Events Calendar

Integrated Systems Seminar Series

Speaker: Khurram Sheikh, Powerwave Technologies

Talk Title: The Future of Mobile Broadband

Abstract: Internet coverage and capacity demand is off the charts. The mobile industry is growing by leaps and bounds and carriers need to adapt to the influx of users with an insatiable appetite for consuming data. The growth can mainly be attributed to smartphones, and even more so by the rapid adoption of tablets, which have transformed how consumers and businesses leverage their content.
Global mobile data traffic is just about doubling every year, and will continue to do so through at least 2016, according to Cisco's Mobile Visual Networking Index, one of the industry's most comprehensive annual studies. The iPhone, for instance, uses 24 times as much spectrum as feature cell phones, and the iPad uses 122 times as much, according to the FCC. AT&T has seen the wireless data traffic on its network grow 20,000 percent since the iPhone debuted in 2007. This is a big problem that if not addressed, will leave mobile carriers crippled and mobile customers extremely unhappy.

As carriers upgrade to 4G, many don’t realize the networks will easily be outstripped by growing demand and that LTE causes signal attenuation, which shrinks the RF signal radius of high-speed LTE base stations by up to 50 percent compared to 2G service. This means more towers are needed to fix the dead zones, driving up the cost of network deployment. There are also cases where overlaying high performance LTE macrocells on 2G networks create dead spots due to a smaller signal radius.

Operators are also faced with the challenge of providing coverage in places they weren’t previously required, both indoors and outdoors, including stadiums and buildings. As more mobile users leverage video conferencing, voice calls, email access and video streaming on their smartphones and tablets, this places heavier burden on networks and operators must provide seamless, uninterrupted, highly reliable coverage no matter where consumers are.
Implementing small cell solutions enable carriers to alleviate coverage and capacity issues and provide a cost-effective solution to build out existing network infrastructure to provide targeted 4G coverage in areas of poor reception and high data usage. Most importantly, small cells will meet the needs of current and future data consumption growth based on the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets.

Khurram will discuss how to solve these current problems carriers are facing with the implementation of small cells, addressing:
• Coverage and capacity issues in areas of high data consumption, areas where signals are weak or non-existent. In this case, small cells can facilitate the expansion of LTE coverage and capacity without requiring new macro sites, which are much more costly and complicated to install
• Small cells technology allow coverage to be easily deployed in a variety of indoor and outdoor areas harder to reach by previous technology, such as stadiums, shopping centers and metro stations
• Small cells provide compatibility for all operators’ existing technology, which is currently at different stages of development within each company. Small cells easily incorporate into networks, no matter the stage of development, providing continuous service to all existing customers while in the process of upgrading, allowing for a seamless transition


Biography: Khurram P. Sheikh is presently Chief Technology Officer of Powerwave Technologies. Mr. Sheikh joined the company in August 2007 in his current capacity and is also the Chairman of the Powerwave Technical Advisory Board. In this role he leads the global product/business units for the company as well the global teams for research and development.

Mr. Sheikh was employed by Time Warner Cable from August 2005 through 2007, as Vice President, Wireless Strategy and Development where he was responsible for the cable and media company’s entry into the wireless space. Between 2000 and 2005, Mr. Sheikh was Chief Technology Advisor for various divisions within Sprint where he led the next generation advanced technology efforts for the company. Mr. Sheikh is widely recognized in the industry for his pioneering efforts in the development of mobile wireless broadband or “4G” wireless technology including WiMAX and LTE. Mr. Sheikh received advanced graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Wireless Communications from Stanford University. He also completed an executive development course in Product Development from the Harvard Business School.


Host: Prof. Hossein Hashemi, Prof. Mahta Moghaddam, Prof. Mike Chen

More Info: http://mhi.usc.edu/activities/integrated-systems/

Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Hossein Hashemi

Event Link: http://mhi.usc.edu/activities/integrated-systems/