Yet despite overall industry buy-in, small cell programs can stall in even the most committed adopters, regardless of company size and background. From tier 1 operators to shopping mall owners, an overwhelming number of unexpected considerations can derail a small cell project. So how do you get a project back on track? And how do you keep it on track and ensure your company meets its overall business and technology objectives? Based on our small cell engagements, we at Nexius advise our customers to take the steps below.

1. Define your objective. What do you hope to achieve with small cell? Is it simply to improve coverage and/or capacity? Or seeking a related but distinctly different goal, such as improved user experience, longer battery life for their devices, or cost savings for your company? Set a clear, measurable goal so you know when you’ve reached it.

2. Determine your technologies. Operators typically deliver their wireless services using a broad array of technologies and spectrums that      includes GSM, UMTS, HSDPA, LTE and WiFi as well as 800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 700 MHz, AWS and 2.4/5.8 UL. That variety makes it imperative a) to identify which technologies and spectrums your small cell initiative will support and b) to create a clear strategy for uniquely leveraging each technology and spectrum to achieve your small cell goals.

3. Take the users’ perspective. If one of your small cell objectives is to improve the user experience, take the users’ perspective and get crystal clear about what needs to be improved. Efforts to boost data speeds are going to look a lot different than those to improve the quality of voice calls or reduce dropped calls and handoffs between networks or between the individual small cells.

4. Plan the architecture and policy. Operators need a well-defined and documented architecture for implementing small cell technologies for the foreseeable future. In addition to interworking, backhaul, security and other architectural concerns, you should take into  account policy considerations such as ANDSF, bandwidth, black list, white lists and authentication. Cost issues, for instance, may dictate a policy that forces mobile phones to WiFi as they move through small cell sites.

5. Align vendors with the roadmap. Your small cell roadmap will dictate your vendor selection. A comprehensive roadmap reflects your      technology and architecture decisions and the features and capabilities your vendors and vendor products must be able to support. Use RFPs to      create a shortlist of vendors from the sea of LTE, picocell, DAS, SON and OSS/Performance candidates — making sure they align with the objectives, technologies, architecture and other small cell considerations defined by your roadmap.

6. Consider your capital. How are you going to pay for the small cell program? While it may not make a difference to your suppliers, it often makes a big difference to your company. The pressure for accelerated success grows in proportion to how far removed your company is from the funds it will be using. Using available funds and revenues mitigates the pressure for the immediate success that is often expected by investors and frequently by partners and customers, too.

7. Build the business case. The small cell arena looks strikingly different depending on the business case you build for small cell. Established, mature technologies often stand out when the case is made for rapid ROI and payback. Newer technologies may offer a more strategic or      competitive advantage. The business case usually helps to refine decisions made as a result of your objective.

8. Lock in on location and deployment. Location is all about putting the small cells in the right places. First of all, how many small cells will be deployed? Will they be deployed indoors or outdoors? In public or private locations? Will they be deployed at a neutral host or at a site you build? Regardless, a primary goal will be to maximize the coverage, capacity or user experience for each small cell. Per call data measurement and other analysis tools and techniques can help optimize location and deployment plans.

Clearly, small cells raise big questions. Answering those questions early and precisely can get small cell projects off to a smooth start — and jumpstart projects that may have stalled.

The post Small Cell Strategies: 8 Steps to Jumpstart Your Project appeared first on Nexius.

Company Shares Small Cell Insight and Best Practices with Attendees

• Infographic: Small Cell Technologies in a Nutshell, http://ow.ly/ldh9f
• Best Practices: Small Cell Strategies: 8 Steps to Jumpstart Your Project, http://ow.ly/ldiYq
• Whitepaper: The Nexius Small Cell Playbook, http://ow.ly/lbd93
• Visit Nexius at CTIA 2013 in booth 4051

CTIA 2013 — LAS VEGAS, NV and ALLEN, TX — May 21, 2013 — Soaring demand for mobile data services is making small cell technologies the go-to solutions for expanding wireless capacity and coverage. The massive interest is reflected in analyst predictions, most of which forecast the small cell market to more than quadruple by 2016, resulting in multi-billion dollar annual growth. Industry analysts predict that 4G small cell shipments will overtake 3G shipments by the end of the year.

