MobileAccess, a Virginia-based provider of in-building wireless solutions, has reportedly added a new 4G distributed antenna system (DAS), called “EnCOVER VE,” to its EnCOVER Solutions Pathway product suite, in order to deliver cellular services over a local area network infrastructure.

 

In a release, officials with MobileAccess said this latest offering is the first 4G in-building converged wireless solution that is capable of delivering all wireless services - 2G, 3G and 4G cellular services as well as enterprise applications - over a single, shared LAN infrastructure without utilizing customer's Ethernet capacity.

Due to the fact that EnCOVER VE leverages existing or new CAT-5e/6 cabling in support of RF coverage, it not only reduces total installation time, but also considerably reduces costs for both carriers as well as enterprise customers, thereby enabling a cost-effective path to 4G MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) services in any indoor environment.

The EnCOVER VE features patented, unobtrusive access pods, which connect to any Ethernet port as well as utilize Power over Ethernet (PoE). This eliminates the challenge as well as expense of individual power sources.

Moreover, the DAS has the unique ability to connect to a single or multiple distributed RF source of any type, such as femtocells, picocells, microcells and bi-directional amplifiers (BDAs). This significantly reduces carrier costs.

Ron Wells, vice president, MobileAccess, said, "The growth of the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android Smartphone platforms, along with the thousands of new mobile applications will continue to drive an increase in mobile data traffic and create wireless performance challenges for carriers."

Wells added, "In order to keep up with the data demand and off-load traffic from the macro network, carriers are seeking new ways to deliver in-building wireless solutions, Wi-Fi networks and 3G/4G technologies to customers. MobileAccess' EnCOVER VE DAS solution is enabling carriers and enterprises to quickly and cost-effectively deploy in-building solutions in office buildings, hotels, hospitals and public venues, where users depend on reliable wireless voice service and strong data performance."

EnCOVER VE will be available in December 2009, said MobileAccess.

 

The MobileAccess EnCOVER Solutions Pathway is a platform that delivers wireless connectivity in enterprises of every size.

Florida Hospital has successfully deployed EnCOVER VE in its premises. The hospital’s associate chief technology officer, Todd Frantz, said in the release, "We needed to extend PCS coverage from Verizon Wireless to an employee-only building, and were able to install the MobileAccess EnCOVER VE solution quickly and easily without any special cabling requirements."

 

Frantz added, "By sharing cellular services with Ethernet services on existing CAT 5/6 cabling, Florida Hospital can deploy a very low cost solution to ensure reliable in-building wireless."