Andrew provides multi-operator solution in Turkey

Andrew Solutions has unveiled a multi-operator coverage and capacity solution in Istanbul's SG Airport. The Distributed Antenna System (DAS) will allow Vodafone, Turkcell and AVEA to provide 2G and 3G services to users throughout the airport.

Sending wireless emails and browsing the Internet have just become easier for air travelers using Istanbul's new Sabiha Gokcen Airport, according to Andrew Solutions, which has teamed up with Turkey's three mobile operators to ensure reliable wireless signals reach 2G and 3G subscribers throughout the airport.

The three operators - AVEA, Turkcell and Vodafone - led the project, for which Andrew supplied its ION-M optical Distributed Antenna System (DAS), while Mikom Microwave, Andrew's business partner in Turkey, assisted with system design and commissioning. Andrew's ION-M is a multi-operator coverage and capacity solution, supporting the operators' 2G and 3G subscribers in the airport. ION-M transmits wireless signals across both fibre-optic and coaxial cables to remote antennae from a master unit. The result is clear wireless coverage for travelers and employees throughout the Sabiha Gokcen Airport campus.

Andrew's ION-M system supports both GSM and UMTS frequency bands within Sabiha Gokcen Airport, and plans are underway to install a similar wireless coverage solution in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, as well. Because the ION-M supports multiple operators with one network infrastructure, installation time and aesthetic impact inside the airport are limited.

"Andrew's DAS solution is the first Turkish installation to support three frequency bands and three wireless operators with one dynamic system," said Andrea Casini, Andrew's Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Europe, Middle East, North Africa. "We are pleased to bring the coverage and capacity solution deployed in airports, subway systems, sports stadiums, and other large structures around the globe to Turkey's new airport."

---10 March 2010 | Michael Schwartz