The Small Cell Forum is to tackle smart cities and smart buildings in a new partnership with the US-based Telecommunications Industry Association.
The organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop technical, commercial and regulatory solutions to small cell deployments.
Specifically, the partnership aims to ensure regulation regarding deployments in cities is made simpler, to produce new kinds of enterprise deployment, including neutral host, to ensure deployments meet the needs of all parties, and to explore how the likes of virtualisation can lead to more flexible and efficient networks.
The organisations will create a smart building blueprint, which they said would help the real estate market build connectivity directly into homes.
[Read more: Wi-Fi Alliance issues guide for builders to connect homes from the foundations]
David Orloff, Chair of SCF, said: “Every enterprise and community needs to be ‘smart’ to provide the best services and take advantage of the Internet of Things and other developing technologies. But this presents complex challenges which no one organisation can fully address. TIA and SCF share many of the same goals and we expect this alliance to lead to significant results, especially in advancing our drive towards 5G.”
Brenda Boehm, Chief Strategy Officer of TIA added: “Industry collaboration is clearly needed to realise the full potential of smart communities, whether they take the form of buildings, campuses or entire cities. There are enormous opportunities to drive efficiencies, improve operational effectiveness, deliver faster and safer transportation, and more. Working together, we will be well positioned to accelerate the development and deployment of critical micro-wireless 5G technology in the community ecosystem.”
The TIA is largely vendor focused but includes Orange among its members, as well as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon.
Both Nokia and Ericsson, neither of whom are TIA members, have recently refreshed their small cell portfolios.