Small cells are back in the news again with an announcement that local vendor SAR Televenture is to deploy 4G small cell sites for Indian operator Vodafone Idea (aka Vi).
Established in 2019, network infrastructure provider SAR Televenture says it was incorporated with the aim of leasing of 4G/5G towers to telecom companies, although in this case it has signed a deal with Vodafone Idea to deploy 5,000 new 4G small cell sites. It also maintains assets such as dark fibres, right of way and duct space.
The small cell rollouts will begin in the first quarter of 2025, and are part of Vodafone Idea's larger network expansion plan, boosted by recent successful fundraising efforts which appear to have made Vodafone Idea a more attractive prospect for would-be partners. However, the financial terms of the deal with SAR Televenture have yet to be announced.
India’s Economic Times news service says that Vodafone Idea intends to set up 26,000 new 4G sites, expand the capacity of the existing 40,800 4G sites and establish 22,000 new 5G sites in the next two years.
Small cells are a low-coverage but low-investment business model that offers reasonably quick returns on investment: within just 24 months according to some estimates. Where these cells will be rolled out for Vodafone Idea isn’t known, but enabling targeted coverage in densely populated urban areas is certainly one useful way for small cells to enhance network performance and user experience.