White Paper

Technical Considerations for a Successful

Neutral Host DAS
Nestor Salvado
Director, Channel Sales In-Building Wireless

February 2015

Contents
The design process

System capacity and coverage

Potential Interference

System commissioning and optimization

Return on DAS investment relies on system functionality

Resources 6

Historically, Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) have been deployed by individual carriers who
wanted to extend their service into buildings, open-air venues and campus environments. These
systems were typically owned by a single mobile network carrier who would be responsible for
negotiating with the building owner, working with the local regulating authorities to secure the
necessary permits and authorizations, funding the deployment of the DAS and managing the
system afterwards. In order to offset the operating costs, the carrier often leases portions of the
DAS systems resources to other carriers in order to monetize their investment over time.

Typical DAS contracts for hardware

only (hubs, nodes, remote radio heads,
antennas, etc.) now range from $5 to $10
million, compared to just $1 million a few
years ago.
Infonetics Research, April 2014 2

Today, DAS networks support a wide variety of locations, including universities, sports arenas,
stadiums, hotels, casinos, malls, airports and subways. As commercial trends such as bringyour-own-device (BYOD) and the publics demand for ubiquitous connectivity have grown,
the number of DAS installations has steadily increased. By 2017, DAS deployments could see
more than 300 percent growth.1 Driven in part by rising bandwidth requirements and quality
of service expectations, the cost to deploy and maintain todays advanced DAS systems is
growing as well. As a result, the wireless industry as a whole is pursuing a variety of service
delivery models designed to offset the high CapEx and OpEx costs while ensuring reliable and
profitable in-building coverage and capacity. One of the models receiving a lot of attention is
the neutral host DAS.
A neutral host DAS shifts the ownership of the system from the carrier to either the building
owner, DAS integrator or a third-party system provider. Under the neutral host model, this
independent third-party host assumes all financial 3, regulatory, legal and technical responsibility
for deploying, installing and maintaining the system, and leases space or access to the system
to one or more operators.
The neutral host model provides a number of attractive benefits for all parties involved.

Carrier

Signal source:
RF repeater
or BTS

Neutral Host

DAS active
equipment

Neutral Host

DAS passive
equipment

Neutral host with carrier providing

signal source.

Participation by multiple carriers ensures more end-users can utilize their carriers network
instead of having to roam.
Because the DAS is owned and managed by a third party, no carrier has an
unfair advantage.
The ability for venue owners, DAS integrators and even DAS system providers to serve as
neutral hosts, increases the number of players who are able and willing to help satisfy the
growing demand in the market.
Much of the literature on neutral host DAS systems deals with the various funding models,
ownership and usage rights and the sometimes complex relationships between carrier
operators, venue owner and neutral host. This paper, instead, provides an overview of
the some of the more common technical issues involved in designing, commissioning and
maintaining a neutral host DAS. It is based on CommScopes extensive experience in the
design and implementation of multi-carrier, multi-band DAS solutions.

The design process

Of the various processes in the development of a neutral host DAS solution, arguably the most
complex and important is the design phase. It is in this stage that the potential conflicts and
problems regarding a multi-operator system arise. Depending on the number of carriers who
have signed on, the design stage involves half a dozen or more parties, each with their own
expectations, specifications and limitations.
The first step in the design process involves the carriers defining the specific frequencies,
wireless technologies and sectorization schemes they want to use. This information enables
the neutral host to develop the initial DAS design which may or may not include input from the
building owner as well. This preliminary design will typically include technology-specific link
budgets, initial antenna placements, possible cable pathways, and RF heat maps.

DAS vendors and integrators have

advanced their equipment to meet a wider
range of frequency bands and higher
power outputs...
Key performance indicators for DAS design
include frequency bands, signal protocols,
sectors, coverage and interference, among
other parameters.
DAS Forum; November 2011 4

After reviewing the initial design with all the carriers, the neutral host will now have a much
better understanding of many of the performance requirements and other details necessary for
a successful project. This translates into a more precise layout of where the remote units and
antennas must be located, the required power levels for each, the basic cabling infrastructure
and the location of the carrier BTS units and the DAS headend.
Each carrier enters into the relationship wanting to maximize their own revenue by getting the
most favorable design for their network and users. This is where using the neutral host model
proves highly beneficial. By definition, the owner of a neutral host solutionresponsible for
coordinating the process and mediating any conflictsis not one of the participating mobile
operators. Therefore the playing field is level for all the carriers involved.
This point becomes important in contextualizing some of the more important technical details
that follow. These include issues such as allocating resources to compensate for changes in
capacity and coverage, interference control, and the commissioning and optimization of the
final DAS solution.

