Axell Wireless announced Tuesday that it helped Wataniya Telecom Maldives improve mobile coverage and get around tower restrictions by deploying digital repeaters linked to a base-station hotel.
Wataniya’s 2G/3G network covers the entire island, but the capital city of Male sports an urban topology of narrow streets and dense buildings, making street-level coverage problematic, explains Sameer Kaul, VP of business development for Asia Pacific at Axell.
“Normally operators will deploy additional base stations to fill coverage gaps, but city regulations regarding cell sites in Male are very restrictive,” Kaul said. “So they needed a solution that allowed them to improve coverage at street-level without deploying more cell towers.”
The solution: 12 multi-band repeaters mounted on rooftops or lampposts connected by fiber to a central site equipped with multiple base stations receiving and transmitting via a single cell tower.
The repeaters have been distributed around the island to create dedicated coverage where required. The repeaters can hand off to each other and to the macro network. Additional base stations and repeaters can be added as more capacity is required.
The solution is unusual in that it uses repeaters designed for indoor coverage to enhance outdoor coverage, said Kaul.
“It’s a good solution for us because it was quick to deploy and helped us get around the problem of zoning permits for cell sites,” said Shabeen Ali, senior operations manager for Wataniya.
“It’s also a good green solution, because the repeaters use less power and don’t require shelters like you’d need with a base station,” he told CommunicAsia2011 Show Daily.
Wataniya has more than 70,000 customers.
Axell is showcasing its Digi-Mini repeaters at CommunicAsia at Booth 1A3-03
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