A new white paper from the HetNet Forum starts by acknowledging the now omnipresent reality that, driven by the accelerating BYOD trend, building owners and managers have to ensure adequate wireless coverage and capacity from all of the wireless service providers in their buildings and across their campuses.
See: The DAS Forum rebrands as HetNet Forum
To meet that demand, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and other small-cell technologies may need to be deployed into heterogeneous network (HetNet) schemes. The Forum's message is that systems integrators hold the keys to helping business owners and managers find the right solution for their particular venue.
The role of the systems integrator is "to work with all of the players involved in getting that equipment deployed in a manner that suits everyone," says the HetNet Forum. The white paper explains the role of the systems integrator in a HetNet deployment.
More: Good-bye DAS, hello HetNet : Consortium discusses name change
According to the HetNet Forum, broadly speaking, DAS and small cell systems integrators are responsible for a list of 14 deliverables, including the following:
1. RF survey
2. Benchmark testing
3. RF design
4. Rough order of magnitude
5. Site walk
6. Constructability study
7. Final RF design and proposal
8. Backhaul engineering
9. Equipment selection, procurement and staging
10. Installation
11. Testing and commissioning
12. Integration with the macro network(s)
13. The final close-out package
14. Ongoing monitoring and maintenance
Related: Small cell terminology
"As the hub for all aspects of a DAS project," the Forum also notes, "the systems integrator is the bridge between the venue owner, carriers and other interested parties such as the local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) and/or fire marshalls, to make sure all critical requirements of a DAS project are identified, agreed upon, incorporated into the project proposal and delivered. Once all the requirements are understood, the design must be tested, validated, fine-tuned and approved for implementation."
View/Download the white paper.
