The Working Of The Cellular DAS And Its Benefits

By Edna Booker


There are many situations where some spots have poor cellular network coverage. In some cases, the network is not available at all. This is common in high rise buildings, underground transportation systems and the highly populated areas like shopping malls, hospitals, college campuses, and stop arenas where the existing network system is overwhelmed by the demand such as many places in Raleigh city. The distributed antenna system, also known as the cellular DAS is the technology that boosts network coverage in areas with poor connectivity by installing a network of small antennas in the area that serve as repeaters.

Basically, the DAS system is able to increase the signal reliability with far much less power consumption. This is achieved by installing a network of separate antenna nodes. All the nodes are then connected to a common source via a coaxial cable or a fiber cable. In this way, the power gets transmitted to several antenna elements which results to the reduced power consumption with increased network signal.

The additional antennas mean better network coverage. The additional antennas are able to increase the line-of-sight channel that is responsible for a better network coverage. In normal systems, the provision of the cellular signals can be very power consuming since the system has to overcome the shadowing effect and penetration problems all which lead to the loss of signal.

The DAS on the other hands relies on the active-repeater amplifiers and the passive splitters as the means of feeder configurations. As a result, the efficiency is highly increased while the power consumption is reduced.

In any DAS project, the deployment stage is the most expensive. This is mainly due to the labor intensive process of antenna installation and stinging the coaxial cable or the fiber optic in between the antenna modules and the controller.

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.

For better installation options, the industry has generally opted for a long contract with the majority of players choosing ten year contracts. However, the carrier owner who bears all the costs related to the purchase and installation of the equipment gets the exclusive rights over the platform. In order to recoup their cost, they charge the competitors and any other users fees for the use of their platform.

The DAS systems offers the voice services and data services to all mobile devices in densely populated areas like the shopping malls, tall buildings, sport arenas, and the university or college campuses. Generally, the technology eases the zoning and antenna placement, less power consumption, and reduces the need for site development. In addition to this, less BTS are used since the Simulcast means less need for the Backhaul.




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