RFS Announces RF X-TREME Base Station Antenna Platform For High-Performance Multi-Band Capability

Enables LTE Evolution and Capacity Additions with Minimal Impact on Current Network and Site Designs

Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), the global wireless and broadcast infrastructure specialist, recently announced that it has developed a new base station antenna platform that will serve as the foundation for a high-performing line of multi-band base station antennas. Called RF X-TREME, the new antenna platform meets customer demand for multi-band antennas by providing high-performance triple-band capability in a compact dual-band package. By providing the highest gain for triple-band antenna size, RF X-TREME better supports multiple bands, including LTE 700, CDMA 850, PCS 1900 and AWS 2100 with no compromises in electrical performance. 

Dual-band antennas do not offer enough capacity to support customers’ increasing data demands - particularly in the advent of LTE rollouts. Adding an additional antenna presents a problem with site designs and lease costs. With RF X-TREME, RFS provides the capacity of three full band antennas by orienting them side by side to achieve high gain and optimal performance in a single package. Using the entire antenna length for every band instead of the traditional method of stacking antennas on top of one another means operators can evolve from a dual-band antenna to a triple-band antenna of the same length and maintain similar gain levels. Providing full-band coverage on every port enables operators to now implement 4xRx and 4xMIMO on any of the higher frequency bands, enabling excellent cell-edge performance with 30 percent fewer base stations.

A 1.2-meter (4-ft) triple-band model will be the first commercially available option, an ideal antenna size for capacity pressed urban sites.  An integrated and field replaceable AISG 2.0 antenna control unit for remote electrical tilt compatibility is also available, as well as a model without ACU.

Feedback from a Tier 1 North American operator using one of the first triple-band antennas based on the RF X-TREME platform confirms that the antenna delivers higher gain, higher cross polarization discrimination (XPD) and better vertical pattern control than competing antennas of its size.

“We made a strategic decision to design a multi-band base station antenna platform that provides a solution for capacity and LTE evolution that is completely transparent to the existing network,” said Teppo Lukkarila, RFS’ global product line manager for Base Station Antennas. “This is a different approach than many of our competitors take but we feel strongly that flexibility and performance should not be mutually exclusive choices. Operator’s need both — especially as they look to deliver demanding LTE applications. With the RF X-TREME platform, we took a very rigorous approach to both design and testing. We took no shortcuts and allowed no compromises.”
                                                                                                                      
The RF X-TREME platform is also designed for low wind-load to minimize tower loading. For example, the triple-band antenna currently being used in select customer deployments is only 12-inches wide, the size of a dual-band antenna, but it adds a third antenna path.

The design features and capabilities in the multi-band RF X-TREME platform make it ideal for adding capacity and coverage to existing sites. It is also well-suited for new sites because it allows operators to support additional bands in the future without replacing the antenna. Support for LTE 700 and MIMO 4xRx diversity makes the platform a particularly good choice for current or proposed LTE sites.

As a global supplier with facilities around the world, RFS has the capacity and breadth to deliver and service all of its products, for customers of all sizes, in all regions. The RF X-TREME platform received an award at a major 2012 North American Channel Partner event for its innovation in Base Station Antenna design. RFS is currently taking orders for the RF X-TREME antennas, the first of which are expected to be available for mass market deployments in Q2 2013.
                                                                                                                      
About RFS
Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) is a global designer and manufacturer of cable, antenna and tower systems, as well as active and passive RF conditioning modules, providing total-package solutions for outdoor and indoor wireless infrastructure. RFS serves OEMs, distributors, system integrators, operators and installers. Its customers currently include the four largest wireless carriers, the majority of tier 2 and 3 wireless carriers in North America and many of the top wireless and microwave OEMS worldwide.

For more than 70 years, RFS has provided its customers world-class service that today is backed by a global presence of nine manufacturing facilities worldwide and sales and technical support centers in 23 countries.  RFS offers advanced engineering capabilities, superior field support, and expert technical assistance and training to provide scalable, flexible, future-proof and lightweight end-to-end solutions optimized across the entire RF chain. As an ISO-compliant organization, RFS solutions offer proven longevity, premium performance and unrivalled quality. For more information, visit www.rfsworld.com.