“Intelligent Point of Interface” designed to take pain out of DAS-BTS interface, and reduce Passive Intermodulation (PIM)
CommScope has introduced a product that is designed to make the task of interfacing between the source base station and a DAS simpler. The vendor is describing the product as an “all in one point of interconnection”, and said that the i-POI lends insight into BTS conditioning, helps gain control over passive intermodulation (PIM), provides power control for multi-operator deployment and blends all of these capabilities into a single, compact module.
“Wireless operators, systems integrators and facility owners commonly face issues when planning a DAS deployment or upgrading an existing system,” said Matt Melester, senior vice president and general manager, Distributed Coverage and Capacity Solutions, CommScope. “Their most pressing concerns surround the lack of visibility into the BTS conditioning process, drops in data throughput due to PIM and space constraints. i-POI meets these challenges head on—whether in current CommScope Intelligent Optical Network (ION) environments or a third-party DAS infrastructure.”
Commscope said that i-POI’s approach to reducing the components required for BTS conditioning also enables increased visibility into the process of preparing signals for broad distribution.
In conventional configurations, BTS conditioning is implemented by piecing together several different discrete components, often from multiple manufacturers. That requires more space and equipment. Design and installation costs also go up and there’s greater potential for introducing PIM into the network.
Multiply that by several carriers with varied frequency bands and things fast become difficult to manage. i-POI makes a complex problem simple and delivers further local and remote monitoring capabilities for setting, controlling, and alarming input and output power levels. Also compared to conventional footprints, i-POI’s sleek, smaller form reduces space requirements by up to 75 percent. i-POI is available now in North America and launches in other regions in the coming months.
Video of the i-POI (from Commscope):