Distributed Antenna Systems Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)
Agenda About the Speaker: Connectivity it Wireless Market Drivers Cellular and wireless data growth/usage trends Public Safety Communication mandates DAS market Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Basics DAS Deployment Process
Connectivity Wireless Leader in DAS deployments Headquartered in Atlanta, GA Degreed engineering resources in regional markets East Midwest Northeast West Southeast Southwest More than 100 employees and aggressively growing More than 1,700 in-building DAS installations in 48 states Leader in 2G, 3G and 4G DAS installations i Company founded by leaders in carrier organizations 300+ years of DAS installation experience Total turnkey solution provider with neutral host expertise Strong carrier and channel relationships
First, what is a DAS? A Distributed Antenna System or DAS, is a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a transport medium typically coax or fiber-optic cable -- that provides wireless service within a building or structure. t The DAS can be driven by a direct connection to a radio base station or an off-air air repeater/signal booster. More on this latter
Market Drivers
DAS Market in 2000 That was then Wireless services primarily limited to voice In-building expectations were low among commercial customers Coverage was a carrier problem No enterprise budget for DAS Customers looked to their primary carrier for coverage Customers accepted carrier terms in exchange for DAS Fiber DAS technology was new and single-carrier Carriers were the main purchasers of DAS systems
DAS Market Drivers 1 Mobile Data and Cellular Growth 70% of mobile calls originating indoors, reliable wireless communication is a must-have productivity tool Smartphones and air cards Data revenue and usage growth VZW 2Q2009 data revenue up 52.6% to $3.9B AT&T 2Q2009 data revenue up 37% to $3.4B (108B text messages) Wireless data revenue 28% of total wireless 4G Wireless data drives demand for in-building cellular across the board
DAS Market drivers 2 Mandates for radio service for Public Safety Since 9/11, renewed focus on fail-proof emergency communications, especially for first-responders 700 & 800 MHz bands allocated for Fire and Police Indoor Cellular/PCS service required for E911 location ICC & NFPA 72 codes describe first-responder coverage specs 150+ local municipalities now mandate public safety coverage inside large buildings for new and existing venues Hundreds of thousands of wireless 911 calls made daily (CTIA Wireless Semi-Annual Survey, July 2009)
Market Evolution Product Need Single Carrier Solutions Multi Carrier Solutions Bandwidth Narrowband Broadband Buyers Wireless Carriers Enterprise Yesterday Today Tomorrow
DAS Going Mainstream DAS Marketplace Low voltage Service Evolution Voice / Data / Video / Security / Wi Fi / DAS DAS Supplier Evolution Radio Dealers / VARs / Elec Contractors & Integrators Yesterday Today Tomorrow
The Players in the DAS Ecosystem End user Customer
Who Needs a DAS?
Common DAS Venues Corporate offices (Fortune 500) Multi-tenant high-rise buildings University campuses Hospitals / Health Care facilities Manufacturing facilities Upscale hotels and high-rise condos Casinos Stadiums / Sports Venues Convention centers Federal/local Government facilities Low E Glass Low E Glass reflects or absorbs IR light (heat energy) AND (heat energy) AND radio waves, causing major in building wireless coverage problems.
Wireless Drivers in Healthcare Mobile Workforce: doctors, patients, and visitors expect mobile p phones to work throughout g the hospital p and rely y on the Cellular/PCS WAN network for data services Emergency Services: Police, Fire and EMS need their radios to work in all areas of the hospital. Family members in hospital and waiting rooms need to communicate frequently to friends and family back home via mobile devices Enhancing coverage of paging and the private 2-way radio network Traditional business and data applications are going wireless
Wireless Drivers in Higher Education First-responders need reliable 2-way radio coverage g in all buildings, g, tunnels,, basements,, etc. Student and faculty multi-carrier cell phone coverage is a matter of convenience and safety Demand for coverage in sport stadiums Parents want instant access to their kids Students use wireless as primary mode of voice and data communications Colleges/universities are decommissioning land lines in dorms and buildings Universities are using email / websites to communicate with students and faculty
Wireless Drivers in Hospitality Unlike a university or hospital, hotel and casino customers can stay/go y g elsewhere if they y experience p poor cellular coverage Travelers reliant on smart phones and data cards Customer satisfaction and retention is driving DAS in the hospitality sector A meeting planner that books a conference at a hotel with poor cellular coverage will only make that mistake once Resort properties: how may people turn-off their BlackBerrys when they re on a short vacation? What corner of the property gets coverage? Similar to higher-education, hotel Wi-Fi deployment is likely a leading indicator for future DAS deployments
Wireless Drivers in Public Venues Stadiums, conference centers, malls and public transportation p hubs have too many y users trying y g to access the wireless network simultaneously Large concentrations of people causes poor service, dropped calls Density of users affects venue directly AND wireless coverage and capacity in the surrounding areas Wireless network must support Public Safety and communications for security personnel Local codes
