Small cells are central to the next phase of mobile network growth. They bring capacity closer to users, improve coverage in busy locations and help operators meet rising demand for low-latency, high-performance connectivity.

But scaling them goes beyond simply adding more sites. Each street-level deployment brings practical constraints: limited space, restricted power, valuable fiber resources and the challenge of upgrading capacity without sending engineers back to the same locations over and over again.

That’s the problem OSA Mobile from Openreach was designed to solve.

Supported by Adtran and Corning, the solution has been shortlisted for the SCF Mobile Network Awards 2026 in the Outstanding Contribution to Open Platforms and Architectures category. The recognition highlights how open collaboration can turn one of mobile networking’s hardest deployment challenges into a practical, repeatable model.

Small cells need a different transport model

Traditional mobile transport approaches weren’t designed for the density needed today. As operators push coverage deeper into urban and suburban environments, conventional point-to-point models can quickly become expensive and difficult to manage.

OSA Mobile takes a different route. Its point-to-multipoint architecture can aggregate up to 96 street-level sites onto a single shared device, reducing duplicated infrastructure across the network. By using single-fiber working, it also helps lower footprint and power requirements at points of presence.

That’s key because densification only works commercially if the underlying transport model scales with it. Operators need a way to grow capacity without multiplying cost and operational effort at the same rate.

Built for today’s networks and tomorrow’s RAN

OSA Mobile is designed to support mobile network evolution without forcing a sudden architectural leap. Engineered to provide UK-wide small cell access transport availability for both Ethernet and CPRI traffic, it gives operators a managed foundation for scaling dense deployments, supporting today’s backhaul needs while creating a path toward future fronthaul architectures.

With channelized handover using C-band and O-band frequencies, the solution enables bandwidth to scale from 1GbE to 25GbE while supporting multiple CPRI variants. Upgrades and new services can be introduced centrally, reducing the need for repeated site visits and helping operators respond faster as demand changes.

Collaboration that solves real deployment problems

The SCF shortlist is especially fitting because OSA Mobile is as much a collaboration story as a product story.

At Adtran, we worked with Openreach and Corning to develop an architecture for the practical constraints of street-level deployment. It combines a tailored optical filtering approach for deterministic low-latency performance with a compact, IP68-rated passive handover solution developed with Corning for constrained outdoor environments. This gives operators a simple, flexible handover point at the small cell site.

Open platforms and architectures are about creating models that others can build on, integrate with and deploy in the real world. OSA Mobile brings together transport innovation, passive infrastructure and operational simplicity in a way that helps make dense small cell networks easier to deploy and evolve.

Less duplication, fewer truck rolls

As small cell networks expand, operators are under pressure to improve performance while controlling cost and reducing environmental impact. Simply adding more active equipment, more site visits and more duplicated infrastructure isn’t a sustainable long-term approach.

OSA Mobile helps change that equation. By simplifying the physical architecture and enabling more centralized upgrades, it reduces the need for repeated on-site intervention. Lower footprint and power requirements also support a more efficient deployment model over the lifecycle of the network.

Recognition for a practical step forward

Small cells will play a major role in the evolution toward 5G-Advanced and 6G. But their success will depend on how efficiently operators can deploy and scale them. OSA Mobile’s SCF Mobile Network Awards shortlist reflects that challenge. It highlights a collaborative approach to bringing more capacity closer to users without adding unnecessary complexity behind the scenes.

For Openreach, Corning and Adtran, this nomination recognizes a shared approach to practical innovation: open architecture, engineered for scale and built around the realities of real-world small cell deployment.