In the latest round of GSM network construction, China Mobile Guangxi Branch and Ericsson have joined together to deploy world’s first City Site, an innovative radio site solution, which has been put into commercial use on a trial basis.
Ericsson ConsumerLab’s latest Networked Society City Index report shows that the number of urban residents on the planet is increasing by 5 million every month. In 2050, cities, which only account for 1 percent of the total area of the planet, will hold 70 percent of the world’s population. Currently, China’s urban construction is in full swing, and its mobile network coverage is rising. In the increasingly crowded urban environment, however, ensuring the quality of mobile-network coverage has become a problem.
In order to meet this challenge, Ericsson has launched the City Site integrated solution, and successfully applied it to China Mobile’s GSM network in Nanning, Guangxi. The City Site, which has been deployed with the standard RBS6601 base station, has an integrated Omni Antenna, which only covers a small area and is, therefore, easy to deploy. It could also be launched with just access to power and transmission cables.
According to the test of the live network, the City Site has effectively met the capacity and quality needs of network coverage. In addition, the City Site has also been equipped with functions such as electronic advertising, clock and public information inquires with touch-screen technology. Operators now can not only enhance the mobile coverage but also launch more value-added services via the City Site.
The City Site is claimed to have fewer limitations for site selection compared with standard radio base stations, as it can be deployed in crowded areas, and is suitable for a variety of places, such as railway stations, business districts, schools, parks, squares, and main avenues. While enriching the base station building approaches, it provides users with an excellent and satisfactory network experience. Ericsson will continue to cooperate with China Mobile to apply the City Site more extensively through further research.