Order of Magnitude More Small Cells in Metro Areas by 2015

The number of cells required to meet the capacity demands of just one square kilometer of a busy city center will increase to more than 40 by 2015, according to Actix, a supplier of analytics. Today, that same area often is served by five to seven macrocells. 

See infographic format here. 

By 2015, a new micro and pico small cell layer will need to be added to existing inner city networks, which today typically comprise five to seven 3G macro cells serving one square kilometer. 

For a typical central business district this could see the number of cells rising from 20 to more than 160, Actix says. 

“In the next three years, mobile data is projected to grow by at least ten times, which is equal to 3,000 GB per square kilometer per day," says Bill McHale, Actix CEO.