Overview
The Need
Over 70% of cellular calls are made indoors. However, the standard cellular infrastructure is often incapable of supplying the required coverage and capacity.
On the one hand, we face a lack of communication conditions in places such as tunnels and underground parking where the signals are unable to reach, or in buildings that are protected by windows designed to control light passage and increase energy efficiency. On the other hand, we experience cellular communication pollution in high-rise residential and office buildings inside densely populated cities.
With recent technological advancement, In-Building Wireless (IBW) systems are proving more effective at bridging the wireless communication gaps and delivering the required services to buildings, campuses and underground facilities.
Current Status
On the one hand, we face a lack of communication conditions in places such as tunnels and underground parking where the signals are unable to reach, or in buildings that are protected by windows designed to control light passage and increase energy efficiency. On the other hand, we experience cellular communication pollution in high-rise residential and office buildings inside densely populated cities.
With recent technological advancement, In-Building Wireless (IBW) systems are proving more effective at bridging the wireless communication gaps and delivering the required services to buildings, campuses and underground facilities.
Current Status
There are two prevalent approaches to In-Building Wireless solutions available on the market. Coax based solutions and optic solutions.
Coax
There are 2 main groups of coax solutions: passive and active. In the passive systems, the signal is split at every intersection along the way. Each split adds attenuation to the signal and, therefore, degrades it. As a result, the passive coax systems are limited in the effective transmission range that they can provide and are unsuitable for larger installations and high buildings.
The active coax solutions utilize bi-directional amplifiers and repeaters along the way in order to extend the range. However, the additional equipment introduces noise and complicates the system deployment and maintenance.
The active coax solutions utilize bi-directional amplifiers and repeaters along the way in order to extend the range. However, the additional equipment introduces noise and complicates the system deployment and maintenance.
Optics
Optic solutions are at the other end of the scale. They offer high quality, long range coverage, without the noise and attenuation problems associated with coax solutions.
However, the typical optical solution has a high cost of ownership that stems from the system's cumbersome design and technical limitations. In-Building Wireless solutions need to distribute multiple operators and often multiple types of cellular technologies (e.g CDMA, GSM etc.) within a single operator. Most optical systems require a fiber for each operator technology times 2 for the uplink and downlink channels. This approach requires many fibers and connectors, adding costs in terms of the initial deployment (CAPEX) and ongoing maintenance (OPEX). Furthermore, this approach is prohibitive to future scaling and expansion.
However, the typical optical solution has a high cost of ownership that stems from the system's cumbersome design and technical limitations. In-Building Wireless solutions need to distribute multiple operators and often multiple types of cellular technologies (e.g CDMA, GSM etc.) within a single operator. Most optical systems require a fiber for each operator technology times 2 for the uplink and downlink channels. This approach requires many fibers and connectors, adding costs in terms of the initial deployment (CAPEX) and ongoing maintenance (OPEX). Furthermore, this approach is prohibitive to future scaling and expansion.
The Optiway Solution
Optiway optical multiplexing technology is the key for creating a cost effective, single-fiber in-building wireless solution.
- A single fiber is used for both the uplink and downlink
- A single fiber is used to transmit all cellular technologies from all cellular operators
The solution is designed with root units and branch units. The units’ transmission power is 1 Watt versus the 0.1 Watt provided by typical optic systems.
- A single root unit can feed up to 8 branch units
- A single branch unit can feed up to 25 antennas
The Optiway solution offers much simpler systems with fewer fibers, connectors and units, thus creating a significantly lower total cost of ownership.