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6 Towards new horizons STAY CONNECTED explores RFS's recent organizational changes and the benefits they will bring its customers—in every corner of the globe. The editorial of the first quarter 2001 issue of STAY CONNECTED announced an internal company reorganization designed to more efficiently focus resources on each of two business segments. This described the formation of two distinct RFS business groups—Antenna Systems and the new RF conditioning. These business groups will be supported by a reorganization based on decentralization. With Joerg Sellner as CEO, the transformation of RFS's former five major geographic areas into three customer-focused regions will strengthen RFS's ability to utilize its superior global resources. Implemented on 5 March 2001, these RAISING THE BAR important changes will take RFS and its customers toward new horizons, in an information age increasingly reliant on superior RF technology. RF Conditioning business group Headquartered in Phoenix, USA, the new RF Conditioning business focuses on the engineering of custom designed, highly integrated subassemblies for incorporation into OEM-radio base stations. The engineering, manufacturing, and sales functions of the RF Conditioning business is accomplished by a global team of dedicated RF/research and development engineers and account management personnel, headed by Steve Aldinger. “The RF Conditioning group is able to pool design resources from around the world and apply them to specific customers’ projects,” said Aldinger. “We can also set up items for production around the globe.” This ensures that RFS is in the best position to support the key players of the mobile telecommunications industry throughout the world. Antenna Systems business group RFS’s Antenna Systems group now essentially focuses on equipment delivered to the field transmission site—such as base station and microwave antennas, cable systems, wireless distributive communication systems (WDCS), filter/combiner components, and broadcast antenna systems. Such products are available in all regions of the world, and are supplied with local technical, logistical installation support and local customization, where required. The design, manufacture and distribution of these complete RF antenna subsystems is now managed through three consolidated regions: Asia Pacific; the Americas; and Europe, Middle-East, Africa and India (EMAI). Asia Pacific According to Chris Jaeger, General Manager RFS Asia Pacific, the prime aim of the newly combined North and South-East Asia regions of the Antenna Systems business group is to provide customers across the region with improved solutions, technical support and response times. “The Asia Pacific region offers substantial growth opportunities over the coming years,” Jaeger said. “We must get closer to our customer base and provide top level support for our products— from both technical and logistical sense.” RFS Asia Pacific resources are deployed and being boosted in regional support centres located in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Melbourne—with Manila and Tokyo centres opening shortly. These centres are backed by the substantial engineering and manufacturing facilities the company has in Melbourne, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Americas Mercosul has joined North American operations to form the Americas region of RFS Antenna Systems, which is headquartered in Meriden, USA. General Manager of RFS Americas, Bill Bayne, said the consolidation better positions RFS to optimize efficient application of operations, technologies and resources all geared towards more costeffectively servicing the customer. “RFS will continue to provide the total package of products to our customers throughout the Americas,” said Bayne. “This will involve a greater emphasis on technical support for the whole region.” Europe, Middle-East, Africa and India Headed by General Manager Klaus-Dieter Mischerikow, RFS Europe, comprising Europe, Middle East Africa and India (EMAI), is headquartered in Hannover, Germany. RFS Europe's core activities are now more strongly focused on the deployment of Antenna Systems, to serve the increasing 2G and 3G licence landscape. “There will be a stronger focus on the individual demands of each sales region and strengthened key account management,” Mischerikow said. “This has resulted in the creation of a new trans-European customer service centre.”
New office heralds South African business boom Although only a few months old, the RFS South Africa office has already landed major orders for mobile/cellular antennas and wireless distributive communication systems. The RF industry has welcomed the presence of Radio Frequency Systems in South Africa, with around 50 representatives from the telecommunications industry attending the opening of RFS’s Johannesburg sales office on 22 February this year. Held at the Caesars Convention Centre, the ceremony also involved the Managing Director of RFS Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA), Dr Klaus Mischerikow, and the Chairman of the South African German Chamber of commerce and industry, Klaus Schuurmann, who gave a short speech. RFS is now well-positioned to consolidate existing relationships and develop new alliances in the South African RF technology sector. “It’s important for our customers to have a local point of contact,” enthused Stefan Lehmann, Director of RFS South Africa. “We will also be able to keep a finger right on the pulse of the South African market.” Lehmann sees RFS playing a significant role in each of the mobile/cellular, confined coverage, and microwave communications sectors of the industry. With nearly nine million cellular phone users—covering more than 20 per cent of Attending the grand opening of the RFS South Africa office were (L to R): Mark Davies, Director Sales and Customer Service EMAI; and Stefan Lehmann, Director, RFS South Africa. the population—the South African telecommunications market is currently experiencing a boom. The two established GSM 900 cellular carriers, MTN and Vodacom, will soon be joined by the Cell-C Consortium, operating a GSM 1800 network. The winner of the third GSM license bid, the Cell-C Consortium is 40 per cent composed of Cellsaf (a consortium of 30-plus companies), with the Saudi Arabian conglomerate Saudi Oger holding the remaining 60 per cent. RFS South Africa has already won the contract to supply antennas for the second phase of Vodacom’s cellular upgrade. A large number of RFS dual band, dual polarised antennas with variable electrical tilt are to be installed in the Vodacom network by the end of the second quarter 2001. “The rapid turn-around on this order, and the fact that all the antennas had to be flown in, added to the challenge,” said Lehmann. “It really helped that we were here on the spot.” Another major order involved the supply of more than 60 kilometres of RFS RADIAFLEX radiating cable to Becker Electronics, which REGIONAL FOCUS 7 installed underground UHF communication systems in a number of mines throughout South Africa (see breakout story this page). RFS South Africa contact details: • office location: Chilworth Road, Founders View North, Edenvale 1610, South Africa • postal address: PO Box 9999, Kempton Gate 1617, South Africa • phone: +27 (0)11 452-3252 • fax: +27 (0)11 609 5324 RFS South Africa takes communications underground The South African mining industry now enjoys advanced underground communications, thanks to RADIAFLEX radiating cable from RFS. A customised version of 1/2-inch RADIAFLEX cable was developed on behalf of Becker Electronics Pty Ltd, which first installed the cable in the Western Area Gold Mine—South Deep Section. Originally designed to provide immediate and nearfuture 3G cellular confined coverage requirements, the RADIAFLEX cables in the mine are used for UHF-based voice, video and data communications. The rugged and rocky nature of the mine environment—as opposed to road or rail tunnels—presented a challenge to the installers. However, the RADIAFLEX cable is engineered to resist dust, moisture and humidity, and with its excellent lateral propagation and low system losses, proved a successful choice for the application. Becker Electronics has since used over 60 kilometres of RADIAFLEX radiating cable in mines and shafts throughout South Africa—including the Northern Platinum Mine, Rustenburg Platinum Mine, Town Lands Shaft, Boshfontein Shaft and the Paardekraal Shaft.
Page 1 and 2: The Radio Frequency Systems Bulleti
Page 3 and 4: IMPRINT Happy 3rd anniversary STAY
Page 5: RFS dual band & broadband 3G antenn
Page 9 and 10: use the 2.5 to 2.7 GHz range; or to
Page 11 and 12: Photos by Sergei Karpuchin. © Reut
Page 13 and 14: RFS tools— introducing X-tilt and
Page 15 and 16: Performance milestones RF cable tec
Page 17 and 18: operational windspeed for this size
Page 19 and 20: It’s show time! Radio Frequency S

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