366,000 Picocells to be deployed by 2013

Picocells have not enjoyed rapid or massive adoption so far. However ABI Research estimates that in 2013, there will have been cumulative deployments of about 366,000 picocell devices worldwide. While not a huge number in itself, that represents a 38 per cent CAGR over the years from 2008.

"The key to greater market acceptance for picocells lies in their increasing similarity to femtocells in terms of their setup and cost" said analyst Aditya Kaul. "However, unlike femtocells which are largely consumer-focused, next-generation picocells will continue to be targeted at the enterprise market, offering rugged, carrier-grade feature sets. There is also an understanding that many of these new picocells will still require a truck roll for deployment, although offering a lower cost device than the traditional picocell." Article