System capacity and coverage

From a mobile network perspective, the landscape within a building, venue or campus is
constantly in flux. As end-users arrive and leave, the demands on the DAS network change
not only per carrier but per channel. Therefore, the DAS needs to be able to easily adapt and
expand to address the possible changes in frequency bands, sectorization, coverage and
capacity according to the needs of each carrier.
Consider, as an example, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX, home of pro footballs Dallas Cowboys.
In 2009, the stadium installed its first DAS system, a multi-carrier, multi-band, multi-technology
solution designed by CommScope. On any given day, a majority of fans who attend a
Cowboys game will typically be AT&T subscribers because the strength of the carrier in that
region. As a result, AT&T will require more base station resources then the other carriers on the
system. This has significant implications on how the wireless traffic for each carrier must be
sectorized. More importantly the systems have to enable growth.
This situation is hardly unique to sports venues; virtually any DAS system serving the needs of
a large, diverse and transient population must have the flexibility to alter sectorization schemes
based on the changing needs of individual carriers. This includes convention centers, large
hotel properties, international airports and cosmopolitan shopping malls. This flexibility is also
critical in order to satisfy the shifts in wireless traffic as large numbers of end-users move from
one part of the venue to another.
Coverage and capacity are directly linked to power requirements, making system flexibility
a key feature when comparing the technical capabilities of DAS solutions. Deployment
flexibility among providers runs the gamut from none to the ability to re-configure coverage and
capacityby carrier and zoneon the fly.
Most neutral host DAS solutions today offer some dynamic capacity capability. Typically,
altering the sectorization plan for an individual carrier will require some re-cabling. More
advanced solutions, like the CommScope ION-U, enable stadiums to modify and optimize their
sectorization scheme within minutes via a simple software connection.

smartphones and
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devices
corporate
tablets used in the
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applications
enterprise
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LTE HAPPENS INDOORS, TOO

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2014
2018
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1110001100011110000011110000011110000011111110000000111111100000001111111
~close to~
T
01010100000111100000011110000011110000011110000011111110000000111111100000001111111
SMAR ES
~ APPROXIMATELY
~
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N
O
PH
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DOMINATE INDOOR
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SQUARE METERS
OF INDOOR
MOBILE DATA
USAGE
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
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OF MOBILE DATA
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ONLY of that area is currently
covered by in-building
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wireless
systems
% mobile
LAPTOPS
AND TABLETS
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CONTRIBUTE, TOO
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01010100000111100000010110101011110000011110000011111110000000111111100000001111111
WHY SO LITTLE COVERAGE?
As with a macro network, there can be potential Intermodulation issues in a neutral host DAS
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OPERATORS
ADD LTE
FREQUENCY
BANDSwhen
TO INDOOR
There are multiple
considerations
to address
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environment. These are typically limited to the more commonly used frequency bands such as
designing an indoor wireless system including:
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NETWORKS JUST LIKE IN THE MACRO NETWORK
700 MHz and 800 MHz bands. Because the system is centrally monitored and managed,
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any interference issues can usually be adequately resolved by adjusting power levels on
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3 5 operators in urban areas
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the DAS headend and by the use of RF remote radio units that have integrated interference
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mitigation filters.
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2G, 3G, 4G, WiFi
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While the potential for Intermodulation is relatively low, the neutral DAS host should not ignore
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48 different 4G bands alone
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the risk during the vendor selection and system design phases. This is especially important as
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80%30 BILLION

OCCURS
INDOORS

Potential Interference

MULTIPLE

OPERATORS
MORE
MORE
TECHNOLOGIES
FREQUENCY
POTENTIAL
BANDS
PIM
FREQUENCYFOR
BANDS
WHAT
IS PIM?
EMPLOYEE
EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH

2/3 USERS
4 SECONDS

OF SMARTPHONE

expect websites to load in

WHEN TWO OR MORE WIRELESS

OR LESSSIGNALS MIX
TOGETHER, THEY CAN PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL,
2023
UNDESIRED
FREQUENCY THAT INTERFERES WITH
THE DESIRED SIGNALS.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

PIM
THIS IS CALLED PASSIVE
INTERMODULATION, OR...
2018

1IN UPLINK
DECIBEL
SENSITIVITY

A N
DUE TO PIM

CAN REDUCE

A DROP OF JUST
D I S T R I BWIRELESS
U T E DCOVERAGE BY

11
PERCENT
IN A MACRO

T E NETWORK
N N A

DRIVE TESTS REVEALED

S Y ~S T E M

18%
DROP
IN DOWNLOAD SPEED

WHEN
THE PIM
LEVEL WAS
SLIGHTLY
THE MOST
COMMON
COVERAGE
ANDINCREASED

CAPACITY SOLUTION FOR INDOOR WIRELESS

PIM
HAPPENS IN DAS
IS A DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM (DAS).

NETWORK

EXPLOSIVE GROWTH PREDICTED

~ by 2018 ~
OPERATORS

4 MILLION

HAVE TO MANAGE

PIM IN DAS

DAS NODES

EVEN WITH ONLY TWO BANDS, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR

OVERLAPPING PIM PRODUCTS TO FALL IN THE SAME
UPLINK BAND, CAUSING HARMFUL INTERFERENCE.

LTE IS EXTRA SENSITIVE!

