Vodafone Orders 3G Mobile Technology from Siemens

Siemens Communications is to supply Vodafone Germany with remote radio head systems for the new installation of W-CDMA base stations and the expansion of existing ones. Radio heads are usually permanently integrated in base stations, but a new modular system from Siemens permits the physical separation of the radio head from the server of a base station. That means that, for the first time, carriers are able to install the radio head remotely, giving them unprecedented flexibility in building networks. This also lets them reduce power consumption in the final stage of the transmitter by up to 50% and line and installation costs by between 30 and 70 percent.

Vodafone Germany has decided to deploy remote radio heads in order to increase the capacity of its W-CDMA network quickly and in a cost-effective manner. It plans to install remote radio head technology at suitable new locations and also use it to expand the capacity of existing W-CDMA base stations. This technology has now been shipped and installed and is undergoing field trials.

In a second step, the operator can also install remote radio heads for GSM base stations. In conjunction with a small standardized 19-inch slider server, Vodafone can make its GSM stations W-CDMA-capable at little cost and effort.

Separating traditional base stations into a remote radio portion and a server (the digital processing portion) brings technical, logistical and economic benefits.

The remote radio head, which weights less than 20 kg, can be installed relatively easily on a roof or a transmission mast, while the server, which is smaller than a conventional base station, can be located where costs for the space are lower - for example in basements or storage rooms. The servers and radio heads are connected via optical fiber, which can be installed more flexibly, takes up less space and is cheaper than conventional high-frequency coaxial cables.

The distance between the radio head and the server can currently be up to 10 kilometers, and in the future the maximum distance will be as much as 50 kilometers. Since mobile radio heads are installed in the direct vicinity of the antenna, the system can work more efficiently and with less energy, i.e. it consumes less electricity."

Posted to the site on 15th June 2006