Survey Sez 09/19/12

During 2Q12, a Calix report indicates Internet traffic generated by rural consumers grew 53 percent quarter over quarter as subscribers migrated to faster broadband speeds and streamed more Internet video. More than 22 percent of end users generated more than 50 GB of traffic in the second quarter, up from 14.9 percent in the first quarter of the year. Video streaming continued to dominate all Internet traffic in rural networks, the report adds, representing more than 62 percent of all downstream traffic…Two thirds of small-cell base stations will be deployed in bands higher than 2.2 GHz by 2016, compared to fewer than 40 percent in 2013, according to Maravedis-Rethink. "Higher bands have often been uneconomical for cellular networks because of their short range, but the economics will be transformed by small cells, which only need to cover small populations," notes Research Director Caroline Gabriel. “This could free up huge data capacity – many carriers are looking for a fivefold increase by deploying underused bands.” The group forecasts deployment of public-access small cells for 3G/4G will rise from fewer than 30,000 in 2011 to 11.3 million in 2016, amounting to a capex spend of almost $4 billion. But obstacles remain. Backhauling millions of small cells, securing locations and then managing them effectively are the chief concerns.