1. Marketing for Entrepreneurs
Small Cells for Africa
Marketing for Entrepreneurs

2. Introduction
Mobile phone technology has been successful. When the first deployments started in the 1980s, the mobile phone was more of a luxury than a new Mercedes Benz Car. Now mobile phones are taken for granted. In the developed world, there is more than one phone for each person.
But here are parts of the world where there is no mobile phone service. There are are billions of people who have no access to any kind communication: no phone of any kind, no internet, nothing.
Conventional Radio access network equipment is not suitable for this market:
Too complicated
Too expensive
It is designed to serve affluent urban and suburban areas, and it does this very well.
It has been shown that access to communications is not just good for the users, but it speeds the development of an economy.
The challenge is to provide communications (probably Mobile phone service) to as many people as possible.

3. Approaches Conventional Large and small cells
3GPP-compliant small Cells
Open cellular

4. Conventional and Large Cells
Coverage
PSTN
MSC
BSC/PCU/RNC
TDM
BTS
BTS
SGSN
GGSN
PDN
Element manager
Provisioning
OMCR
NMC
BTS
Public
Operator’s equipment
Coverage solution

5. Large and Small Cells
Large cells provide the cheapest contiguous coverage. However:
Contiguous coverage is an expensive luxury
Is there need to provide coverage in a wilderness?
Large cells require a big tower, large bandwidth backhaul, large amounts of power
Contiguous coverage requires handovers, frequency planning.
Small Cells can concentrate coverage where facilities and customers are:
The simplest and most cost-effective connectivity per user.

6. Advantages Disadvantages Class-leading performance and quality
Sellable to high-tier operators where the business case allows
Dual band
3GPP compliant
GSM, UMTS, LTE, you name it.
Disadvantages
Expensive – business case only works in concentrated, high ARPU environments
Needs professional installation
Needs professional maintenance
Only an MNO can operate.

7. 3GPP-compliant small cells
Coverage
PSTN
MSC
BSC/PCU
IP TX
BTS
BTS
SGSN
GGSN
PDN
Element manager
Provisioning
OMCR
NMC
BTS
Public
Operator’s equipment
Coverage solution

8. Advantages Disadvantages Class-leading performance and quality
Sellable to lower-tier operators
Dual band
3GPP compliant
GSM and LTE
Easy installation and maintenance
Low-power
Low backhaul requirement.
Disadvantages
Only an MNO can operate.

9. Open Cellular ISP Core Coverage IP TX Public ISP’s equipment
PSTN
ISP Core
IP TX
BTS
BTS
PDN
BTS
Public
ISP’s equipment
Coverage solution

10. Advantages Disadvantages Class-leading performance and quality
Sellable to ISPs or MNOs
Trivial installation
GSM, UMTS and LTE
Dual band
Open architecture
Low Power consumption
Low backhaul bandwidth requirement.
Disadvantages
Not 3GPP compliant, but compatible
Need to arrange manufacture and deployment