The Cellular DAS: The Basics

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.

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 system works by simply relying on the presses of additional antennas which in turn increases the chance of a good line-of-sight channel. Since the provision of cellular signals is a very power demanding process due to the problems penetration and shadowing that leads to signal losses, the DAS relies on the active repeater amplifiers or passive splitters and feeder configurations. The two configurations increases efficiency and thus reduce the power consumption.

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.

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.

The installation purpose, the industry players usually prefer long contracts as direct installation is quite expensive. The ten year contract, for instance, has become the industry norm.

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 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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