Alcatel-Lucent Intros Radio Interface for DAS

Alcatel-Lucent introduced a radio frequency module for distributed antenna systems (DAS) for connecting subscribers at large public venues.

The Distributed Antenna System Radio Frequency Module is a wideband low-power LTE interface card which removes the need for bulky radio technology in a public installation. It connects to Alcatel-Lucent's 9926 digital baseband unit, working directly with the analog DAS through RF signals that consume just one-eighth of the power and heat dissipation of an average remote radio head, reducing space requirements and optimizing costs. The 9926 digital baseband unit, connecting into a number of distributed radios, can divert capacity where needed when there are spikes in traffic, redistributing capacity to other radios when no longer required.

Up to 40 radio sectors with the associated baseband processing, can be fitted into a standard 19 inch indoor cabinet. The Alcatel-Lucent DAS RFM is offered in two wideband hardware versions, one for low band and one for high band radios. Each radio covers between 6 and 10 bands. Based on the latest Alcatel-Lucent RF platform it leverages common hardware and software and can quickly be adapted to various market frequency demands using pluggable cards.

Based on a study from Bell Labs, the company calculates its new DAS RFM offers up to 30 percent cost savings in terms of the wireless and DAS equipment required, up to 81 percent cost savings in terms of power and cooling, up to 91 percent cost savings in terms of construction,  and up to 78 percent cost savings in terms of energy.

"Alcatel-Lucent has been working closely with operators on how to improve LTE deployment in dense urban environments by leveraging their DAS infrastructure. This product was developed on the latest leading edge RF Platform that operators use for their Macro today allowing them full benefit and feature parity with their Macro sites. It is designed for use with any vendors' analog DAS," said Glenn Booth, Senior Vice President and General Manger of Alcatel-Lucent's LTE Business Unit said: .

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CommScope's Multi-Operator Digital DAS Covers Citi Field Ballpark

The Citi Field ballpark in New York is using a multi-operator digital distributed antenna system (DAS) supplied by CommScope.

The CommScope FlexWave Prism and InterReach Fusion system deployed at Citi Field provides 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, AWS, and 700 MHz frequencies to deliver 3G and 4G mobile services for fans at the 41,000-seat stadium. The deployment covers the stadium seating areas, luxury boxes, walkways and parking areas at the ballpark in Queens.

FlexWave Prism features modular, high-power remote units to deliver the performance and frequency bands needed in each location. The InterReach Fusion system is a low-power solution that delivers strategic and pin-point services to interior portions of the stadium.

http://www.commscope.com

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TE Connectivity Boosts Cellular Service with DAS for NFL Championship Game

TE Connectivity (TE) has deployed its FlexWave Prism and FlexWave Spectrum distributed antenna systems (DAS) in preparation for the 49th NFL championship game on February 1 in Phoenix, Arizona.

At the University of Phoenix stadium, TE deployed FlexWave Spectrum DAS to provide 48 sectors of mobile coverage and capacity for a neutral host provider serving the nation’s four largest mobile operators at the stadium. The massive deployment includes 96 main hubs, 49 expansion hubs, and 225 remote antenna units to cover the stadium bowl, luxury boxes and service areas. The system supports various 700, 800, 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz LTE, CDMA, EVDO and UMTS services. In the Glendale area where the stadium is located, TE equipment is being used to link a base station hotel with DAS in the Renaissance Hotel and the Gila River Arena, making use of existing operator infrastructure to manage capacity spikes.

In downtown Phoenix, TE’s FlexWave Prism DAS has been deployed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (headquarters for NFL executives in the month leading up to the game) and at CityScape, an outdoor visitor center. Elsewhere, TE’s FlexWave Spectrum DAS with the CPRI digital interface unit (CDIU) has been deployed at US Airways Arena, which will serve as the event’s media center. In addition, TE’s unique host-to-host technology has been deployed to link a base station hotel in downtown Phoenix with US Airways Arena, the Hyatt Regency, Chase Field and the Phoenix Convention Center. The host-to-host technology transports base station signals for miles over a digital fiber link between the base station hotel and the venues.

“TE is the vendor of choice at the world’s most important events and venues,” said Peter Wraight, president of TE’s Wireless business unit. “Our all-digital solutions deliver outstanding capacity and performance at events like this, where the network needs to be able to withstand significant capacity increases and maintain connectivity reliably.”

http://www.te.com

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AT&T: Mobile Data Usage at Stadiums Soars to 1000s of GBs

In-stadium mobile data usage at college and professional football games is soaring to hundreds or thousands of gigabytes, according to newly published data usage statics from AT&T.   The data is derived from the more than 75 different stadiums where AT&T provides coverage via Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS).

So far this football season across 333 games where it had DAS coverage, AT&T customers used more than 104.9 Terabytes of mobile data via the in-venue cellular networks. Data usage at professional football games outpaces college games.  Mobile users in Miami use the most data.

