Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Sprint's (NYSE: S) pending movement to C-RAN architectures for their small cell and wireless densification efforts will likely become a large opportunity for a host of fiber wholesale providers like FairPoint, Lumos and Zayo.
In its new feature, "Verizon, Sprint and others circle C-RAN wagons," FierceWirelessTech looks at how the C-RAN opportunity is shaping up.
Zayo appears to be poised to gain a large share of C-RAN backhaul deployments. As of the end of 2015, Zayo had a total of 2,224 small cells on its network. The service provider told investors during its second quarter 2016 earnings call that it plans to dedicate about $75 million in capital to build out 1,000 new sites.
However, other telcos like Lumos and more recently, FairPoint have started offering dark fiber solutions, an option favored by Verizon. Sprint, according to reports, is also considering dark fiber for small cell and C-RAN backhaul as an option. Take a look at FierceWirelessTech's new feature here.