Sunday, October 17, 2010

BelAir Simplifies Metro Pico Cell Networks, Adds CDMA

BelAir Networks is introducing several tools for managing metropolitan pico cells -- the small cell network architecture often used in large-scale and multi-location Wi-Fi networks but which is now being adopted in the licensed band space for 3G/4G deployments. BelAir also announced that its BelAir100SP Strand Picocell now supports CDMA2000. The BelAir100SP is a small cell base station that can be deployed from aerial strand, and in pedestals, cabinets or vaults to augment or extend existing mobile broadband coverage. It supports a range of licensed 3G radios, with a migration to LTE, along with dual 802.11n Wi-Fi radios. It also includes a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, plant power supply, and power protection/splitter.


The new management capabilities are enabled by BelAir's BelView 6 Network Management System (NMS), along with TR-069 support on BelAir Networks entire portfolio of indoor access points and outdoor picocell base stations.
Key features of BelView 6 include:


  • Real-time Business Intelligence: Web-based monitoring and dashboard tools provide real-time network statistics to remote devices including iPhone TM and Android-based Smartphones.


  • Scalability: The number of base stations supported in a single network, both for monitoring and provisioning, increases from 25,000 to 50,000.


  • Provisioning: BelView 6 makes it faster and easier to operationalize and modify the network. Changes (such as channel allocation or new SSID activation) can be automatically activated on individual base stations, groups or the entire network.


"With data capacity requirements increasing exponentially, small cells, deployed using Wi-Fi, 3G, LTE -- or a combination of these -- are key to delivering a true mobile broadband experience. But, to ensure cost effective deployment, operation and expansion, these small cell networks must be easy for operators to provision, monitor and integrate with their existing network, back office and management systems," said Stephen Rayment, Chief Technology Officer, BelAir Networks. "With BelView 6 and TR-069 support, BelAir Networks addresses the management, operation and integration challenges inherent in large-scale small cell networks."http://www.belairnetworks.com