QMC Telecom expanding pipeline of indoor 5G projects in LatAm

QMC Telecom, a neutral host telecom group based in Puerto Rico, is working on a growing pipeline of projects to expand 5G coverage in indoor environments in Latin America, particularly in markets where spectrum for the technology is being made available.

In Brazil alone, the group has almost 30 projects in the design phase focused on extending indoor 5G coverage, according to QMC Telecom Brazil president, Murilo Almeida.

“We're seeing greater interest in malls, but everything leads us to believe that other verticals will follow shortly, as happened with the launch of 4G,” Almeida (pictured) told BNamericas.

“We've seen faster advances in countries where 5G networks are already being developed – Chile and Brazil. The other markets are still in 4G, with varying rates of advance depending on the particular situation of each one (competition between operators, areas to be covered, signal quality, etc.)".

Going beyond 5G, the company has implemented street-level solutions (SLS), distributed antennas systems (DAS) and towers in all the countries in which it operates in the region, the executive said: Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Peru, as well as Chile and Brazil.

The company's most recent project in Brazil was at the Bossa Nova Mall in Rio de Janeiro, where it deployed DAS architecture that radiates 5G in the 3.5GHz spectrum. The DAS works by connecting to the wireless network of mobile operators to provide cellular coverage through radiating points, connected by fiber optic cables.

The executive said he is not authorized to disclose the identity of the partner operator.

“We use a temporary license to use the spectrum, specifically for carrying out these tests, with pre-determined times,” Almeida explained.

Around 80% of cellular data exchanges take place indoors, according to Cisco. In any case, 5G will require great network densification, according to Almeida.

“We estimate that the demand for antennas should grow by five times, which forces operators to think carefully about resource allocation strategies.”

In the Bossa Nova Mall project, five irradiation clusters were deployed at three strategic points to carry out the tests: the food court, the waiting area for ride-hailing apps and the hotel lobby that is connected to the mall, providing a total 5G coverage area of 1,500m², Almeida said.

This mall was chosen because it receives more than 5mn people per year due to its proximity to Santos Dumont airport and also because QMC has had solutions installed there since 2015, through a network comprised of 121 antennas.

For now, the project is considered a test, during which the network has been reaching peak throughputs of 1.4Gbps through MIMO systems, wireless technology that increases the capacity of data transmitted and received via radio frequency.

According to Almeida, QMC Brasil works with all the largest operators in the country and its indoor systems (DAS) have already been designed to be scalable and adaptable to new technologies such as 5G.

QMC has various projects in place using different technologies for real estate segments such as shopping malls, hospitals, universities, commercial buildings and airports, he said.

“In addition to indoor environments, we also already have a series of projects underway for outdoor environments,” he added.