of a small cell is dependent on a number of factors, among them being the type of radios, the number of radios, and the style of cabinet or housing for the equipment. One thing that can help shrink the equipment is an often-overlooked item - the cabling.

A narrow, flexible cable allows more equipment to be packed tighter together, allowing for either a smaller footprint or more equipment in the same space. To help with this, CommScope has created the LSF2, a 3/8” jumper that has the same or better RF performance as the standard half-inch jumper now in wide use. The LSF2 is super flexible and compact, for easy routing in tight spaces, and is optimized for small cell applications. It has electrical characteristics to meet or exceed most link budget needs.

CommScope wasn’t around to help lay train track across the open frontier 150 years ago, but we are here now to help you lay the foundations of the wireless world for years to come. Check out how our metro cell connectivity solutions can help.