Digital-over-fiber system extends wireless carrier coverage and capacity
The Dali system extends the coverage and capacity of signals from wireless carriers indoors and outdoors in almost any environment. Its integrated RF signal routing architecture brings intelligence to every element in the network. The system employs advanced RF, digital, networking, and optical technologies rather than incrementally building on outdated distributed antenna system (DAS) concepts.
Dali’s innovative system is the result of decades of technical experience and its underlying technologies are covered by more than 100 patents. Exploiting these technologies makes it possible for the company to increase efficiency, reduce hardware size, and significantly reduce total cost of ownership.
Primary components of the t-Series include tHost® head-end units, quad-band t30™ low-power remote transceivers for indoor applications, and quad-band t43™ high-power remote transceivers for outdoor applications. Software options include comprehensive network management and an advanced capacity management systems. All network functions as well as adding new hardware or features and capacity re-allocation are orchestrated from a single point via a modern user interface either locally on a PC, via Ethernet, or virtually anywhere via a Web browser. The system is manufactured in North America and meets FCC masking specifications, and UL, CE, and NEBS standards.
With an instantaneous bandwidth of 164 MHz in both the uplink and downlink paths, the system can simultaneously accommodate every active band (700, 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz) used by the four major wireless carriers, with bandwidth remaining to provide network backhaul at 1 Gb/s as well as Wi-Fi capability. Wi-Fi traffic is completely isolated from the cellular network signals to ensure security. The system is also available in 900, 1800, 2100, and 2600 MHz for other international markets.
Signals remain in the digital domain throughout the system with no signal degradation regardless of network size, which can be up to 40 km from the head-end to the furthest remote — 6 times greater than any analog-over-fiber system. In addition to star and hybrid configurations, the Dali system can daisy-chain remotes one after another, eliminating the need for multiple fiber runs to serve all the remotes. This significantly reduces system cost as less fiber and other hardware are required for a given system, and increases overall reliability.
Dali’s advanced capacity management (load balancing) functionality is one of the most innovative capabilities that differentiate its system from all others. The system can dynamically allocate network capacity, on demand, to any point in the system without dropping calls or data sessions via its user interface.
Any signal in any band from any carrier can be connected to any remote under software control without hardware changes or cable-swapping typical of conventional systems. Capacity re-allocation can be performed automatically based on known events that occur regularly, or can be performed at any time by the operator when traffic changes occur.
The company’s advanced capacity management enables a cloud-like architecture in which base station resources can be pooled together into one “base station farm” at any remote location. Over-provisioning is no longer necessary as additional base station resources can be augmented seamlessly to the base station farm at any time in the future.
The system is designed to provide wireless carriers and neutral hosts with total control of their resources. Unlike many systems, the t-Series dedicates one tHost unit to each wireless carrier, so while the total traffic from all carriers on the network is combined and transmitted through the same fiber, each carrier’s resources are completely independent from the others. This ensures that each one is treated fairly in terms of RF output power and other functionality.
The t-Series system is designed for easy expansion. For example, if additional remotes need to be added after a system is deployed, they are simply connected within the network using SFP connectors in “plug-and-play” fashion. The management system will then immediately recognize their presence and add them to the network. Additional frequency bands can also be added to an existing system as required.
System reliability is ensured via an optical bypass switch that immediately takes a malfunctioning remote off line and routes signals around it so the network can continue to function. In addition, the optical bypass switch also allows for easy replacement of any failed remote without any down-time in the network.
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