Femtocell vs Picocell vs Microcell | difference between femtocell, picocell and microcell
This page compares femtocell vs picocell vs microcell and mentions difference between femtocell, picocell and microcell.
Introduction:
Small cells are miniaturized Base Stations which provide short range wireless communication at low power.
They are used both indoors and outdoors to cover small geographical area.
They have same characteristics as Base Stations and provide high data
rate for individual users.
They are used in LTE-advanced and 5G New Radio deployments to deliver high speed broadband and low latency applications. They are used in dense areas with high number of users such as stations, airports, sports venues, movie theatres, shopping malls etc.
The benefits of small cells are as follows.
• Faster deployments• Cost Effective• higher data rates to individual users
• Cellular network coverage extension and improvement in network capacity
• Efficient use of frequency spectrum and so on.
Based on coverage area and support for number of users, small cells are classified into femtocells, picocells and Microcells.
What is Femtocell
Small cell which has following features and provide extended coverage for residential and enterprise applications is called femtocell. Femtocells are used to offload network congestion, serve areas with weak cellular signal strength, extend coverage and increase the data capacity for indoor users.
The key features of femtocell are as follows.
• Coverage : 10 to 50 meters
• Power : 100 mwatts
• Capacity : 8 to 16 users
• Applications : Indoor (Primary use) , Outdoor
• Backhaul : Wired connection, fiber connection
What is Picocell
Small cell which has following features and used for small enterprise applications 'to extend network coverage and data throughput is called Picocell.
The key features of picocell are as follows.
• Coverage : 100 to 250 meters
• Power : 250 mwatts (Typically)
• Capacity : 32 to 64 users
• Applications : Indoor use in offices, hospitals, schools, shopping centers
• Backhaul : Wired connection, fiber connection
What is Microcell
Small cell which support slightly large number of users compare to femtocell and picocell is known as Microcell. Due to high transmission power it can be used for smart cities and smart metro applications requiring larger coverage.
The key features of microcell are as follows.
• Coverage : 500 meters to 2.5 Kms
• Power : 2 to 5 watts
• Capacity : up to 200 users ( simultaneous )
• Applications : Outdoor
• Backhaul : Wired connection, fiber connection, Microwave links
Femtocell vs Picocell vs Microcell
Following table compares Femtocell vs Picocell vs Microcell and mentions comparison between them.
| Specifications | Femtocell | Picocell | Microcell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmit power | 20 dBm (~ 100 milliwatts) | 24 dBm (~ 250 milliwatts) | 33 dBm (~ 2 Watts) |
| coverage distance | About 30 meters | About 100 meters | About 500 meters |
| Backhaul connectivity | Broadband | X2 interface | X2 interface |
| Access mode | Closed Subscriber Group(CSG) | Open to all users | Open to all users |
| Deployment location | Indoor | Indoor as well as outdoor | outdoor |
| Installation | By the user | By the operator | By the operator |
| Cost | Very cheap | Cheap | Expensive |
Above mentioned different sized small cells are used in combination to create heterogeneous network. HetNet is a Radio Access Network which comprises conventional macrocells along with many small cells ranging from femtocells, picocells and microcells. Refer advantages and disadvantages of small cells.
Femtocell tutorial related links
Femtocell Tutorial Femtocell Architecture Femtocell Testing LTE Femtocell Manufacturers Femtocell vs WiFi Femtocell types Femtocell interference timing and synchronization Handover
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