Service convergence in the mobile domain will be the defining characteristic of the next generation of communications, according to David Kiesling, RFS Global Product Manager Wireless Infrastructure Solutions.
Speaking in the run-up to the 2007 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Kiesling noted that the global interest in so-called ‘mobile multi-play’ service mixes has enormous implications for the wireless industry in general, and the tower top in particular.
“The introduction of ‘mobility’ into the multi-play mix achieves a great deal more than simply shifting the count from triple to quadruple-play,” Kiesling said. “The ability to access voice, Internet, and television/video without being tethered to a fixed point via cable is hugley attractive to subscribers and carriers alike. It is the future of communications, and represents the ultimate convergence outcome–convergence of existing and future broadband services, plus convergence of fixed and mobile telephony.”
Multi-play convergence in the mobile domain also presents a number of business and technical challenges, most particularly in the RF network. “Supporting such a diverse range of broadband wireless services will require a quantum leap in RF network coverage, performance and day-to-day management. There will be an immediate need for far greater sophistication in tower-top solutions–optimally matched blends of antenna, mounting system, RF conditioning, tower-top control and monitoring, and transmission line solutions.
“RFS is well ahead of the game in this regard. We are one of the few companies in the world with the ability to offer such advanced tower-top RF solutions. Key elements of our ‘convergence’ solution set will be on display at our stand at 3GSM World Congress, Barcelona.”
Central to RFS’s exhibit at 3GSM World Congress 2007 will be its all new end-to-end tower-top control and monitoring solution set. Fully compliant with the latest revision of the open communications standard of the Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG), the RFS end-to-end solution empowers carriers to cost-effectively optimise their networks in real-time. Supporting control at either the tower base, or at the operations and maintenance centre (OMC), the new RFS AISG version 2-compliant suite comprises all key antenna line elements. This includes the control network interface (CNI), a selection of tower-mount amplifiers (TMAs), an antenna control unit (ACU), a modem bias-tee, plus RFS’s innovative Network Element Manager (NEM) software.
Also to be unveiled by RFS at 3GSM World Congress 2007 is the company’s new ClearFill suite of wireless indoor solutions (WINS). Offering unrivalled flexibility and cost-effectiveness, the RFS ClearFill solution set comprises a modular mix of passive and active technologies (repeaters), which include new options for harnessing and distributing RF signals within buildings and tunnels. Providing solutions optimised to match the size of structures to be covered, RFS’s ClearFill represents a uniquely global and scaleable in-building solution set.
The Barcelona exhibit will also see the launch of RFS’s new all-in-one rooftop antenna solution–the Optimizer Rooftop. Striking the optimal balance between aesthetics, RF performance and capex/opex, RFS’s new Optimizer Rooftop is a unique all-in-one solution comprising base, mast, tri-sector antenna cluster and RF cabling. Minimising the visual impact of the rooftop base station, the Optimizer Rooftop boasts a full +/-20-degrees of azimuth adjustment within each of its three premium-performance sector antennas.