Twist-technology antennas get networks launched

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 10, 2001

ERA has helped Radiant Networks to realise its broadband wireless mesh terrestrial network service by adapting an ultra-compact antenna, based on novel twist-technology

Innovative communication solutions from ERA Technology are helping to revitalise the communications sector.

Adding to its impressive portfolio of products delivering broadband satcoms and optical communications services, ERA has helped Radiant Networks to realise its broadband wireless mesh terrestrial network service.

Radiant's system is currently being trialled on both sides of the Atlantic.

It will provide the enabling technology infrastructure for high bandwidth services, such as video conferencing and high speed Internet, and will initially be targeted at small and medium sized businesses followed by residential customers.

The Radiant Meshworks approach avoids the need for base stations by making every customer node part of the network infrastructure, transmitting to and receiving from other nodes with multiple paths available for each customer so that if one path fails, or there is an obstacle causing line of sight problems, service is not interrupted.

The mesh configuration enables service providers to achieve customer penetration rates in excess of 95% and data rates of up to 25Mbit/s to end users.

The outdoor node design is based on a set of four vertically stacked steerable antennas, with full freedom of +/-360deg rotation in the horizontal plane.

Radiant needed to ensure that the node was as compact as possible, but no existing technology was capable of meeting the combination of performance, size and cost.

That was until ERA realised that technology it was developing for collision avoidance radar exactly fitted the bill.

The ultra-compact antenna, based on novel twist-technology, overcomes the problems of conventional solutions.

By integrating the component parts during the development, it was possible to manufacture the product using just two low cost injection moulded metallised plastic components.

The four antenna assembly is enclosed within a low loss injection moulded radome for environmental protection, also designed by ERA.

"ERA could see the advantages offered by Radiant Networks' solution from day one", explains Neil Williams, Head of the Communications and Sensor Solutions Business Unit at ERA Technology.

"Once we realised that our twist-technology would enable Radiant to meet its objectives we could both see the potential to revolutionise the whole approach to terrestrial broadband wireless." As Esen Bayar, Senior Development Manager at Radiant Networks, explains, "Radiant is impressed with the product and the way that ERA has worked with us to integrate it into the node." He continues, "Trials are being undertaken in the UK, mainland Europe and USA and we are confident that this will lead to full scale roll-out of high-speed access of broadband services for commercial and domestic use." Radiant will be supplying its Meshworks broadband wireless system as part of a market trial for BT, taking place in the Cardiff area commencing in early 2002.

This will offer interactive TV services such as video on demand and high-speed Internet to around 100 households.

This deal follows an earlier $1.5M agreement by Radiant with US telecoms company Nsight Telservices for the first commercial deployment of Radiant's Meshworks technology in the US during 2002.

"This has been a great year for ERA", says Neil Williams, "Not only have we helped Radiant, but we have also successfully trialled a laptop sized multimedia terminal over a live satcom link and delivered our first smart 3G base station antenna prototype.

During 2002 we anticipate commercial exploitation of our dielectric-less printed antenna technology and plan to be able to reveal our low cost phased array demonstrator, an enabler for future mobile broadband satcom services.

We also plan to roll out technologies that will make affordable 40Gbit/s optical communications systems a reality.".