TRANSPORT
A primary cost driver of macro cell, small cell cross haul, and other point-to-point or multipoint applications for network operators and enterprises is paying technicians and tower climbers to establish and maintaining precise radio alignment. In addition, some throughput is lost to sway and torsion of the mounting structure, particularly in moderate to high winds. Pivotal’s Directivity-on-Demand™ (DoD) beamsteering enables self-aligning, self-organizing networks with remote control and management using Pivotal’s Cloud Beam Management Service (CBMS). This means that obstructions and outages can be mitigated in milliseconds — electronically and automatically. Directivity-on-Demand also improves throughput by counteracting torsion and sway in real time. This way, network operators can consider using less rigid – and less expensive – mounting structures.
For the small cell transport market, Pivotal’s thin, lightweight and conformal antenna arrays give network operators more placement flexibility and aesthetic appeal to municipalities. Streetlights and other municipal infrastructure, not to mention commercial building facia, become real transport site options, especially to C-RAN operators with fiber-stranded base stations and millimeter wave spectrum. More site options can result in lower site costs.
Low C-SWaP (Cost, Size, Weight and Power) and Directivity-on-Demand make temporary broadband wireless access possible, too. Pivotal arrays can be mounted on drones, blimps or other moving aircraft to retransmit ground-based traffic generated by sporting events or natural disasters, for example, to distant microwave towers. Read about how Pivotal’s FasthaulTM CPRI bridge enables fronthaul connectivity to small cells using millimeter wave frequencies.
