As BTR reported in March, 45% of mobile operators participating in a survey commissioned by Amdocs (NASDAQ:DOX) said they saw MSOs as their preferred partner for providing backhaul services to the network. Twenty percent of those also indicated an openness to having the MSO provide the actual small cell, in addition to the backhaul.
Small cells, while perhaps an opportunity, also bring challenges. Security is one. From a physical perspective, while macrocell technology relies on large towers, small cells might be all around the neighborhood, on lampposts, for example.
The links between small cells and to the tower also needs to be protected, but size and power are an issue. Instead of traditional Layer 3 IPsec, the data can be protected at Layer 2. MACSec (802.1AE, IEEE MAC Security standard) allows security via encryption without processing, which makes for a smaller, less expensive box that uses less power.
"This is critical for small cell boxes," said Uday Mudoi, VP of product marketing for Vitesse Semiconductor. "If you look at MACSec, we can do (encryption) in the silicon .... We don't say that MACSec replaces IPSec, but if in a particular box, IPSec becomes too costly, you don't have to have it."
Encryption increases the size of the packet, which adds variable delay components and can affect the accuracy of timing. Without synchronization between towers or small cells, calls can be dropped and other quality issues can occur, Mudoi said. E-1/T-1 lines offer frequency synchronization, but Ethernet does not. GPS can be used to deliver both frequency and time-of-day synchronization, but small cells may be placed indoors - beyond the necessary line of site for GPS to work.
A solution that utilizes the IEEE 1588 Precision Timing Protocol will be increasingly important for small cell solutions, Mudoi said. "At the silicon level, we can provide timing with or without encryption at the same accuracy level."