DAS Systems in Andover and Brookline

I was doing some research on other types of cellular sites, and came across info on Distributed Antenna Systems. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there was a system installed relatively close to my hometown. I have added a new page to my main site for the Distributed Antenna System system built in Andover, MA by National Grid Wireless. Check it out.

Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) work as a repeater system, with multiple small transmitter/receivers placed thruout a town or an area where reception needs to be bolstered. They are all connected, usually by T1's or fiber optic link, back to a controller, which acts like a cellular base station . The individual sites cove a much smaller area than a conventional cell site, and generally use omni directional antenna, receiving and transmitting signal 360 degrees, verses the conventional cellular site which utilized 120 degree sectorization.

For a town like Andover, where there was probably a significant resistance to a cellular tower, these types of systems can offer a good compromise.

The Town of Brookline is also having one of these systems built out, with 31 sites. It is being built by a company called Extenet. I know they have been having some problems, and actually is fighting a competitor, NextG, to build there system. NextG has signed a carrier (MetroPCS!!!!) (See my previous post!!!), and wants to build a system to encompass the entire town, not just a portion, as Extenet has proposed. Check out this article on it from a local paper. More to come!