Verizon begins its small cell rollout

Alcatel-Lucent revealed that it has started peppering Verizon Wireless with tiny little cells in both indoor and outdoor locations.

As opposed to the “big” cells transmitting from towers and rooftops, these small cells are designed to surgically implant capacity into densely populated areas of Verizon’s 3G and 4G network, where demand for voice and mobile data is greatest and congestion most severe. Verizon seems to be focusing on expanding capacity its existing macro-cellular network by piling on new bandwidth in new frequencies. Last year, Verizon began upgrading its LTE network in big dense cities, doubling or tripling its 4G capacity in major markets. While Alcatel-Lucent announced its small cell contribution, Verizon’s other major network vendor Ericsson won’t likely be far behind.