LightRadio is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but Alcatel-Lucent designed it to fix a big problem.

Discussion: The size of a Rubik’s cube but packed with all the components of a cell phone tower, lightRadio is a tiny device tasked with solving an enormous problem.  With mobile data usage expected to grow 30 fold in the next five years, lightRadio may be able to help wireless carriers keep pace using a combination of miniaturization and cloud technology.  Stacked like Lego blocks in urban areas or atop existing cell towers in rural areas, these power-sipping cubes can help cut carriers’ operating costs in half.

Source: CNNMoney.com

Date: March 21, 2011

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/21/technology/light_radio/index.htm

Questions for discussion:

• How does lightRadio address the problem of inefficient, separate antennas for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks?
• What three factors make lightRadio a very attractive prospect for wireless carriers?