AirHop and Airspan collaborate on comprehensive LTE HetNet solution

SAN DIEGO, USA: AirHop Communications, the leading provider of advanced radio access network (RAN) intelligence solutions for the next wave of the mobile Internet, is collaborating with Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, to offer the industry’s first comprehensive LTE heterogeneous networks (HetNet) solution integrating LTE RAN technology, network management systems and advanced self-organizing network (SON) software.

The new joint offering enables mobile network operators, public safety networks, enterprise networks and metro cell networks to add these small cells to boost bandwidth and extend their LTE macrocell networks, creating HetNets that will address the issues of coverage and capacity with the inter-cell interference that is widely predicted to be exacerbated due to the exponential growth in mobile data usage.

The joint solution offers a complete package consisting of Airspan’s industry-leading Air4G and AirSynergy multi-platform 4G base stations integrated with AirHop’s eSON Suite Release 1.0 advanced SON software. The Airspan eSON-enabled solution can be implemented in a number of network deployment scenarios, including distributed eNodeB architectures in autonomous mode or in coordinated mode via an X2 interface, and also in hybrid architecture (eNodeB + SON server).

“SON software is the auto configuring and optimizing component within the network that allows for seamless operation in a multi-vendor, multi-layer topology,” said Paul Senior, Airspan CTO. “Implementing AirHop’s eSON suite into our products has assisted us in realizing our goal of providing operators with an LTE solution that maximizes on capacity and coverage and helps cut costs.”

“The first wave of LTE deployment has arrived, and networks have already experienced congestion and outages,” said Yan Hui, CEO of AirHop. “The problem will only worsen as more planned and unplanned base stations are deployed and LTE networks will not be able to provide promised capacity unless small cells are actively managed in a real-time manner. Airspan is taking a leadership role in ensuring that eSON, the industry’s only advanced RAN intelligent software, is integrated into its HetNet solution to solve this issue.”

Airspan expects the solution to be commercially available in Q2 2012.