Mobility Backhaul Report: Backhaul Deployment Report. Learn about the Deployment Options for 4G and 5G mobile backhaul, fronthaul, and midhaul in wireless systems

The thing about running any type of equipment is more than the cost of the equipment and installation. It’s all the other stuff that most magazines and articles won’t cover. It’s the delays, permitting, acquisition, and approvals needed to be managed. These are necessary evils for any deployment. Just ask any carrier. Therefore they are adamant about fighting local jurisdictions for the small cell costs of permitting and rent. This is all before you deploy one thing, pay for one piece of equipment, or even design the backhaul. It needs to be worked through, and chances are it will be around 10% to 25% of the cost. If you’re talking small cells, then it could be 50% to 75% of the cost. The other thing that has helped the carriers is automation. While they still rely on drive teams for testing, for the most part, they have automated RF engineering and optimization. This has dramatically reduced the cost and effort put forth.