Smart city applications will require ubiquitous connectivity and real-time information processing that cannot be provided by cell towers and remote data centers. Instead, smart cities will rely on small cells and multi-access edge computing, or MEC, to support high-speed, low-latency wireless networks. 

The analysts at iGR Research have created in-depth reports on both small cells and MEC . iGR's U.S. Outdoor Small Cells Forecast explains different types of small cells and network architectures, and profiles 19 outdoor small cell vendors. The report also outlines deployment costs and regulatory issues associated with outdoor small cells.

iGR's analysis of MEC is divided into two forecasts: one for mobile network operator spending and one for enterprise spending which includes forecasts for Western European enterprises.

"Simply put, MEC marries a radio with a data center. Today, that radio is LTE, but it could also be Wi-Fi, 5G New Radio or some combination of them all," said iGR founder Iain Gillott, who has identified 7 distinct use cases for this technology. Gillott believes MEC has the potential to be as dispuptive as any wireless technology being discussed today, including 5G.