New High-Bandwidth Antennas Available (HW Series - GSM1800/UMTS2100/LTE 2600)

As a network operator, you are juggling more complex challenges today than ever before: balancing coverage and capacity; optimizing your network despite technology overlays; managing Passive Intermodulation (PIM); and future-proofing your network.

Ultimately, your long term profitability depends on being able to meet your current demands while positioning yourself to capitalize on future opportunities. All of this without compromising network quality or service standards.

At CommScope, we understand. We’re right there with you, talking through the challenges and developing the solutions that will help make it all possible. When we knock it out of the park, we both win.

Get the Balance You Need and the Performance You Demand Each antenna in the HW family is engineered and tested to the following specifications:      •  1710–2690 MHz frequency range      •  Dual polarization      •  65° beamwidth      •  Variable Tilt/RET compatible      •  18 dBi gain      •  PIM –150 dBc  Learn more…      •  HWX DualPol®      •  HWXX Quad DualPol®      •  HWXXX Hex DualPol®      •  HW Family Brochure

Introducing the High Bandwidth (HW) Ultra-Wideband Antennas The HW family is a series of ultra-wideband base station antennas designed to help you maximize performance now while providing a clear path to tomorrow. With reliable and well-formed patterns in both the azimuth and elevation planes, HW antennas provide a unique set of benefits for our customers: Superior, repeatable electrical performance from every unit 100% PIM testing performed on all base station antennas; contributes to system-wide noise containment that yields high spectral efficiency Proven design technologies; yields 44.6% more bandwidth over typical hi-band antennas Small physical footprint for deployment in areas with highly restrictive zoning Consolidated design can lead to fewer antennas and lower-cost deployments Consolidated design that can reduce antenna count and deployment co

LTE Active Antenna Field Trial Yields Successful Results

The recent 700 MHz LTE active antenna system field trial is certainly a memorable moment for closing out 2011. This was a successful opportunity for CommScope to demonstrate the features of active antennas in a true multi-site field trial and provide a glimpse of what we can expect in the future.
Active antenna systems basically consist of integrating the functionality of a traditional remote radio head (RRH) and a dual-polarized antenna into a single housing that can now be deployed at the top of the tower. The active antenna electronics are distributed within the antenna, such that each radiating element will now have its own dedicated transmit and receive paths. This distributed architecture now provides one with the ability to control the amplitude and phase of each radiating element. This is one of the key considerations that enable the feature set of active antenna systems.
Have a look at the white paper, active antenna system presentation, and press release for more details.
What did the LTE field trial tell us?

• The overall active antenna system performance compared well with traditional passive antennas and remote radio heads. This was confirmed by monitoring key performance indicators, such as signal-to-noise levels and uplink and downlink throughput rates. The same high performance LTE throughput levels were achievable with an active antenna system.
• The ability to independently tilt uplink and downlink elevation patterns was effective. This is an important feature that can now allow the radio planner to further optimize patterns and increase sector throughput.
• The ability to implement vertical sectorization showed significant promise for increasing capacity. Essentially, one carrier is dedicated for the inner sector, while a second carrier is dedicated for the outer sector. The results also were in excellent agreement with simulations.
• The self-healing feature of active antennas was implemented and also shows great potential for addressing system availability concerns. By simulating a failure of an individual transceiver path, a new optimized pattern was immediately implemented. Drive tests reinforced that theoretical predictions were accurate.
• The ease of installation of the active antenna system was also a pleasant surprise. The field installation team was able to use all of the same hoisting and installation equipment as they normally would use for a passive antenna. The mounting hardware and grounding kits were identical to what they use for otherCommScopeproducts.
• Once the antennas were mounted on the towers, it was encouraging to see how well the appearance blended in with the existing antennas. The photo below shows the antenna at the final installation phase. The cell-site owners were very pleased to see that the appearance was similar to antennas deployed today and would not impact leasing costs.

We and our technology partner Ubidyne are pleased with the results of what we believe was the first-ever LTE field trial of an active antenna system. We believe this is an important step toward the promise of better, more cost effective ways to transmit broadband signals to mobile customers using next generation networks.
How do you think active antennas can play a role in 4G networks? What challenges are you facing?

LTE Active Antenna Field Trial Yields Successful Results

CommScope supplies the worlds first active antenna for LTE network field trial

The Active Antenna System will lower your total cost of site ownership and reductions in the site footprint will allow you to lower your site maintenance and leasing costs. Advanced electronic tilt features like tilt-by-carrier, Tx/Rx tilt, vertical sectorization, and tilt-by-protocol will help you deliver optimal wireless coverage with fewer cell sites and improve handset battery life. The redundancy and self-healing features can help you lower operational expenses and improve network uptime. Active Antenna Systems will improve quality of service (QoS) for your subscribers while lowering your costs across the board.

CommScope ::: Andrew ::: Product/Antennas/Active Antenna Systems