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3 Editorial Exit AMPS; enter all-IP 4 What’s New Introducing the Optimizer CELlite BSA RFS unveils suite of ferrite devices ‘One-size-fits-all’ ultra-light broadband WiMAX filter ClearFill Line expands for mobile TV indoors New five-sided panel array for unsurpassed HRP ClearFill goes ‘online’ in Channel Tunnel link ClearFill Line has been deployed at the UK end of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, forming a key element of the wireless communications system for the high-speed rail upgrade. 8 7 Radio Frequency Systems WorldWideWeb: http://www.rfsworld.com Publisher/Editor Asia-Pacific: Peter Walters Executive Editor/Editor EMAI: Regine Suling Editor Americas North: Paula Mennone-Preisner Editor Americas South: Pilar Lopes Managing Editor: Ben Lazzaro Production Editor: Christian Michatsch Art Director: Sabine Gregor, Heidi Jünemann 2 CONTENTS Authors: Allan Alderson, Paul Fry, Dr. Ellen Gregory, Ben Lazzaro, Patrick Wong Photos: RFS archives, Getty Images, Peter Humfryes (Pete’s Pix), Tony Koopmans, Shelton Muller, Hans-Peter Quade, Regine Suling, Thales, Erik Wille, Rick Yang, inform archives Cover art: Sabine Gregor Print: Print Design, Minden Layout and Graphics: inform Advertising, Hannover Editorial Services: Relate Technical Communications, Melbourne Trademarks: CELLFLEX ® , ClearFill ® , BDA ® , FLEXWELL ® , MicroTenna TM , OMNI FIT TM , Optimizer ® , Radio Frequency Systems ® , RAPID FIT TM , RFS ® , RFS CompactLine ® , SlimLine ® , RGFLEX ® , HELIFLEX ® , RADIAFLEX ® and The Clear Choice ® are trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of Radio Frequency Systems. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. IMPRINT 7 Wireless INdoor Solutions ClearFill goes ‘online’ in Channel Tunnel link 8 Cover Story CELLFLEX Lite across the globe 10 Regional Focus Wireless Vietnam on the move 12 Wireless Infrastructure Solutions The world of WiMAX 14 Broadcast Built for broadcast 16 RF Technology 101 Radiating cable revealed 18 In Touch RFS exhibits a ‘rich mix’ at CommunicAsia 2008 ClearFill Line WINS at Beijing Olympics MyRFS means online business DSO comes to Neunkirchen Take the ClearFill Space1 VirtualTour CELLFLEX Lite across the globe The world’s first corrugated aluminum transmission line, CELLFLEX Lite, is proving valuable all over the world. Its premium performance, coupled with lightweight construction, makes CELLFLEX Lite a preferred transmission solution for fast-track network roll-out. 10 Built for broadcast Brand-new purpose-built broadcast equipment facilities in Australia and the UK have cemented RFS as a leader in the global broadcast sector. The new facilities provide industry with premium access to RFS’s extensive portfolio of broadcast solutions. Wireless Vietnam on the move Propelled by an influx of foreign investment, and strong economic and geographic drivers for wireless adoption, Vietnam’s wireless communications sector is growing at a phenomenal rate—growth supported by RFS’s suite of tailored RF solutions. 12 The world of WiMAX WiMAX promises much to a wide range of mainstream and niche wireless sector players. It also presents some significant challenges from an RF and network planning perspective. 14
Exit AMPS; enter all-IP A significant milestone in the history of mobile telephony was reached in February this year, and for many, it passed unnoticed. The once-massive U.S. Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) networks were finally given the green light to close down by the U.S. spectrum regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The ruling behind this—the so-called ‘analog sunset’ rule—was actually put into place by the FCC back in September 2002, giving the industry and market some five years to prepare. The closure of the last of the U.S. AMPS networks represents the end of an era in mobile telephony. Established in 1983, the AMPS networks are almost a quarter of century old. Today, AMPS, along with other analog mobile systems such as Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) and Total Access Communication System (TACS), is almost extinct. Of the approximately three billion mobile subscribers in the world today, less than one percent currently uses an analog network. was where illegal network interceptors tapped into an AMPS call, determined the electronic identity of the subscriber, then replicated it on another handset. Much time and effort was spent in developing technical solutions to overcome this now almost-forgotten weakness in the analog platform. All this aside, it