The Mobile Internet Report Key Themes*

Wireless Capacity –
Where Does It Lie in the Network
Capacity can be constrained at two points along a wireless data transmission:
When Traffic is Received / Sent Between
Wireless Subscriber and Cell Site
3 Factors Determine Cell Site Capacity
Sectors – How many directions the spectrum
signal is divided into at the cell site…
usually 3 sectors.
Carriers – # of spectrum channels. More
spectrum increases capacity. 3G HSPA,
for instance, uses 2 x 5 MHz = 10 MHz.
Technology – 2G, 3G, 4G and various
evolutions of each.
When Traffic is Received / Sent Between
Cell Site and Wired Network
3 Backhaul Technologies Determine Capacity
T1 – Most common and readily available. 1 line
offers 1.5 Mbps. Wireless carriers typically
have 12 T1 lines (in high-density markets) at
the cell site providing for 12 x 1.5 Mbps = 18
Mbps.
Fiber – Preferred to T1 but limited availability.
Offers speed of up to 1Gbps.
Microwave – Equipment resides on the tower
and spectrum is needed to deploy. 3 rd party
service providers like FiberTower and TTM
provide access in select markets, currently
offering the equivalent of 30 T1s or 45 Mbps
which is scalable to 400-600 Mbps.
Source: Morgan Stanley Research.
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