Microcell
A microcell is a cell in a
Typically the range of a microcell is less than two kilometers wide, whereas standard base stations may have ranges of up to 35 kilometres (22 mi). A picocell, on the other hand, is 200 meters or less, and a femtocell is on the order of 10 meters,[1] although AT&T calls its femtocell that has a range of 40 feet (12 m), a "microcell".[2] AT&T uses "AT&T 3G MicroCell" as a trademark and not necessarily the "microcell" technology, however.[3]
A microcellular network is a radio network composed of microcells.
Rationale
Like picocells, microcells are usually used to add
Cell size flexibility is a feature of 2G (and later) networks and is a significant part of how such networks have been able to improve capacity. Power controls implemented on digital networks make it easier to prevent interference from nearby cells using the same frequencies.[4] By subdividing cells, and creating more cells to help serve high density areas, a cellular network operator can optimize the use of spectrum and ensure capacity can grow. By comparison, older analog systems have fixed limits, beyond which attempts to subdivide cells simply would result in an unacceptable level of interference.
Microcell/picocell-only networks
Certain mobile phone systems, notably
A forerunner of these types of network was the
See also
External links
- Ericsson press release describing a GSM/UMTS picocell base station intended for residential use
- Nokia 7200 Tutorial including definition of "Micro Cellular Network"
- How To Install A Microcell Cell Phone Tower
References
- ^ "Do we really need femto cells? | VisionMobile :: Blog". Archived from the original on 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ "AT&T; 3G Microcell™ - Wireless from AT&T". Archived from the original on 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ^ "AT&T 3G MicroCell - Wireless Signal Booster - Wireless from AT&T". Wireless.att.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
- ISSN 1074-5351.