Innovative environmentally-friendly antenna solution for cellular towers introduced to SA

17 May 2006 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT

"Good cellular telephone coverage is dependent on high quality antennas on cellular towers," says Dirk Coetzee, marketing manager for the Antenna Division of Saab Grintek.

"This is often in conflict with environmentalists and owners of sites who do not tolerate a large amount of mast-mounted equipment and the associated cables. With a combination of good coverage and less obtrusive installations in mind we explored new options. We came to an arrangement with the world leader in tower mounted technology, Powerwave Technologies, to introduce the 'Clean Site' concept to South Africa."

A conventional cellular tower has a number of elements including the antenna, filters, remote electrical tilt (RET) units, and amplifiers, all of which have to be interconnected with cables. This large amount of equipment makes these towers an aesthetic nightmare and increases the number of potential failure points. The Clean Site approach integrates all the equipment and the associated cables into a single unit. This integration not only improves the aesthetics of a tower, but also gives better performance leading to a more reliable service for subscribers. The inclusion of RET functionality allows operators to customise coverage by remotely controlling the tilt of the built-in antennas.

"While it is impossible to eliminate antenna structures, Saab Grintek's goal has always been to improve performance, minimise visual impact, and simplify the installation of cellular systems. I believe that with Clean Site we have made major progress in this direction," Coetzee said.

Integrating the various components into one unit has simplified installation and improved reliability by reducing the number of cables to be connected and waterproofed. The integrated product design and flexibility will enable co-siting of networks and systems, reducing space requirements and the number of masts and separate installations.

Powerwave Technologies' investment in research and development has brought about a number of innovations such as ultra-linear amplifiers, and high value concepts like the Clean Site and base station co-siting solutions.

For more information contact Linda Weaver, Saab Grintek Technologies, +27 (0)12 672 8216, lweaver@grintek.com

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