More stats are on the AT&T blog:

http://about.att.com/newsroom/were_halfway_there0.html

Data on mobile data usage at baseball games is here:

http://about.att.com/newsroom/going_going_gone_mobile_data_flies_out_of_ballparks_this_season.html

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Axell Wireless Develops Interface for BaseStation-to-DAS

Axell Wireless launched an Active Point of Interface (APOI) system to manage the interface from base stations to the DAS system for optimum performance for both single and multiple operator deployments.

Currently, such interfaces are passive in nature and require manual on-site intervention to ensure optimum performance of the DAS system.

Axell said its new APOI ensures that BTS (base station) RF signals feeding the DAS are “managed” to pre-set criteria, thus minimising the need for regular on-site operational maintenance and ensuring optimum signal-to-noise ratio and thus data throughput within the system. The APOI is fully manageable remotely via a web server intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and supports SNMP allowing alarms to be reported to a mobile operator’s NOC (network operations centre).

The APOI supports up to 8 frequency band modules in one compact 3U chassis. All major global cellular frequencies are supported as are all wireless technologies. Each band module supports two separate BTS connections (with internal combining if required) thus allowing up to 16 BTS connections per chassis. APOIs can be cascaded together to support larger BTS deployments. Additional band modules can be easily installed in the field allowing for easy expansion of the system.

“With in-building wireless deployments rapidly growing, both mobile operators and systems integrators need a simpler and cost-effective way of installing distributed antenna systems and managing the interface with connected base stations. Such systems have historically had to be tailored to each situation and are not easily expandable. Our new APOI now solves that problem and provides many features that aid both the rapid deployment and ongoing management of the DAS in-building system, thus bringing mobile operators significant cost savings in their in-building systems,” said Ian Brown, CEO, Axell Wireless.

http://www.axellwireless.com

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Verizon Wireless Customers Chewed Through 1.9TB in Stadium at Super Bowl

Verizon Wireless customers generated an unprecedented 1.9 TB of data usage over the company's wireless network during Super Bowl XLVIII.

During the game, Verizon Wireless said it handled more than 800 percent more data connections than during the busiest hour at last year's Super Bowl in New Orleans. In fact, during the halftime show with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Verizon Wireless customers shattered records, using more data in MetLife stadium during a single hour than at any previous Super Bowl. 

"Our network got the trophy last night and during Super Bowl week, delivering the consistent, reliable performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and throughout the New York metropolitan area that our customers have come to expect from Verizon Wireless," said Nicola Palmer, chief technology officer of Verizon Wireless.

Prior to the game, the company upgraded its Distributed Antenna System (DAS) inside MetLife Stadium to quadruple 4G LTE data capacity and added additional cell sites outside to enhance customers' game-time experiences.

http://www.verizonwireless.com 

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TE Connectivity Enhances its FlexWave Prism Distributed Antenna System

TE Connectivity is expanding its FlexWave Prism distributed antenna system (DAS) with new high-density modules capable of supporting up to 75 MHz per band, with two frequency bands per module. The new modules enable a 2-bay FlexWave Prism remote unit to support up to four frequency bands, 40 watts, or up to 300 MHz of spectrum.

TE is positioning its new module for delivering 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, or 2600 MHz MIMO and 800 MHz digital dividend services in the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions of the world.

“The FlexWave Prism DAS supports multi-operator, multi-protocol services in a compact, cost-effective, and power-efficient manner,” said Peter Wraight, vice president, TE Wireless. “It is ideal for mobile operators who want to deploy DAS with multiple frequencies and high power levels without the complexity of multiple DAS equipment overlays.”


The new FlexWave Prism modules support migration from 3G to 4G services as well as multi-operator applications where two or more mobile operators share a power amplifier. Moreover, by using digital simulcast to deliver services between the DAS head end and remote units, the FlexWave Prism module enables operators to easily shift capacity from one area to another as subscriber needs dictate. The digital DAS reaches up to 20 kilometers to serve urban and suburban areas as well as stadiums, office parks, and other facilities.

http://www.TE.com

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TE Connectivity Reduces Cost of Connecting Distributed Antenna Systems

TE Connectivity introduced a FlexWave Active Integration Panel (AIP) that provides multi-carrier, multi-protocol connectivity between mobile operator base stations (BTS) and distributed antenna systems (DAS).

The FlexWave AIP is a rack-mountable unit that supports up to eight BTS TX/RX inputs, enabling it to connect multiple BTS in a multi-operator or neutral host application. The FlexWave AIP handles BTS power levels up to 100 Watts.  It is compatible with DAS products from TE Connectivity. It can also be used with other vendors’ DAS offerings.

“FlexWave AIP takes the guesswork, complexity, and cost out of integrating multiple BTS in a DAS deployment,” said Tony Lefebvre, director of product management of TE’s Wireless business unit. “With this new addition to the FlexWave family, we continue to simplify DAS deployment, delivering remotely-monitored control of BTS power levels in a compact system.”

http://www.te.com

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