Presentation from the Small Cell Forum stand at MWC 2015 by Caroline Gabriel of Rethink Technology

1. C A R O L I N E G A B R I E L , R E T H I N K T E C H N O L O G Y
R E S E A R C H
M A R C H 4 2 0 1 5
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
The impact of the Release Program

2. Agenda
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 Aims of Release Program
 Feedback from active users on its success
 How uses Program, and for what?
 Do the documents directly address barriers to
adoption?
 Role of Releases in operator confidence

3. Release Program aims
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
 Five releases, many working groups, large numbers of
downloads
 Aims – more than library or general interest
 Increase confidence, provide real world support, accelerate
uptake
 How is it doing?

4. Survey of Release users
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
• Rethink and SCF:
survey of Release
users
• Aim: assess impact
of documents on
those who
downloaded
• 80% had direct
responsibilility for
small cell plans
• Average no of
documents: 6
15
42
8
15
15
4
Key decision maker (deployment and
purchasing)
Input to strategy process/business
planning for small cells
Member of small cell planning or
deployment team
Member of broader RAN planning or
deployment team
Consultant or technical adviser
General interest in small cells

5. Level of value
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
 For the respondents’
personal roles:
 77% useful or very useful
 8% said fundamental to a
critical decision
 45% - support critical
business or technical
decisions
23
54
19
4
Extremely useful Useful Quite useful Not useful

6. Areas of
interest
Spread of interest but
focus on real world
deployment issues
oBest practice
oCase studies
oBusiness cases
oDeployment guidelines
oNetwork architecture
81
54 54
46 46
42
35
19
15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
%ofrespondentscitingaskeyinterest
© Rethink Technology Research 2015

7. How the documents are used
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 Range of uses of
documents
 Input to various
processes and aspects of
small cell decisions
 Many operators still at
overall strategy stage
 Moving to specific
decisions
65
54
31
27
23
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
%ofrespondents

8. Business or technical?
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
 Highest value ratings on
technical documents
 Almost 80% found
documents valuable for
technical decisions
 However, different
weighting when move to
specific barriers ...
47
79
33
40
21
44
13 0 22
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Business decision Technical decision Overcoming
deployment issues
%ofrespondents
Valuable or very valuable Fairly valuable Not valuable

9. Key aim: lower
barriers
Nine top barriers to
deployment. Identified by
survey of 59 operators
In each case, Releases
were helpful to 60% to
90%+.
Directly solved an
architecture problem for
25%
Business case, standards
– highest overall
Sites, standards – highest
‘very helpful’ ratings
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
25
10 10 10
5 5 5 5 5
20
30 30
35 45
55
35
25
15
35
55
45 35
45
15
45
40
40
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%ofrespondents
Directly solved problem Very helpful Helpful

10. Building confidence
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 Commitment to
deployment
timescale key
indicator of
confidence
 Shift since June
2014
 63% have window
under 12 months, up
from 57% 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Time to deploy
agreed
6-12 months 12-24 months 24-36 months
%ofoperators
2015 2014

11. Are Releases a factor?
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
 Complex decision
process
 Long ticklists
 Few want to
move first
14%
29%
43%
14%
Fundamental to a critical decision
Supported critical business decision
Supported critical technical decision
Supported both types of critical
decision

12. Key contribution
© Rethink Technology Research 2015
 Key role of Release Program to help operators
commit:
 Shared body of knowledge and experience
 Best practice and case studies
 Avoid reinventing wheel eg on business case
 ‘How-to’ guides in complex technical areas