U.S. operator Sprint plans to deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio™ Metro Cells to augment LTE mobile broadband coverage in high-traffic areas, Alcatel-Lucent announced today. Metro cells are mini base stations that can easily be deployed indoors or outdoors to provide enhanced capacity. They can also fill gaps in coverage – created by buildings – in densely populated urban locations. 

Sprint’s initial deployment will focus on indoor applications, including entertainment venues, transportation hubs and business campuses. By deploying metro cells, Sprint expects to deliver a better broadband experience to more of its subscribers in these high-traffic areas and will help reduce costs in the process.

Alcatel-Lucent says that its lightRadio technology supports the full range of wireless technologies, including 2G, 3G and 4G LTE, and Wi-Fi. The company will provide Sprint with the lightRadio™-based Metro Cell portfolio of products which are capable of supporting outdoor, urban hotspot, rural and indoor applications.

According to Alcatel-Lucent, it has 39 commercial small cell deployment agreements and more than 20 ongoing trials to date.