American Tower exec explains the roles of Wi-Fi, DAS in managing data traffic on networks
American Tower's Dwayne Baucom explained that both Distributed Antenna Systems and Wi-Fi play integral roles in managing the onslaught of data across today's cellular networks. In a recent Fierce Wireless webinar panelists, including Baucom, spoke about how DAS and Wi-Fi technologies are helping to manage traffic on the heterogeneous network, (HetNet.) About 20% of wireless traffic in North America is going over Wi-Fi today, Baucom noted. Distributed Antenna Solutions help bring the base station closer to the end user, which is important as more people use smartphones and tablets to access the mobile Internet. MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology is being deployed as part of DAS solutions, while Wi-Fi can help offload traffic for stationary data users. Going forward, operators will use a variety of tools in their toolboxes, from traditional towers to DAS and unlicensed spectrum to bring connectivity to their customers.