Operators wishing to leverage long term evolution (LTE (News - Alert)) connectivity are increasingly turning to small cells to boost traffic and improve coverage capacity. Small cells can fully support inference management and carrier aggregation features such as enhanced inter-cell interference coordination.

Companies specializing in small cell deployments are continuously devising strategies to benefit from the growing small cell deployment opportunities primarily driven by the rise in 4G/LTE technologies. 

In recent news, AirHop (News - Alert) Communications, a provider of advanced Radio Access Network (RAN) intelligence software, has revealed that ARItel, a pioneer of LTE small cell solutions, has selected AirHop’s eSON advanced self-organized networking (SON) software for commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) small cells deployments for Korean operators.

The partnership is significant for ARItel as it marks the first use of advanced SON in South Korea’s emerging LTE wireless heterogeneous networks (HetNets). As part of this deployment, ARItel has passed LG U+ small cell eNodeB (eNB) benchmarking test (BMT).

South Korea is set to be the world’s first major mobile market to migrate the majority of its subscribers to LTE networks. Fast growing mobile data usage has favored the rapid deployment of LTE small cells in the country. According to recent reports, LTE network subscriptions in South Korea have surpassed the 20 million mark.

“The South Korean mobile market is very advanced and leading the way in building LTE HetNets. Even before they started their LTE small cell rollout, operators are discovering how important it is to have advanced SON in place to make deployment and operation successful, and economically sensible,” said Yan Hui, co-founder and CEO of AirHop, in a statement.

“AirHop’s eSON software embedded in ARItel’s eNodeB and SON Server provides a complete client-server solution for HetNet deployments. It is a good validation of our eSON solution,” Hui added.

ARItel’s small cell systems, powered by AirHop’s eSON technology, satisfy operator needs for intelligent self-configuration to reduce operating expenses and real-time optimization to avoid congestion and improve capacity.

AirHop, according to company officials, is the only one provider to offer real-time SON capabilities best suited for LTE HetNet deployments. The company is partnering with Korean operators to deploy LTE small cell systems to build a network with high performance, flexibility and scalability.