is important to note that, prior to the early-nineties arrival of second-generation wireless platforms, AMPS was the most widely deployed mobile phone standard in the world. In many respects AMPS, together with global systems for mobile communications (GSM), provided the foundation of today’s mobile telephone world. We are witnessing the retirement of a cornerstone of contemporary wireless communications. being just a fraction of those founded on conventional circuit-switched core networks. Perhaps more important, is the object-centric nature of an all-IP world. In effect, everything may be connected with everything—onboard IP portals embedded in devices ranging from refrigerators to automobiles, will underscore a new age of functionality and connectivity. Just imagine the earlier example of the problematic AMPS in-vehicle communications systems, projected into an all-IP future. A clear example of the power of all-IP is what we are already seeing happen in the television broadcast realm. Here, once sacred domains —such as sports broadcasting—are being eroded away by new players, armed only with a broadband connection to the home and a commitment to ‘end-to-end’ IP-connectivity. This powerful pipe to the subscriber is moving the battle lines, and the wireless sector is well-placed to succeed. Stéphane Klajzyngier Radio Frequency Systems President EDITORIAL 3 Like all transitions, this one is not without controversy. A few million subscribers remain on the U.S. AMPS network, which support services such as cell phone voice calls, wireless home-security and fire-alarm system backup links, and—most notably—a number of in-vehicle communications systems. The last provides motorists with wireless support services such as vehicle security alarm monitoring, accident assistance, and power-door unlocking. A comparatively simple and inexpensive analog-to-digital upgrade is already available to smooth the transition for in-vehicle communications. The upside of the shutdown is, of course, the so-called ‘digital dividend’ that the AMPS network retirements will bring—the reduced network opex, plus the freeing up of significant amounts of Cellular-band (800MHz) spectrum. This, in turn, opens opportunities to provide new wireless services. During its 24-year history, the AMPS service exhibited many quirks and subscriber challenges. Notable among these were its susceptibility to static and noise, and the 1990s problem of subscriber ‘cloning’. A wireless equivalent of today’s ‘Internet identity theft’, AMPS cloning The shutdown of the U.S. AMPS network is, in many ways, a finale in a wave of digitalization that we have seen over the past decade, right across the wireless world. Here I am not simply talking about the digitalization of cell-based mobile communications. We are witnessing precisely the same digital revolution in all other wireless communications sectors: in the digital switchover of free-to-air television networks; in emergency services with service groups moving to digital platforms such as terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) and Project 25 (P25); and in railway communications as the industry moves to digital platforms such as GSM-railway communication (GSM-R). The next wireless revolution will be a move to end-to-end IP connectivity in the wireless domain—‘all-IP’ is clearly the shape of things to come. While requiring significant infrastructure investment, the attraction of an all-IP network is two-fold: reduced costs and enhanced connectivity. From the wireless carrier’s perspective, there are great opex benefits to be had, with the operating cost of an all-IP network All-IP wireless connectivity represents new opportunities and business models, as well as new challenges, many of these in the RF domain. As with the 1990s/2000s wireless digital revolution, these RF challenges are largely unpredictable, and will unfold over the course of trials and deployment. And just as was the case over the last decade of wireless digitalization, RFS is committed to providing leading-edge, end-to-end RF infrastructure solutions in an all-IP world. On the eve of this imminent IP revolution, it is worth contrasting the functionality, form-factor and power of the AMPS ‘brick’ mobile phone of just 15 years ago, with the latest-generation, application-centric handsets of today. Projecting such touch-screen based handsets across a similar 15-year transition fires the imagination. RFS will be there, every step of the way, to support these exciting revolutions. Stéphane Klajzyngier
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