Despite small cell’s bright future, many mobile operators, cable companies, OEMs, venue owners and other companies are still grappling with how to make it happen. Many small cell adopters simply don’t have the wherewithal to support a small cell initiative, from planning and design to deployment, maintenance and optimization. Meanwhile, other companies find that unexpected considerations can stall or even derail their entire project.

At CTIA 2013, Nexius Solutions, Inc., the leader in delivering end-to-end wireless services and software solutions, is sharing small cell wisdom gleaned from its work with some of the world’s largest mobile operators, cable operators and other early adopters. Among many best practices in small cell, Nexius offers incisive counsel on determining placement and deployment of small cells, as well as how to use per call data measurement and other analysis tools and techniques to help optimize roll-out plans.

In addition to small cell, Nexius executives will be on hand to discuss record revenue, new customers and other company highlights announced earlier this month. See news release at http://ow.ly/lbd6d.

WHO: Nexius is serving the following audiences:

• Cable and wireless operators at all stages of the small cell lifecycle, whether they are examining the best small cell technologies for improving their network coverage and capacity or engaged in an active small cell initiative.

• Managers and executives who are either searching for new technology approaches to improve coverage and capacity for their organizations or searching for ways to successfully advance a small cell program already under way.

• Wireless industry analysts, reporters and enthusiasts who are seeking small cell answers to the capacity crunch.

WHAT: Nexius has captured its latest small cell insight and best practices in the following documents:

• Infographic: Small Cell Technologies in a Nutshell – This infographic provides an at-a-glance view of the trends, customers, users, benefits and drawbacks of femtocell, picocell, and microcell and metrocell technologies: http://ow.ly/ldh9f

• Best Practices: Small Cell Strategies: 8 Steps to Jumpstart Your Project – Written for mobile operators and others that need to get a small cell project back on track, and keep it on track, this commentary offers important guidelines for key small cell consideration: http://ow.ly/ldiYq

• White Paper: The Nexius Small Cell Playbook – This whitepaper offers an overview of small cells, DAS and Wi-Fi offload; the benefits, drawbacks and use cases for each; the target customer for each technology as well as its latest market trends. The playbook also covers Heterogeneous network (HetNet), LTE and Wi-Fi and utility operators and SmartGrid. The Nexius Small Cell Playbook can be downloaded for free at http://ow.ly/lbd93.

WHERE: CTIA is being held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 21-23, 2013. Nexius is in booth 4051.

More information on Nexius is available by calling +1 703-650-7777, or visiting http://www.nexius.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NexiusInc, Twitter: http://twitter.com/NexiusInc, and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/nexius.

About Nexius

Nexius Solutions, Inc. is the leader in delivering end-to-end wireless services and software solutions to industries worldwide. Nexius applies its strategic insight, proven experience and practical knowledge to closely collaborate with customers and help transform their business through wireless. The company’s more than 600 dedicated professionals serve as subject-matter experts, providing Technology Services, Software Solutions, and Network Services to many leading organizations.

Nexius is on a steady growth path in the U.S. and globally, ranking as the 103rd fastest-growing business in America by Entrepreneur Magazine and on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and the Inc. 5000 lists. Headquartered near Dallas, Texas, Nexius has offices in Virginia, Seattle, Dubai, London, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. More information is available at +1 703-650-7777, http://www.nexius.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NexiusInc, Twitter: http://twitter.com/NexiusInc, and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/nexius.

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All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Tags: Nexius, CTIA, wireless, mobile, wireless services, wireless software solutions, small cell, LTE network, network visualization, E2E, HetNet, LTE optimization, LTE modernization, LTE expansion, logistics and warehousing, centers of excellence

Media Contact:

Nexius
Jaimie Pfeiffer
+1 425-440-0713
PR@nexius.com

The post Nexius Sets Small Cell Stage at CTIA 2013 appeared first on Nexius.

