Enterprise wireless: Small cells, DAS or Wi-Fi?

ABI Research has revealed that distributed antenna systems (DAS), Wi-Fi and licensed small cells are battling it out for the top choice among enterprise wireless systems. Each type of system has its strengths and weaknesses with Active DAS systems as the choice for large corporations, which is defined as over 100,000 square feet and with more than 100 employees. Small and medium-sized enterprises have the choice between Wi-Fi and small cells, added the market analytics firm.

There are two business models for DAS in large corporations: neutral-host or carrier-led. "Neutral hosts are increasingly popular for multi-tenant situations since multi-carrier DAS systems can add value with either carrier-led, venue-led or third party business models," said Nick Marshall, principal analyst, ABI Research.

Today, adding Wi-Fi is an attractive option for businesses since these systems are probably the lowest cost to deploy. However, there is a risk of interference because the systems operate on unlicensed frequencies. With the promise of Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) well under way and many vendors including Wi-Fi in their equipment, Wi-Fi is becoming an essential part of the HetNet of the future.

Small cells are emerging as a viable alternative for enterprise coverage, being less costly than DAS systems and much faster to deploy. "Unlike DAS, each small cell is a base station or eNodeB and adds capacity directly where it is required," added Marshall.