Westell Technologies (NASDAQ: WSTL), a provider of in-building wireless, intelligent site management, cell site optimization, and outside plant solutions, has announced what it calls "a significant enhancement" to its Tower Mounted Amplifier (TMA) product line.
The newly launched B90 TMA is billed as "a first-of-a-kind solution that reinjects the radio frequency (RF) signal protocol known as AISG (Antenna Interface Standards Group) from the RF base station into the antenna port of the TMA, thus allowing it to be received by both the TMA and the antenna." This feature allows users to save on installation time and costs, while improving reliability, adds the company.
“The B90 TMA was engineered to streamline the installation process – one less cable to worry about – and optimize signal pass-through," commented Marty Cowen, director of technology at Westell. He added, "This TMA has been carrier-approved and is soon to be deployed by the largest and most reputable wireless service provider in the country.”
The B90 TMA unit's key benefits, according to Westell, include seamless interoperability with a new generation of Smart-Bias T antennas via AISG signal re-injection in the TMA’s antenna port. The new unit eliminates the dedicated AISG cable between the TMA and the antenna, and employs the same field-proven software revision as the already-deployed A90 generation of TMAs, adds the company.
Fully backward compatible with older non-Smart-Bias-T antennas, the B90 TMA includes a dedicated AISG port which can be used as needed, and thus one TMA can be deployed for both types of antennas. “Our B90 TMA is testimony to our industry leadership and promise to provide the most advanced and cost-effective cell site optimization solution available,” concludes Westell's Cowen.