picocells

Picocell is a small cellular base station with relatively low transmit power designed to improve radio coverage and network capacity in a confined area. Picocells are deployed by mobile network operators to fill gaps in coverage or to serve high-traffic locations, such as indoor venues, office buildings, or busy urban streets. They connect to the operator’s core network via a backhaul link, typically using wired broadband or equivalent connectivity, and they typically reuse the same operator spectrum as the macro network.

A picocell covers a limited area, commonly on the order of tens to a few hundred meters, depending on environment and technology. They are integrated into heterogeneous networks (HetNets) alongside macrocells and other small cells like microcells and femtocells. Picocell base stations can support multiple generations, from 3G to 4G LTE and 5G NR, and are often controlled by self-organizing network features to simplify deployment and optimization.

Deployment is common in indoor spaces such as shopping malls, airports, stadiums, and large office campuses, as well as certain outdoor hot spots where macrocell reception is weak or capacity is constrained. The main advantages are improved coverage, increased data capacity, and better user experience in high-demand areas. Challenges include backhaul availability, interference management, and ensuring secure authentication and handovers to the macro network.

Picocells are part of the broader small-cell family, bridging indoor/private networks and wider urban coverage, and are a component of modern dense cellular networks.