ONE DEFENSE IN PIM MITIGATION IS TO USE

BEST-IN-CLASS
PIM-RATED COMPONENTS

-160
2008

2013

2023

2018

equals
dBc
1MIL
100 MIL

~ NUMBER AND TYPE OF SITES~

100

10,000

Starting with:
Stadiums
Airports

Key Growth Areas:

Convention Centers
College Campuses

PIM-RATING
FORAreas:
Key Growth
Hi-Rise Offices
PASSIVE DEVICES
Hi-Rise Residential

Key Growth Areas:

Hotels
Hospitals

DAS DEPLOYMENT CHALLENGES

Light Industrial

carriers continue to add more frequency bands and channels that must co-exist in the same
ecosystem in closer proximity to one another. Check to make sure there is adequate interference
monitoring and power control functionalities in the system.
In a multi-operator DAS, the greater risk regarding interference comes in the form of passive
inter-modulation (PIM) interference. In multi-operator DAS environments a growing number
of components in the RF path increase the potential for PIM generation. Because PIM
is a hardware-based issuepotentially caused by physical imperfections in the DAS
headend, cabling and connectorization, or remote and amplifier constructionthe quality
of manufacturing and installation become paramount.
The minimum PIM specification for each and every component is improving continually. PIM
specifications for RF components (splitters, couplers, etc.) and antennas have transitioned from
140 dBc to 150 dBc and now are moving to 153 dBc and 160 dBc. With the passive
componentssplitters, hybrid couplers, and directional couplersbeing placed closer to the
signal sources in these systems, it is critical that the PIM specification for these devices are rated
with highest performance levels.
From PIM levels and signal loss to service availability, each carrier will have their own
performance standards the DAS must meet. Overall, the system is expected to meet the
requirements of the most restrictive carrier. In most cases, however, carriers expectations for
metrics like quality of service are fairly similar. Therefore, the difference between the most and
least restrictive should not be wide enough so as to make the project unsustainable.

System commissioning and optimization

The final stage of deployment is the system commissioning and optimization. During this phase,
representatives from all parties involved participate in a walk-through of the entire facility to
ensure the DAS is performing as expected. Specific verifications include thorough sweep and
isolation testing of the cabling infrastructure, checking power levels for all carriers and channels,
investigating and correcting any sources of interference and a final coverage assessment.
Each representative, also known as an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), will have different
testing requirements and often use disparate test equipment. Due to the number of AHJs involved
in a multi-carrier DAS project, the commissioning and optimization process can be complex
and time-consuming. Readings from one piece of equipment may not always agree with those
of another. When conflicts in individual results or issues with performance are identified, the
process stops until the problem is resolved.
Some of the DAS systems available today provide additional functionality that enables the
neutral host to reduce the time required for commissioning and optimization. These systems
have integrated routines designed to perform the same checks that the individual AHJs are
required to perform. These include sweep testing of the cabling infrastructure to ensure the
integrity of all fiber and coax cable and connections, using internal test signals to illuminate all
sectors and measuring the signal interaction between sectors.

If the DAS system also provides for automatic system leveling, this eliminates the need to
re-adjust and re-test the channel power settings each time a change must be made. Systems
with advanced commissioning and optimization may also feature an internal test signal
generator as part of their commissioning sub-system. This allows for independent testing
without having to connect to the carriers BTS. It also ensures all participants are basing their
assessments on results from the same testing equipment and eliminates the need for them to
bring their own equipment.

Return on DAS investment relies on system functionality

Worldwide spending on DAS systems is exploding. Forecasted total for 2014 is expected to
be 4.4 billion dollars. By 2019, it is projected to grow to more than 8 billion, a 14 percent
compound annual growth rate (CAGR). The increase is coming from in-building as well as
outside deployments, with sports venues and transportation applications leading the way and
shopping malls, healthcare, hotels, and resorts close behind.5
As carriers, facility owners and integrators look to cut their deployment costs, the neutral host
DAS model will continue to be popular. While multi-carrier DAS systems have existed for many
years, the neutral host approach as a business model is still relatively new and developing.
Today, the considerations involved in deploying a neutral host solution go beyond the issues
of ownership and financing. Serious thought must be given to technical issues regarding the
systems ability to adequately support the interests of all parties involved.
As the deployment of neutral host DAS systems increases, the demands on system performance
will grow. Selecting a DAS solution that provides advanced functionalityindependent
carrier sectorization, automated power leveling, and system commissioning and optimization
routineswill help ensure all parties realize a better return on their DAS investment.

Resources
1

U.S. DAS Market Forecast: 2012 to 2017 Installations, Tenancy, OpEx and CapE; iGR Research; Q4 2013

Infonetics Research, DAS Equipment Biannual Market Size, Share and Forecast; April 2014

Determining the best DAS funding model for your Enterprise; CommScope, white paper; October 2013.

The DAS Forum; Considerations for an In-Building Distributed Antenna System; November 15, 2011

In-Building Wireless Market Reaches $8.5B in 2019; ABI Research, press release; February 2014

www.commscope.com
Visit our website or contact your local CommScope representative for more information.
2015 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved.
All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of CommScope, Inc.
This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating to CommScope products or services.
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