A macro cell cannot add capacity where a crowd stands; an outdoor small cell can. Weatherproof cells on poles, walls and streetlights densify the network exactly where demand concentrates and coverage breaks down — the micro tier that turns one wide macro cell into many small, busy ones.
A macro cell covers a wide area but shares its capacity across everyone in it. In a city centre, a transport hub or at an event, that capacity runs out long before coverage does. An outdoor small cell adds a dense, local cell exactly where the crowd is — reusing the spectrum in a small footprint to multiply capacity under the same macro umbrella.
They also fix coverage in the urban canyon, where tall buildings block the macro signal at street level. Mounted on a pole, a wall or a streetlight, a weatherproof cell fills the hole the macro cannot reach around.
Backhaul is the practical constraint: each cell needs fibre or a wireless link back to the network, and the siting, power and permitting on street furniture are as much of the project as the radio. Sub-6 carries the coverage layer; mmWave adds enormous capacity over the short, line-of-sight hops a dense street deployment allows.
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | Micro — street-level coverage and high capacity density |
| Access | 5G NR sub-6 (FR1) and mmWave (FR2) variants; carrier aggregation and MIMO |
| Mounting | Pole, wall and streetlight mount; IP-rated, temperature-rated weatherproof enclosure |
| Backhaul | Fibre or wireless (microwave / mmWave); integrated routing and timing |
| Power | Mains or PoE from street infrastructure; low enough draw for street furniture |
| Siting | Compact, low-visibility enclosure designed for permitting on public structures |
| Use | Urban densification, transport hubs, stadiums, high streets and event capacity |
Outdoor small cells are how operators add capacity where macro sites are full and cannot be added: dense city centres, transport hubs, stadiums and high streets, and temporary capacity for events. They are the densification layer of every serious urban 5G plan.
They sit alongside the mmWave radio unit for the highest-capacity hops and the indoor small cell for the in-building layer — one portfolio across the whole coverage picture.
We work on the outdoor cell where it is hardest: the weatherproof RF and thermal design for street furniture, the integrated fibre or wireless backhaul and timing, the low-profile enclosure that will actually get permitted, and the management plane for a distributed estate. Deliverables span reference design, ruggedisation, RF and OTA characterisation, and field trials.
We can target sub-6, mmWave or both, with the backhaul and mounting tuned to the street environment and the capacity goal.
A compact, weatherproof 5G cell mounted on a pole, wall or streetlight that densifies the network at street level. It adds capacity where a crowd concentrates and fills coverage holes in the urban canyon, operating beneath the wider macro coverage.
A macro cell shares its capacity across its whole wide area, so in a dense spot it runs out even where coverage is fine. A small cell reuses the spectrum in a small footprint, multiplying local capacity. It also reaches street-level spots the macro signal cannot, around tall buildings.
Fibre or a wireless link (microwave or mmWave) back to the network, with integrated routing and timing. Backhaul, siting, power and permitting on street furniture are often as much of the deployment as the radio itself.
Both are offered. Sub-6 (FR1) provides the coverage layer, while mmWave (FR2) adds very high capacity over the short, line-of-sight hops a dense street deployment allows. Many urban plans use a mix.
An indoor small cell is a low-power femto/pico cell for in-building coverage, mounted on ceilings and walls and powered over Ethernet. An outdoor small cell is a weatherproof micro-tier cell for street-level densification, mounted on street furniture with fibre or wireless backhaul.
Dense city centres, transport hubs, stadiums and high streets where macro sites are full, and as temporary capacity for events. They are the densification layer of an urban 5G network.
5G NR + Wi-Fi 7 in one box.
PRODUCTThe in-building counterpart.
PRODUCTThe high-capacity FR2 radio.
KNOWLEDGECapacity from the array.
KNOWLEDGEA street-cell siting hazard.
KNOWLEDGEBands for densification.
Weatherproof RF, integrated backhaul and timing, and an enclosure that gets permitted on street furniture are where an outdoor densification rollout is won. Tell us the sites and the bands.