• Record revenue: 52% growth in 2012 and sales of 72% CAGR over 11-year history
• New global customers: Comcast, Goldman Sachs, NASCAR, Telcel and more
• Eight new Centers of Excellence for logistics, training, equipment lab work
• CTIA social media contest: Twitter #XMarkstheSpot
• Visit Nexius at CTIA 2013 in booth 4051

CTIA 2013 — LAS VEGAS, NV and ALLEN, TX — May 7, 2013 — Accelerating wireless transformation, Nexius Solutions, Inc., the leader in delivering end-to-end wireless services and software solutions, today announced it will arrive at CTIA 2013 ready to share customer insights in LTE network rollouts and first-hand experience with early adopters designing and deploying small cell solutions.

Working with the world’s largest operators and global OEMs has propelled Nexius to record revenues and a rapidly expanding customer base. In addition, Nexius has opened eight new Centers of Excellence, comprising offices, warehouses and technical labs to meet the evolving demands of its customers. These accomplishments reinforce the company’s reputation as a trusted advisor on wireless issues.

Nexius executives will be on hand at CTIA 2013 in booth 4051 to share best practices for LTE network rollouts, getting started with small cell, new technology deployments, and other emerging and established wireless technologies, including 4G, DAS and WiFi. CTIA will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 21-23, 2013.

“Small cell promises to be a hot topic at CTIA 2013 as mobile and cable operators, tower companies, venue operators and many others look for ways to expand coverage and capacity,” comments Ned Taleb, executive chairman, Nexius. “But the daunting array of small cell considerations — from technologies to spectrum to architecture and beyond — can stall small cell programs at even the largest wireless operators. That’s why we’re redoubling our efforts in small cell services and solutions to ensure our customers can leverage our industry-leading experience in small cell and many other emerging technology areas.”

Meanwhile, LTE has emerged as the dominant technology for next-generation wireless communications. The accelerated pace of LTE adoption, however, has compressed the timeframes in which most operators move through the LTE lifecycle. In just a few years, wireless companies have shifted their focus from LTE performance, OEM selection and related planning and design issues to address field construction, equipment installation and other pressing LTE deployment and optimization concerns. As an end-to-end services and solutions provider, Nexius is uniquely positioned to advise operators, vendors and investors on technology strategy and execute across the entire LTE lifecycle with a complete portfolio of technology services, software solutions, and network services.

At the show, Nexius will be celebrating outstanding accomplishments and growth, including:

• A record revenue increase of 52 percent in 2012 and average sales compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72 percent over the company’s 11-year history bring Nexius to an impressive all-time high.

• New customers, such as Telcel, Goldman Sachs, Comcast, PCD, Jasper, American Tower, Thuraya, NASCAR, Banglalink, Korek, Umniah, VIVA, Alfa Telecom, Touch Telecom and Batelco.

• Named one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in telecommunications by Inc. Magazine — the fifth time that the company has been named to the Inc. 500|5000 list.

• Expanding presence with new solutions for device technology, network visualization, E2E, HetNet, LTE optimization, LTE modernization, LTE expansion, logistics and warehousing, and program management services.

Eight New Centers of Excellence Support Rapid Growth

In step with the company’s success, Nexius has opened eight Centers of Excellence to meet the increasing demand for flexibility as customers accelerate into new technologies. The eight new regional facilities will be used to coordinate company logistics, as well as technician training and equipment lab work.

“The new centers reflect our philosophy as an E2E provider,” said Matt Glass, executive vice president, Network Services, Nexius. “We want to exert as much influence as possible, at every step of a service engagement, to meet our demanding standards. Now, we have control over logistics and warehousing, and we are even better positioned to support the latest LTE and small cell activities as well as the standard network maintenance of carrier networks.”

