Our landscape has become dotted with ugly, but necessary, cell phone towers. However, the wireless communications industry has come up with smaller, more efficient transmitters that may change the need for the tall ungainly structures.

The Mobile World Congress 2011, which starts February 14th, in Barcelona, will feature small cell technology.

Small cell technology boosts the capacity of cell networks, is less unsightly, and because the technology is designed to feature more, but smaller transmitters, you'll find less dead zones and less competition for cell tower resources. What does this mean to you? It means more cell phone coverage and cheaper data transmissions.

Alcatel-Lucent is presenting its "light radio cube," an antenna tha is about the size of your fist, and is connected to optical fiber. A cluster of them on a light pole could replace a tower.

The light radio cube should be available next year.

As evidenced by AT&T's New York City Wi-Fi hotspots, the demands for data coverage is one of the biggest hurdles that wireless companies have to face. The ability to handle the increasing amount of cell phone and data users is key to the continued survival of cell phone providers.

Qualcomm, the San Diego based network will be showing off it's "heterogeneous networks." Heterogeneous networks are the mix of large tower technologies and small cell clusters. Their main problems has been getting the two technologies to "talk" to each other without interference or static and also, creating a stable interface between the two platforms.

Increasing the clarity of cell reception in your home is relatively easy. Sprint, Verizon and AT&T have been selling "femtocells," for years to their customers. The femtocells connect to phone network via a broadband connection. While the distance covered by femtocells is only a room or two, if you are located in a dead spot, these boosters have made a world of difference.

Now, the thought is to use femtocells to fill in dead spots in public spaces. Picochip, Ltd. and Ubiquisys, Ltd. are both working on thumb drive sized femtocells.

There are even plans underway to connect femtocells to satellites, to provide access in remote locations.