Since the earliest days of small cells, China and its surrounding region have been essential to the market, providing early deployments and innovative vendors. Now that small cells are becoming a central part of 5G plans, some of the most ambitious densification programmes are seen in this region.

Small Cell Forum’s latest densification event will provide a unique opportunity to learn the inside track about the deployment plans and business strategies in China and beyond. Held on May 16 in Beijing, the full-day workshop is entitled ‘Densification and the Path to 5G’. It will be a chance to learn about, and discuss, the very specific experiences of this region, while also placing them in the global context.

In this respect, the workshop will build on the findings from SCF’s previous densification events, such as those held last year in the USA and India. The series of events reinforces the Forum’s essential work of gathering and understanding detailed regional requirements, and feeding them into a global framework which will drive scale and interoperability worldwide.

That framework will be even more important as operators round the world start to embark on plans for 5G, which – with its use of higher spectrum bands and its focus on very high capacity – will be heavily reliant on dense, targeted networks of small cells, and good indoor coverage. Even operators which do not plan to deploy 5G at the earliest stage are aware of the need to lay the groundwork – for instance, deciding on virtualization platforms, or securing site deals and partnerships.

The topics covered in the intensive Beijing workshop will be very valuable for these kind of decisions. There will be presentations by Forum executives and local stakeholders, with details of small cell success stories and the lessons these can teach other deployers; as well as technical and commercial discussions about the best route to densification.

China Mobile – which has some of the world’s most advanced strategies for 4G expansion, 5G deployment, densification and virtualization – will present its own case study, and particularly the opportunities it sees for vendors addressing the demand for miniaturization.

The full agenda is here, and some of the most lively discussions are likely to center on driving small cells to massive scale even in 3G and 4G, and then building on that foundation to ease the path to 5G. There will be plenty of opportunity to join in the debates and network with fellow attendees and presenters.

These regional events are an important way to help the whole small cell ecosystem understand the real world requirements of different types of operator, and the Forum will continue the series of workshops with a summit focused on rural densification, to be held in Wyoming, USA in July.

To those who have registered we look forward to seeing you in Beijing. This event is now over-subscribed, however if you firmly believe your firm needs to attend, please contact member services. If you can’t attend, the outcomes will be a key topic of discussion at upcoming SCF gatherings, the next being at the SCWS conference and SCF meeting in London on May 21-24.