Active DAS Systems to Lead In-building Wireless Revenues to $9.2B by 2013

(Business News & Technology News, 1 Sep 2008)

Active distributed antenna systems (DAS) provided by ADC played a key role in the political process by providing mobile communications inside major convention buildings during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado this week. Large infrastructures, such as those used by the DNC, are most in need of better in-building wireless coverage and active DAS provide the best solution overall. Indeed, as reported extensively in a recent ABI Research study, the provision of coverage in the largest buildings will drive active DAS systems growth at a compound annual growth rate of 28 percent through 2013.

Active DAS systems deliver the greatest cost benefit in very large buildings. Below 500,000 square feet, passive systems such as repeaters and passive DAS systems start to become more cost-effective. But with data services becoming a greater portion of wireless services ARPU, capacity becomes an equally relevant design factor.

"Capacity is playing an increased role in the design of in-building wireless systems. As buildings get smaller, and with the presence of older passive systems, solutions will utilize a toolkit of options including repeaters, femtocells, picocells, and passive and active DAS systems. Interestingly, this solution complexity will also create a very competitive supplier environment," says ABI Research principal analyst Dan Shey.

In-building wireless systems will also provide the communications infrastructure to serve the needs resulting from other growing trends such as public safety coverage and environmental concerns. "As in-building wireless systems become more useful to building owners and enterprises, reliability, throughput, and manageability will become important design factors. This will drive product development in all related equipment and will create more managed services opportunities, ultimately growing the in-building wireless ecosystem and revenues," says Shey.

Click here for more information on ABI Research