Wireless Delivery Platforms

Alternative Fixed-Access and Mobility Access Wireless Delivery Platforms As we move up in frequency, particularly above 10 GHz, radio waves behave in a very similar way to light. We showed in Chapter 11 that it makes a lot of sense to do indoor RF calculations, using similar design techniques to those used in lighting design. It also potentially makes sense to use outdoor lighting platforms—in other words, street lamps—as an alternative method for delivering RF bandwidth. Figure 15.6, taken from a Philips Lighting catalogue, shows the photometric data from a street lamp, giving the distribution of light intensity in isocandelas. You will notice this is very similar to antenna coverage patterns used in RF system planning. A number of attempts have been made to integrate base stations and antennas into street furniture—some more successful than others. One company specializing in this area is Stealth Network Technologies (www.stealthsite.com). Base station and network hardware is concealed in flag poles, silos, water towers, or billboards, typically using RF-transparent materials to hide the hardware.