The mobile operators across the globe are facing constant challenges for managing and supporting ever growing data traffics and network congestion. Small cell helps telecom operators to provide and ensure excellent data speeds and efficient mobile phone coverage for public and commercial areas. Small cell networks helps telecom operators to lower the network congestion and helps companies to optimize operation cost. Small cell are radio access nodes which operates in the range of 10 to 2000 meters in unlicensed and licensed spectrum. Small cell network usually consist of femtocells, picocells, and microcells which are controlled and designed by the use of remote radio heads and centralized baseband units.

Various communication service providers (CSPs) and telecom operators install small cell network consisting of picocells and micro cells which are closely integrated with base stations. This type of facilities helps CSP and telecoms to provide smooth and efficient voice and data services in various remote areas, without setting up heavy infrastructure, which overall help companies to reduce the infrastructural cost while improving revenues. The installation of small cell networks help companies to lower the bottle-necks, which eventually helps companies to provide the optimum quality of service in the spectrum available.

Growing demand and requirement of high capacity spectrums along with the growing mobile voice and data traffic are few of the factors that are expected to boost the small cell network in the coming years. As small cell network adoptions results in the lowering of capital and operational expenditure, CSP's and telecoms across the globe will embrace more of small cell networks in the coming years. The small cell network market is expected to register a high growth rate in coming years, providing ample opportunity to IT infrastructure equipment providers, equipment manufacturers and CSP's. Constant urge and requirements for providing improved personalized services along with better quality of services by CSP's and telecoms will provide high opportunity for the growth of small cell market in future.

The global small cell market is segmented on the basis of small cell type into Femtocell, Picocell, Microcell and Metrocell. Further, the global small cell market is segmented on the basis of operating environment into Outdoor and indoor operating environment. The market is also bifurcated on the basis of services such as professional service, maintenance and support, network planning and design, integration and installation services. The global small cell market is further segmented on the basis of regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.

The high growth in the numbers of users of smart phones, generating high data traffics and increasing M2M connection and devices will foster the growth of small cell network market. Asia Pacific dominates the global small cell network market and is the one of the fastest developing region for small cell market. Some of the chief players operating in the market are ZTE Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Cisco Systems, Inc., NEC Corporation, Samsung, Nokia Networks, Airvana, Inc., Alcatel-Lucent, IP.Access and Ericsson among others.