Branded retail outlets have become the main way mobile operators promote and sell new services and devices to their customers. They spend a fortune to build an environment that sets them apart from the competition and they require an excellent signal for demonstrations, particularly for data services.
The problem is that a store’s location inside a shopping mall may result in a poor signal, and even if location is not an issue, demonstration areas tend to be at the rear of the shop where coverage is invariably worse. Some shopping centre owners also charge fees for mobile coverage rights, pushing up the cost of customer acquisition in what is likely to be an already expensive location.
Picocells offer a flexible and fast route to excellent coverage and signal quality in retail stores:
- Makes use of existing IP connection used for point of sale terminals.
- Small footprint and easy installation means that there will be no need to involve the shopping mall owners.
- Gives great coverage even in the most difficult in-building environments.
- Capacity can be reserved for data channels with high throughput, enabling more effective demos of new services.
