As metropolitan connectivity advances towards 5G speeds, investments in small cell backhaul in rural communities can help narrow the digital divide, according to ABI Research.
Advancements in small cell and wireless backhaul technologies can lower total cost of ownerships (TCOs), attract stakeholders, and avoid widening the urban-rural digital divide, the research firm said in a study.
“For rural access, small cells offer adequate capacity at lower costs and smaller sizes,” said Ahmed Ali, senior analyst at ABI Research. “They eliminate the need for macro deployments and cut the cost of equipment and installation in rural areas. Adopting features like mobile edge computing and local applications can improve the quality of service for customers and the return on investment (ROI) for operators.”
Limited small cell backhaul spending through 2020, however, threatens many rural and remote communities to fall further behind in the post-information age of mobile broadband Internet access.
A challenging aspect of rural connectivity is the backhaul. ABI Research said are several wireless backhaul options suitable for rural deployments, but sub-6 GHz is best for its flexibility to overcome obstacles in harsh environments and hard-to-reach locations.
Satellite systems are also a good alternative, as their global coverage makes them accessible to a wider range of applications, including isolated locations, moving vehicles, and temporary deployments.
Yet, despite the accessibility of satellite backhaul for many rural and remote use cases, the technology is not free of cost and latency setbacks.
“Although satellite links are experiencing relatively slower growth, more collaboration among the mobile operators, small cell vendors, and satellite operators will undoubtedly lead to enhancing the technology and increasing the adoption rate,” Ali continued.
ABI Research forecasts the cumulative sub-6 GHz rural small cell backhaul links through 2020 will dominate with 46% of total links deployed, followed by microwave and satellite.