In-Building Basics
How It Works Single Site Donor Antenna Coverage Antennas Coax Public Safety Donor Site Coax Cabling Fiber Distribution Remote Unit Fiber Distribution Head- End Equipment Bi-directional Amplifier or Repeater Fiber Cabling Head-End Equipment Room Cellular Signal Source
DAS in multi-site or Campus setting Donor Antenna Coax Cabling Fiber Remote Units or Expansion Hubs Fiber Links Fiber Cabling Head-End d Equipment Room
The Deployment Process
The Connectivity Wireless Solution
Coverage Needs Analysis
Coverage Needs Analysis Key measurements that demonstrate signal quality RSSI / Received Signal Strength Indicator Measured in dbm -85 dbm is the typical threshold Lower dbm ( e.g. -95 dbm) = lower signal RF Quality Typically a Signal to Noise based ratio Ec/Io, SQE, C/I Thresholds vary per service provider Noisy room example (high rise) Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ) for Public Safety Typical specification requires levels of DAQ 3.4 by definition is: Speech understandable without repetition. Some noise or distortion present. Bit Error Rate / Ratio (BER) for Public Safety Also a Signal to Noise based ratio Eb/No
Coverage Needs Analysis
Site Survey
Site Survey Installation/Donor Signal Assessment Dominant Server Analysis measure strength (RSSI) & quality (Ec/Io, C/I, SQE) of donor signal(s) to determine ideal RF donor sites Spectrum Snapshots identify potential interference and noise floor design considerations In-Building Transmitter Tests (When Warranted) analyze complex RF environment path losses using Praxsym transmitters and Anritsu spectrum analyzers Installation Considerations & Pictures document key equipment locations, installation concerns, and notes directly on the building floor plans for easy reference and design translation Code & Safety Documentation maintain client, industry & government safety regulations Scope Confirmation confirm end user expectations match customer scope Site Survey Package (A la carte) - includes documentation of the preceding information
Site Survey Scope of Project Floors and Square Footage Service Providers Building Environment (dense, open floor, etc) Floor Plans Updated, accurate, interior walling Rooftop signal strength Phones and Spectrum Analyzer readings
Site Survey: Additional Questions Existing RF systems currently deployed Roof Mount Area & access Head-End Equipment Room Power and Wall Space MDF and IDF locations Type of cable fire vs. plenum Public Safety frequency list
In-Building Design
Design ibwave (RF-Vu + RF-Propagation) Industry standard software that predicts wireless coverage for all major wireless technologies (iden, CDMA, GSM, WiMAX, 802.11b/g/a) for a variety of DAS technologies used to produce: Design Drawings are highly detailed & accurate depiction of equipment placement including riser diagrams and floor by floor layouts Heat Maps are color coded representation of predicted received RF levels Bill of Materials Development determining accurate material quantities and types based upon technical requirements and cost Design Package Scope of Work, Bill of Materials, Link Budgets & Design Drawings
Design We know the scope, carriers, and donor signals Now what? Type of DAS Coax, CAT6 or Fiber Head End Location Equipment manufacturers Andrew, LGC, Mobile Access and SOLiD
Design: Typical Frequency Bands & Technologies AT&T: 850/1900 MHz GSM and UMTS/WCDMA Verizon: 700/850/1900 MHz LTE,CDMA and EVDO Nextel: 800/900 MHz iden/smr Sprint PCS: 1900 MHz CDMA and EVDO T-Mobile: 1900/2100 MHz GSM and AWS Public Safety: VHF(150-174MHz), UHF(450-470MHz), 700/800 MHz Federal Government: VHF & UHF
Design
Design
Design
Design
Installation
Installation: How Connectivity Does It Install In-Building Distributed Antenna Systems of All Sizes (5k - > 5M ft2) Offer Turn-Key or Stand-Alone Installation Services Manage Standardized Installations Nationwide Provide On-Site Project Management for Each Installation Maintain i Professionalism is Paramount to Connectivity Motto Create As-Built Documentation for Each Project CWS partners with preferred contractors for install
Commissioning
Commissioning Commissioning Services Coaxial Cable and Fiber Testing Coaxial Cable Sweeps Fiber OTDR Results Active Component Commissioning Bi-Directional Amplifier (BDA) Set-Up Fiber DAS Commissioning (ADC, Andrew, SOLiD) Measure and Record RF Input/Output Levels for All Active and passive DAS Components Customer Defined Checklists
Maintenance
Maintenance Services Preventive Maintenance Routines Quarterly, Semi-Annual, or Annual Cable Sweeps and OTDR testing Comparison of baseline RF to current RF environment Equipment inventorying and labeling Update as-built documentation ti Response & Repair 24x7x365 Customized SLAs and Maintenance Contracts Regular Updates Ticket received, in-route, on-site, problem isolated, problem fixed System Monitoring Monitor In-Building DAS elements from all vendors System impairment communication management Personnel dispatch 24x7x365 Customized Monitoring Contracts
Carrier Coordination
Carrier Coordination Necessary to obtain permission from wireless service providers Purchased frequencies from FCC/US Government Re-transmission agreements Repeaters or microcell/base station Potential RF issues generated Noise floor, oscillation, frequency-specific, etc Carrier monitoring/database Coexisting with Public Safety systems
Thank You Warren Wiggins Bill Everts National Sales Manager Regional Sales Manager 678.751.1036 630.235.0785 wwiggins@connectivitywireless.com beverts.connectivitywireless.com