Small cells are almost certainly coming to a cellular network near you, and the cloud could come into play as part of this new architecture as well. That could create new opportunities for alternative backhaul solutions, says Amir Makleff (News - Alert), president and CEO of BridgeWave.

Whether cellular operators are deploying remote antennae or small cells, it’s clear that fiber is not going to be available everywhere for backhaul, says Makleff, adding that products provided by BridgeWave (News - Alert) are an alternate option for backhaul.

Makleff adds that the new angle on this small cell concept is mixing small cells with the cloud. The idea is that not all small cells will have full functionality, but rather will be more antenna implementations with high-speed connections that allow for load balancing in environments such as office areas and shopping malls.

Traditionally, he continues, the problem with remote antennae was that you had to take the analog signal from the antenna, over sample it digitally and transfer that to the cloud. That required an intensive high-speed connection that was supported only until now by fiber, he says.

While BridgeWave hasn’t announced a solution to this challenge, he says, the company is looking at the concept of using its 60- or 80-gHz solutions to transport signals from remote antennae heads into the cloud in a cost-effective manner.

Makleff goes on to note that BridgeWave recently did a trial involving its 60gHz product with a tier 1 U.S. carrier. He says it went well and that the carrier is now considering this solution for its small cell evolution. BridgeWave, which several months ago introduced a wireless backhaul product, also is now talking with three additional carriers about trials, he adds.

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