Booster for GSM 1800 developed, could 1900 be next?

[Fire14]

Boosting GSM1800 Cell Coverage

Radio Frequency Systems says that it has developed a booster for GSM1800 base stations which expands the practical cell coverage, enabling them to be used more cheaply in rural and low density areas. The new booster provides 46-dBm output power, which compensates for system loss and doubles the size of the cell.

"With this booster, there's 'no loss, only gain'," said Erik Wille, RFS area product manager for RF conditioning. "It will suit those carriers with new 1800-MHz licences in places such as Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and Eastern Europe, where there are large open spaces to cover. By using boosters, carriers can deploy fewer base stations, so ultimately there's a huge cost-saving involved."

The IP66 enclosure-rated RFS 1800-MHz booster operates at 40 watts, weighs just 16 kilograms, and is the most compact unit of this power-rating available. It also features selectable gain in both uplink and downlink, which facilitates cell optimisation and optimises handover. "By amplifying the signal on both uplink and downlink, signal strength and cell coverage are dramatically improved," said Wille. "This means better quality of service and fewer dropped calls."


www.cellular-news.com/story/17833.php

[bobolito]

T-Mobile is in seriuos need of something like that here in NJ. The typical range on their cell sites is usually a couple of blocks.