Understanding The Working Of The Cellular DAS

By Edna Booker


The Distributed Antenna System (DAS) is the technology that is used to boost network coverage in areas where there is either no coverage or areas with weak coverage. In order to achieve this, the technology relies on a clustered installation of antennas for boosting the cellular network. The system is common in large facilities, underground transport systems, and in the areas with large gathering that leads to a high demand that overwhelms the available network coverage. As such, you are likely to find the cellular DAS in airports, sport arenas, large hospitals, and town city centers like Raleigh city among others.

In order to increase the signal reliability while reducing the total power required doing so, the DAS installation is made of a network consisting of several antenna nodes that are separately installed. The nodes are then connected to a single common source using fiber or a coaxial cable. This means that power is transmitted among several antenna elements which in turn reduces the power consumption and increases the network signal reliability.

The DAS systems are either active or passive. In the active systems, the signal is passed from the roof antennas through the fiber cables and the signals are boosted and amplified through the way. The passive systems on the other hands grab the cellular signals from the roof antennas and then run them through some leaky feeder cables that are located throughout the building.

The DAS antenna node are very compact. As such, they can be deployed indoors and even outside. In addition to this, they are smaller in size and require less power allowing them to be installed in the areas where the zoning restriction don't allow the cell towers to be placed. In fact, it can be tied to a given wireless carrier such as Verizon or AT&T. The best option, however, is the use of a neutral-host provider that has a multiple carriers.

Since the installation is quite expensive, the industry is an option for the long contract terms. The most common of these is the ten year contract that is quickly becoming the industry standard.

In the carrier-owned DAS, it is the job of the wireless service provider to pay for the equipment cost, the installation cost, and the cost of maintenance and upgrade. The DAS installer on the other hands has the exclusivity on it, and the competitors can only use it at a fee. However, it may also be installed by a third party that is neutral to all the players. In this case, the entity bears the costs and recoups it by charging the service providers that have the system access.

The distributed antenna systems are transparent to the mobile devices. It provides the voice services as well as data services to the mobile devices. It offers the most appropriate solution to the densely populated spaces such as the university campuses, shopping malls, sport arenas, the medical centers and the tall buildings.

The technology comes with the main advantage of less power consumption in network boosting. It is also associated with ease of zoning and antenna placement, reduced site development planning, and reduced number of the BTS (Simulcast reduces Backhaul needs).




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