Small cells also support an “inside out” deployment strategy. In the next few years as the technology matures, these technologies will play a greater role. There are operational challenges to deploying small cells cost-effectively, but that is an active area of innovation.

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Another option on the horizon is active arrays. Offering a highly coveted value proposition of improved capacity and coverage, considerable power savings, lower visual impact, and a one-box solution, active antennas are beginning to win over admirers, especially in tower-locked dense urban environments.

Bringing the conversation full circle, it’s somewhat ironic that the World Cup action half a world away has such tremendous implications for the (primarily North American) wireless industry. But then again, “football” is the world’s most popular sport, and we now are the most wireless population on Earth. And what we have just witnessed is what transpires when these two worlds collide.