Telecoms infrastructure firm CommScope is leveraging recent acquisitions to tap the market for in-stadium communications, by developing what it claims is the worlds’ first 2x9 multi-beam antenna.
The firm claims its new technology offers the power of 18 beams in a single antenna, which provides capacity-optimized coverage in venues including sports stadia and concert halls. The MIMO-compatible antennas feature two rows of nine beams that cover high and low seating areas for up to 100,000 spectators, and have already been rolled out in several stadiums by a US operator.
CommScope developed the multi-beam antennas by combining legacy Andrew Solutions kit with antenna technology from Argus Technologies, which it acquired in May. It claims a new sector sculpting method cuts interference by splitting beams into narrower areas than traditional antennas, which typically provide a single main power beam. The firm has combined the approach with its new range of outdoor distributed antenna systems (DAS).
Navin Vohra, CommScope’s vice president of wireless sales for Asia Pacific and India, says capacity is a real concern for mobile operators “whether it’s an outdoor DAS scenario or the macro cellular network.” He says CommScope’s sector sculpting approach can give carriers “a solid return on their investment.”