LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2014: Vodafone is to be the first customer for Ericsson’s indoor small cell technology. The new Radio Dot system will be used to extend Vodafone’s 3G and LTE mobile broadband network into the office buildings of its enterprise customers.

The Radio Dot has adopted the same technology as used with Ericsson’s macro base stations, including carrier aggregation and combined cell for W-CDMA and LTE. The Radio Dot, which remains in lockstep with the outdoor network, also supports integration with the company’s Wi-Fi to enable real-time traffic steering.

This decision by Vodafone to use small cells to improve indoor coverage comes as Ericsson moves to provide technology to boost mobile broadband connectivity in dense urban environments.

The company has also announced a partnership with Philips that will see the two firms combine LED street lighting with a miniaturised base station. The LED street lights are connected to the wired network and can be remotely controlled dependent upon weather conditions, while the base station within the lamp poles enables operators to increase the density of their networks in urban or city areas. This technique also provides operators with ‘ready-made’ base station site with the antenna projecting from the top of the lamp poles.

“This technology is already being trialled in two US cities in partnership with a number of operators. We’ve spent a year ensuring that the base station can fit into the lamp poles,” Ericsson’s CEO Hans Vestberg told Mobile Live Live.

“City populations are increasing at the rate of 7,500 per hour. Our research show that internet connectivity is one of the top five factors for satisfaction in City life. This Zero Site approach is the kind of innovation that offers a way for people to succeed in the network environment.”

Philips CEO, Frans van Houten, said that this new ‘lighting as a service’ would scale with a city’s needs and enable city officials to offer residents a more connected and energy efficient approach.