Within the centers, Nexius deploys its own robust inventory and warehouse management software solution to manage millions of dollars worth of inventory on a daily basis. The new centers strengthen the company’s ability to offer end-to-end services for its customers’ nationwide network deployment projects. New sites include San Juan, Puerto Rico; Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee, WI; Scranton, NJ; Linthicum, MD; Syracuse, NY; Phoenix, AZ and Akron, OH. In the second quarter of this year, Nexius will open additional centers in Kansas City, KS; Albuquerque, NM and Dallas, TX.

CTIA #XMarksTheSpot Social Media Contest

CTIA 2013 attendees are invited to participate in the Nexius “X Marks the Spot” social contest. To play, visitors to the Nexius booth will get their picture taken next to the Nexius “X” and then post that photograph to Twitter using the hash tag “#XMarksTheSpot.” One of those attendees’ photos will be drawn at random at the end of each day, and the winner will receive a remote control racing car.

Nexius will also be hosting heats of Xbox racing in its booth 4051 with hourly prizes. The races will pit conference attendees against each other as well as Nexius representatives, with prizes for the winners.

More information on Nexius is available by calling +1 703-650-7777, or visiting http://www.nexius.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NexiusInc, Twitter: http://twitter.com/NexiusInc, and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/nexius.

About Nexius

Nexius Solutions, Inc. is the leader in delivering end-to-end wireless services and software solutions to industries worldwide. Nexius applies its strategic insight, proven experience and practical knowledge to closely collaborate with customers and help transform their business through wireless. The company’s more than 600 dedicated professionals serve as subject-matter experts, providing Technology Services, Software Solutions, and Network Services to many leading organizations.

Nexius is on a steady growth path in the U.S. and globally, ranking as the 103rd fastest-growing business in America by Entrepreneur Magazine and on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and the Inc. 5000 lists. Headquartered near Dallas, Texas, Nexius has offices in Virginia, Seattle, Dubai, London, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. More information is available at +1 703-650-7777, http://www.nexius.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NexiusInc, Twitter: http://twitter.com/NexiusInc, and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/nexius.

The post Nexius to Share Insights in LTE Network Rollouts and Small Cell Trends at CTIA 2013 appeared first on Nexius.

For insight into the upcoming challenges and opportunities, we asked several members of the Nexius team for their thoughts on what the wireless industry can expect in 2013. Their responses make up our latest report, “Nexius 2013 Predictions: The Wireless Year Ahead,” which covers:

• Small cell technologies
• Big data trends
• LTE network deployments
• Mobile device market share
• BYOD developments

You can download “Nexius 2013 Predictions: The Wireless Year Ahead” at http://www.nexius.com/landing/2013-predictions/.  And if you’d like to discuss how to leverage our predictions and analysis in your company, please give us a call at +1 (703) 650-7777 or reach us via email at info@nexius.com.

The post 2013 Predictions: The Wireless Year Ahead appeared first on Nexius.

Here are a few things we’ll be watching out for at this year’s MWC:

Nokia and Microsoft make a mark

Nokia and Microsoft played their cards pretty close to the vest at CES 2013. We expect to hear some exciting news from these companies at the MWC. Nokia boasts one of the most complete lines of mobile devices, but has not yet produced a tablet. It is rumored that Nokia has been working with Microsoft to produce a Windows RT tablet, and there is a chance the company may unveil it at this year’s MWC. This could make for an exciting new product to the tablet market.

Another interesting portion of the event could be the expected unveiling of more Windows Phone 8 handsets. It would be particularly interesting if Sony came out with a Windows handset, as well, perhaps based on the Xperia T or Xperia Z.

Backhaul moves front and center

Mobile carriers are really starting to feel the pressure of the coming “capacity crunch.” As user demand for high-speed data transmission skyrockets, carriers have found themselves struggling to keep up. Over the past five years alone, data traffic has increased by a factor of 13, and is expected to increase to 5-6 times that of current figures by 2017. Mobile providers are currently struggling to prepare to meet this demand.

