Survey: Small Cells an Opportunity for Cable Ops

According to research released by Amdocs (NASDAQ:DOX) at Cable Congress, cable and satellite providers are well-positioned - perhaps more so than they realize - to create new revenue streams through partnering with mobile network operators in the rollout of small cells and WiFi networks. Findings indicate:

• While 70% of mobile operators surveyed plan to have significant small cell deployments by 2018, the majority predict slow rollout.
• Challenges identified by mobile operators in small cell rollouts include project management (65%), negotiation with partners (45%) and technical aspects (40%) - all of which cable and satellite operators have considerable experience with.
• To succeed, 70% of mobile operators are prepared to use small cell networks rolled out by or owned by a third party, such as a cable or satellite operator.
• 85% of cable and satellite operators believe the technical aspects of small cell rollout are different from their normal deployments, and only 40% of them plan to support small cell deployments this year. However, 70% have either already launched or plan to launch public WiFi, which has very similar requirements to small cells in terms of backhaul, power and installation.
• 85% of respondents believe that automation is critical or important for small cell deployment; however, 80% believe their existing processes and tools are inadequate.