The Copenhagen Metrosubway changed its distributed antenna system (DAS) to better meet the need for wireless coverage in stations and trains with an investment of U.S. $2 million, according to Vasko Toshev from Niras, the company which implemented the system.
The chosen solution was TE Connectivity’s FlexWave Prism, designed to provide mobile service for multiple mobile operators. Toshev noted that the FlexWave Prism DAS replaced the previous system which was having performance and reliability problems.
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The new DAS covers the underground section of two, nine-kilometer parallel tracks as well as eight underground stations in the center of Copenhagen. The metro provides services to more than one million passengers every week.
The implementation started in October last year when the company had to change active components and set the configuration. “The first goal was to move all active components out of the metro and locate them in a unique, central place,” said Toshev. He added that the old system had active elements in train tunnels that required maintenance in areas where access was severely restricted.
According to TE Connectivity, the FlexWave Prism DAS minimized this issue by lowering the number of active elements in the tunnel from more than 50 to 13, which reduces maintenance costs while improving reliability.
The new DAS supports GSM900 and can be upgraded to support DCS, UMTS-HSPA and LTE services.