2011 Conference Agenda

Conference Day Two – May 25, 2011

8:00 Continental Breakfast

8:45 Chairperson’s Recap of Day One

Paul Kapustka
Editor and Founder
Side Cut Reports

CASE STUDY

9:00 Insights into a DAS Project and Experience so Far

The University of Central Florida (UCF) located in Orlando, Florida is the second largest university in the country with over 56,000 students.  Students along with the faculty and support staff are finding the wireless carriers’ infrastructure is being taxed beyond macro-site design parameters.  New data uses and streaming videos have increased the data transmissions by hundreds of percent.  Building architecture and construction materials only add to the frustration of wireless users on campus.  Public safety issues have recently been highlighted as being important.  Since 2003, UCF has been pursuing a DAS solution.  Funding and finding a suitable proposal from DAS design/build/revenue sharing companies has been frustrating.  Through a Leasing contract for UCF’s EBS frequencies, UCF has an opportunity now to implement a DAS.  This presentation will give insights into working with wireless carriers on this project, specifically issues raised around:

  • Desire by carriers for separate RF paths
  • Issues of SISO-MIMO
  • WiMax integration
  • Capacity for carriers with heavy data traffic
  • Providing coverage and capacity in a football stadium used only limited number of times a year
  • In building coverage tests
  • RF penetration tests to gauge usefulness of additional macro sites

Dick Dishneau
Frequency Coordinator, Senior Telecom Services Specialist
Computer Services & Telecommunications
University of Central Florida

Andy Hulsey
Director, Telecommunications
Computer Services & Telecommunications
University of Central Florida

9:45 Examining OUTDOOR DAS Network Architecture, Design and Construction

  • Network components and distributed antenna topography
  • Determining the availability of suitable structures on which to install DAS equipment:
    • Utility poles in the right-of-ways
    • Buildings
  • Aesthetics considerations of antennas
  • Clutter presence
  • Taking into account zoning limitations
  • Ensuring line of sight
  • Designing the network to maximize carrier coverage and capacity spikes
  • Choosing the equipment and integrating it
  • Achieving scalability to anticipate future growth and capacity requirements
  • Simulcasting
    • Path balance (downlink vs. uplink
    • Noise casting and how it drives the simulcasting in digital and analog systems
  • Receive Diversity
    • Spatial or on-antenna
    • Is it worth the extra investment?
    • What is the available RF data on the value of it for the DAS systems?
  • In-building penetration or extension of DAS into the neighboring building

Larry G. Fischer
Director of Technology
Wireless & Services Business Unit
TE

10:30 Networking and Refreshment Break

CASE STUDY

11:00 RETROFITTING Existing DAS to Support New Spectrum and Technologies

  • New Spectrum being introduced into commercial markets
    • Current Spectrum (800 LMR, Cellular, 900 LMR, PCS)
    • 700 MHz Commercial (former High UHF TV)
    • Rebanded 800 LMR (former NPSPAC)
    • AWS 1 & 2 (1700/2100 MHz)
    • BRS/EBS (2400-2600MHz) (coming)
  • Accommodating new spectrum into existing infrastructure and DAS
  • Accommodating new technologies into existing DAS
    • New electronics and combining
    • SISO/SIMO/MIMO
    • Antennas
    • Additional fiber
  • Retrofitting a working 24-7 network
  • Integrating with the carrier RAN and core network
  • Quick Case study of existing system retrofit
  • Taking into account additional government approvals, permitting requirements or reconstruction work that may be necessary for existing outdoor DAS
  • Crystal ball for the future

 Ali Nemati
ITS Director
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

 Leo Holzenthal Jr., PE
DACFE Fellow
M S Benbow and Associates

11:45 Building the Business Case for 4G MIMO Systems in a DAS Environment

  • Justifying the value proposition of MIMO
  • How does MIMO play into in-building coverage for LTE?
  • Understanding the migration path for LTE as it relates to DAS
    • What kind of signal levels
    • Other characteristics of digital modulation
      • High peaked or crest factor and resulting impact on power amplifiers
    • Understanding the technical challenges
  • Reviewing actual performance results to date from LTE and MIMO deployments
  • Examining the additional installations costs of deploying MIMO

 

Neil Manning
Vice President, Strategic Sales Development
MobileAccess

12:30 Networking Lunch for Speakers and Attendees

1:30 Distributed Antenna System (DAS):  Solving the Capacity Challenges

In the past Distributed Antenna System (DAS) were mainly used to enhance the coverage in areas where signals are difficult to send or receive. With the exponential increase in data usage, the DAS emerged as the architecture to meet the capacity demands today and as we migrate to 4G networks. Many of the DAS network, especially in public venues, are designed to support multiple operators and multiple technologies. In our presentation, we will discuss the technical challenges, the design methodologies, the implementation challenges, and performance outcomes in high capacity demanding environment such as Stadiums.

Dr. Ahmed Hmimy
Engineering Director
Andrew Solutions/Commscope Company

CASE STUDY

2:15 Enterprise Case Studies

In this session Fortune 500 enterprises will present case studies on their DAS installations, offering insight into the initial rationale, solutions deployed, application of, results to date and lessons learned. More details to be announced soon.

Alex Hurley
Manager, Corporate Networking
Amazon.com

3:00 Networking and Refreshment Break

3:30 DAS CASE STUDY – Texas Christian University (TCU)

  • TCU master mobility plans – “innovative changes”
  • Challenges/considerations – in a campus environment
  • CHARGE, objective, and vision of DAS deployment
  • Due diligent, preparation, and review
  • On-campus survey – confirm, validate, and verify  
  • Stakeholder and approval process
  • DAS plan and implementation process
  • Sequence of events
  • TCU milestones and successes
  • Conclusion and future – lesson learned

 

Steve Ambrose
DAS Deployment Manager
Texas Christian University

4:15 Evaluating the Role of FEMTOCELLS and PICO CELLS as an In-building Coverage and Capacity Solution (panel discussion)

  • Are microcellular architectures such as femtocells and picocells complimentary or competitive to in-building DAS?
  • What impact could they have on in-building penetration/coverage/capacity?
  • Identifying the business and technical issues related to their use
    • Interference with in-building DAS
  • How are pico cell manufacturers planning on addressing in-building?
  • Determining the viability of using femtocells to offload outdoor network capacity while maintaining QoS for the enterprise
    • Identifying the solution architecture
    • Examining the cellular network requirements for enabling femtocells deployment
    • What are the enterprise network requirements
      • Backhaul
      • Management
      • Integration

Christopher M. Crawford
Manager – Product Manager and Product Marketing
In Building Wireless for Business
Verizon Wireless HQ Marketing

Additional speakers to be confirmed

5:15 End of Conference