Press Release Headlines

Active Antenna Systems (AAS) to Take Over Mobile Networks, But Not the Way You Think

Report predicts growth of new antenna integration and beamsteering technologies to millions of transceivers by 2016

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 9, 2011 — A new report released today by Mobile Experts predicts the adoption of antenna integration, beamforming systems, and simpler beam steering systems. "People often get confused about smart antenna systems, mixing up antenna/radio integration with beamsteering technology," said Joe Madden, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts."In fact, these two innovations should be examined independently based on their merits."

"We have interviewed several mobile operators and 4 of the top 5 OEMs, as well as more than 30 suppliers of key semiconductor technology, to fully understand the economics of a change in macrocell architecture," explained Mr. Madden. "It's clear that mobile operators will get significant benefits from active antennas, but the costs will also be significant. This report illustrates the driving forces behind this trend, and also illustrates the physical limitations and cost limitations of the technology. In short, the approaches getting the most attention are the least likely to be adopted widely in macrocell applications."

The new report predicts that more than 4 million transceivers per year will utilize Integrated Antenna Radio (IAR) technology by 2016. The report also specifies multiple different types of antenna control technologies, predicting future adoption of beamforming, beamsteering, and beamtilt architectures.

The new report can be found at http://www.mobile-experts.net, and provides:

— A broad overview of the market drivers which are pushing mobile operators toward new architectures;

— Technical analysis of the rationale for radio/antenna integration and beamsteering;

— Detailed and comprehensive analysis of:

  • Integration of antennas and remote radio heads (RRH)
  • Integration of transceivers for each antenna element
  • Vertical antenna steering or beamtilt
  • Azimuthal beamsteering

— Forecasts focus on adoption of new high-level architectures:

  • By air interface
  • By frequency band
  • By technology level

— The report includes profiles on products offered by:

  • Ubidyne
  • Ericsson (AIR)
  • Alcatel-Lucent (LightRadio)
  • Nokia Siemens Networks (Liquid Radio)
  • Huawei
  • ZTE
  • Powerwave

About Mobile Experts LLC:

Mobile Experts provides insightful market analysis for the mobile infrastructure and mobile handset markets. Research topics center on technology introduction for radio frequency (RF) and communications innovation. Recent publications focus on Small Cells and HetNets, Multi-Standard Radio Base Stations, Semiconductors for Remote Radio Heads, Outdoor DAS, In-Building Wireless, and Antenna Technology for MIMO systems.

Contact:

Rachel Lorraine
Mobile Experts LLC
Email
+1 (408) 540-7284
http://www.mobile-experts.net

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