Small cell planning for enterprise: indoor coverage, capacity

Indoor Small Cell Coverage Fundamentals

Enterprise indoor small cells operating in the 3.5 GHz band provide a coverage radius of 20 to 50 meters depending on wall materials and floor plan layout. Concrete walls attenuate signals by 15-20 dB per wall, drywall by 3-5 dB, and glass by 2-3 dB. Coverage planning starts with a radio frequency site survey that measures existing signal levels and identifies dead zones. Each small cell supports 64 to 256 simultaneous connected users depending on the traffic profile mix. Ceiling-mounted units with omnidirectional antennas provide the most uniform coverage pattern for open office…