Additionally, backhaul investment represents an inadequate portion of mobile operations costs at only 17.5 percent. This is projected to yield a $9.2 billion backhaul funding gap worldwide. We expect the backhaul gap to be addressed in a meaningful way at this year’s MWC, as carriers are eventually going to have to outline their plans for avoiding the potential crisis.

M2M heats up

Machine-to-machine communication was a major theme at this year’s CES, and we expect it to have a significant presence at the MWC, as well. The concept of using mobile devices to remotely control home electronics has been around for some time, but it has only recently started to become a practical technology. Capitalizing on the existing technologies like Siri, Airplay and AppleTV, it’s a near certainty that Apple and Google will be the early frontrunners in broadening the applications of M2M.

Are you interested in reading more about big trends in the wireless industry happening throughout the year? Stay tuned for more predictions from Nexius in our 2013 Mobile Predictions paper, to be released soon. And if you’d like to meet with us at Mobile World Congress, email info@nexius.com to schedule a meeting.

The post What to Look Out for at the 2013 Mobile World Congress appeared first on Nexius.

At Nexius, we obviously have a keen interest in wireless innovation so we’d love to see more telecom headlines coming from this event. But a few golden news nuggets did appear this year, and I’ve assembled them into a quick synopsis of some of my favorite wireless moments from CES 2013:

LTE Going Strong

Verizon Wireless said at the show that almost 50 percent of its current data traffic moves over its LTE network and estimates that its overall data traffic will grow sevenfold over the next three years. In an interview with Fierce Wireless at CES, Mike Haberman, vice president of network engineering for Verizon Wireless, said that he was very pleased with the performance of the company’s LTE network and mentioned that Verizon now covers almost 89 percent of its US footprint with LTE. This news is a clear indicator that LTE networks are only getting bigger and better in 2013.

Wireless Operators Embrace Smart TVs

High-definition smart TVs were all the rage at CES this year. For wireless carriers, smart TVs present a great opportunity to capture additional revenue. More people will be connecting their smart TVs to wireless networks and streaming videos that they download using their mobile devices. The nation’s top carriers also announced plans at the show to sell TV service directly to their customers. Verizon Wireless has been working with cable operators to package wireless service with cable service, while AT&T’s U-verse bundles TV service with Internet service and landline phone service.

Mobile Device Meets e-Reader

There is a new player in the crowded market of Android devices. Meet the YotaPhone—a high-end Android 4.1 Jelly Bean smartphone with an e-reader display on the back. The e-ink display is designed for reading long articles and books, while the color HD display is best for watching TV and browsing photo galleries. The concept of a dual-screen phone is a definite game changer that I expect we may see incorporated in many future devices.

Samsung Flexible Phone Displays

Samsung really seemed like the belle of the ball this year. Samsung’s gigantic booth showcasing its wide range of digital products was one of the most crowded and impressive at the show. During Samsung’s keynote demonstration, the company showed off a prototype smartphone with an amazing display that could be rolled into a circle. Even while rolled up, the flexible display continued to function and show images and text. The company said it was planning to sell these flexible OLED displays under the Youm brand.

Qualcomm’s Memorable Keynote

Qualcomm had big shoes to fill after taking over the keynote from Microsoft this year, and the company certainly delivered. The company’s over-the-top presentation featured everyone from Big Bird to Desmond Tutu and is one that you simply have to watch to fully appreciate: http://www.qualcomm.com/ces. It was good to see a mobile-focused company lead the charge at CES this year and I expect to see more interesting innovations coming from Qualcomm this year.

So although it looks like we may have to wait for the Mobile World Congress to discover the major headlines for telecom this year, CES certainly delivered some eye-opening and thought-provoking big ideas for all the mobile enthusiasts to enjoy. Viva Las Vegas!

The post CES Wireless News and Wrap-Up appeared first on Nexius.