Innovative Combiner Box Solutions

for Enhanced In-Building DAS

Rand Skopas
Dir. of Field Sales

Industry Leaders Using Combiner Box in DAS

WMATA Project

Pentagon City Mall

NBC Studios
Major Network Operators engage in Multi-Carrier
expansion efforts

Agenda
DAS News

DAS Market Overview: ABI Research

Key DAS Definitions
Role of the Combiner Box
Review DAS Combiner Box Projects
Microlab Company Overview

Working with Microlab on a DAS Solution

Getting Started

Recent DAS News: Managing Mobile Usage

Growth of mobile phone usage continues

Global smart-phones shipments jumped 43% 2Q2010 vs. 2Q 2009
(source: Strategy Analytics)
Google Android's smart-phone shipments exploded by 886
percent in the 2Q 2010 vs. 2Q 2009 (source: Canalys)
Mobile broadband usage grows 5,000% over the last three years
on AT&T Mobility's network
(source: Fred Devereaux, President for the Western Region)

Recent DAS News: Managing Mobile Usage

Impact on Mobile Networks
Wireless operators have pledged more than $72 billion in
spending this year alone on network upgrades
(source: GSM Association)
Asia Pacific: $34 billion.

North America: $19 billion

Europe : $14 billion
Mobile broadband is set to account for 52% of all operator
investment in mobile infrastructure globally.
North America will spend the greatest percentage 80% of its
total mobile capex investment on mobile broadband.

Recent DAS News: Growing Role of DAS

The DAS market is ready to explode

60-80% of worldwide mobile/data activity is initiated
inside a building
The preponderance of outdoor DAS systems will be neutrally
hosted sites
-Connie Durczak, Senior Director, PCIA(Wireless Infrastructure Assn)

MetroPCS expands its markets and 3G/4G using macro

sites and DAS
- Roger Linquist, MetroPCS CEO (Feb 10)

Recent DAS News: Attracting New Players

ExteNet closes on $128

million financing and
acquires the DAS unit of
SBA Communications

Jan 10

Tyco said DAS a key

factor for purchase
of ADC

Feb 10
InSite receives private
equity investment from
Catalyst

July 10

Sep 10
Crown Castle acquires
NewPath Networks

ABI Research:

In-Building Wireless DAS Deployments

In-Building DAS Deployments By Region
(000s)

350.0
300.0
Rest of World

250.0

Latin America
200.0

Asia-Pacific
Europe

150.0

North America
100.0
50.0
0.0
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

ABI Research

Carrier-owned business model is the most prominent world-wide with a

move towards a shared-cost model between multiple carriers for Multi-Carrier Systems
The Neutral-Host System holds excellent promise for the future of this market

ABI Research:

In-Building Wireless DAS Revenue

In-Building DAS Revenue By Region
(Millions)

16,000
14,000
12,000
Rest of World

10,000

Latin America
8,000

Asia-Pacific

6,000

Europe
North America

4,000
2,000
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

ABI Research

DAS suppliers are focused on maximum utilization of existing infrastructure with

minimum disruption to the structure and its occupants

DAS Verticals

Key Verticals:

Multi-Carrier Growth Requirements

In terms of penetration, the most attractive vertical for

DAS is Airports/Train Stations, with almost a 15%
market share @ >$800 million
Hotels and resorts account for 10% of the market
Healthcare represents an 8% market share
Healthcare vertical is one of the fastest growing segments in
North America, growing @ 19.6% annually, with $450 million
forecasted by 2012

In terms of total system revenues, the office/corporate

campus vertical is #1 @ 18% in 2009 (>$1 billion!)
The majority of these are for >500K square feet deployments

Active DAS Players

Passive DAS Players

Definition of Key Terms

In-Building DAS

Distributed antenna system seeking to achieve uniform signal

coverage in all portions of the deployment

Passive DAS

Passive DAS solutions do not contain any active elements that need to
be powered in order to distribute the RF signal within a building.
Passive DAS uses coax cables as the cabling infrastructure.

Active DAS

Active DAS solutions use CAT-5 and fiber-optic cabling to amplify and
extend signals to a network of antennas placed throughout the
building. Since fiber optics are often used, electrical components are
needed to change RF signals to light pulses for transmission on fiber.
These electrical components then convert and amplify these signals to
RF for radiation by the antennas.

Key Terms continued

Multi-Carrier Interface to DAS

Common to both passive and active DAS, a head end unit interfaces
with all of the RF signal sources (typically BTS signals provided by the
network operators). These signals are then combined and routed
directly or indirectly to the antenna portion of the DAS.

