The first nationwide public-safety broadband network in the U.S. is moving closer to reality with the majority of states now opting into the proposed First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) deployment plan. In response, CommScope has launched a new, comprehensive family of state-of-the-art base station antennas that support the full range of FirstNet site configurations.
The CommScope FirstNet antenna portfolio includes 4x multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) technology for low and high bands, in single and dual antenna configurations, with multiple port counts and antenna lengths.
“As a US-based company with global reach, and a leader in wireless network solutions, CommScope is proud to support FirstNet with antenna innovations and other next-generation offerings that will help protect our nation’s first responders,” says Farid Firouzbakht, senior vice president, RF Products, CommScope. "Our FirstNet portfolio utilizes the advanced antenna technology essential for today’s LTE networks and which will help lay a foundation for the future."
Band 14 is the slice of licensed spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band that will be used for FirstNet. CommScope’s FirstNet antenna portfolio includes several models that support Band 14. These antennas enable 4x MIMO capability, the advanced transmission technique that essentially creates four streams of wireless signals to greatly increase data rates, in the FirstNet band. CommScope’s FirstNet antennas support from 6 to 12 ports in four, six or eight foot models.
CommScope also offers a broad portfolio of wireless network solutions that can support FirstNet, such as: fiber, coaxial and hybrid power cabling and connectivity solutions; microwave antenna systems; RF conditioning solutions like multiband combiners and tower mounted amplifiers; equipment enclosures; and other cell site solutions.
“CommScope has enabled wireless communications since the first generation of cellular—and even before in microwave, broadcast and satellite—and we continue to innovate with infrastructure solutions for the evolution to broadband public safety networks, Gigabit LTE and 5G,” concludes CommScope's Firouzbakht.