Combiner Box

The Universal Building Block that facilitates the combining of up to 8

wireless carriers in multiple bands to four combined outputs feeding
multiple sectors of the DAS.

Microlabs Combiner Box Solution

Description
Point of interface between the carriers and the DAS
Allows multiple carriers to interface to DAS system
Serves both passive and active DAS environments

Microlabs Combiner Box Solution

Performance Features
Standard solution offered by Microlab is the KM-90N. This unit
enables 4 carriers at 698-960 MHz and 4 carriers at 1710-2700
MHz
Self-contained and available as a plug-n-play solution, the KM90 offers high input signal isolation and superior PIM
performance in a virtually loss-less environment.
System upgrades include additional frequency band capabilities
and a multi-band monitoring port that enables complete system
analysis without disconnecting any of the carrier inputs or sector
outputs.

Microlab Combiner Box

Broadband Combiner Box KM-90

Combiner Boxes for Train Systems

Completely Customized Head-End Designs:

First with Multi Band Philosophy

Tetra Band: 380 to 960 MHz

Wireless Multi-Bands: 380MHz to 2700MHz
New Broadbands: to 6,000 MHz

Review Alternative Solutions

DAS system integrators have a choice when needing multicarrier DAS capabilities

Either build point of interface completely on their own

requires assembling couplers, combiners, attenuators, etc.
DAS performance risk

Project time risk

Cost risk
Quality risk

Or utilize Microlabs Combiner Box Solution

Can use standard combiner box
Can customize to supplement additional project requirements

Advantages of the Combiner Box Solution

Conservation of resources

Allows you to offer expanded services to your customer without

taking on additional resources/man-power

Guaranteed performance

We take the performance guess-work out of the equation

Guaranteed price

Identify significant portions of system costs BEFORE they

present their proposal Understand bottom-line profit margins in
advance!

Professional appearance

Detailed art-work puts your Logo in the most favorable light

Turn-key concept speeds deployment

Avoid costly tuning/trouble-shooting delays at the job-site

Saves everyones most valuable resource: Time!

DAS Combiner Box Projects by Industry Leaders

WMATA Project in US Capital region

Supporting technical requirements of Network Operators

Consortium for Neutral-Host environment
Hybrid System combines active and passive elements to achieve
superior system requirements
Hi-Reliability Environment: Mission-Critical carrier
interface/system support

Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, VA

Expanded band combiner box deployed to support totally

passive DAS
Up-grade to previously deployed limited frequency combiner box
by others
In-System performance @ <-150dBc

DAS Combiner Box Projects by Industry Leaders

NYC Studios of National Broadcasting Corporation

80 story facility including all major network operators at multiple

frequencies
Hybrid system using fiber for long/back-haul passives for
last mile

Support of Major Network Operator Neutral Host

expansion efforts

Neutral host requirements supported by single network operator

Passive active deployments all include the Combiner Box Solution

Will Microlabs Combiner Box Solution work for you?

Are you working in a Multi-Carrier DAS Environment?
Is quality and performance important to your
customers?
Is project lead-time a critical factor in your decisionmaking process?

Are you concerned with the possibility of project cost

over-runs ?

Is project resource allocation a priority?

Project Engineering Manager: As a result of using
Microlabs Combiner Box Solution, I am now able to
spend more time in front of my customers driving sales
rather than in the lab trying to build a solved problem

Microlab Company Overview

A Wireless Telecom Group Company, founded in 1949,
designs and manufactures high-performance passive RF
and Microwave Solutions such as dividers, directional
couplers, filters and Integrated Multi-Carrier Combiner
Systems
Distinctive Component Characteristics:

Broadband
Low Loss
Low PIM
Superior Quality/Construction

Our Solutions Are Used in:

Cellular Telephone Towers

Radio Base stations
In-building DAS
Global Transportation/Communications Systems
Homeland Security Systems

Next Steps to a Solution

Contact Microlab TODAY

to discuss your system requirements
Rand Skopas
+1 (973) 386-9696 ext. 3114
rskopas@wtcom.com
Danny Larsen
+1 (973) 386-9696 ext. 3109
dlarsen@wtcom.com
Tony Ramsden
+1 (973) 386-9696 ext. 3111
tramsden@wtcom.com

Thanks for participating!

Any questions?

Please join us for our next webinar about S/N, C/N and EbNo
on Thursday November 18th.