Jan 1, 2012 12:00 AM, By Christian Barb

Beefing up their wireless LANs is essential for universities hoping to keep up with student and faculty demand for mobile data

College campuses across the United States are growing both in size and student population. An average university campus covers 440 acres and sees thousands of students traveling to, from and around its many buildings, year round. Recent increases in campus size and student population are leading to a corresponding increase in mobile data traffic, as most of these individuals have at least one mobile device, and in many cases, more than one.

While the majority of universities have deployed wireless networks, they need to prepare for the increase in mobile data traffic that will occur as their campuses grow. Classrooms, dormitories, stadiums and other sports facilities, meeting rooms, and administrative offices must be well-equipped to handle each person’s incoming and outgoing phone calls, e-mail transmissions and mobile Web browsing.

Between 2005 and 2015, it is estimated that each user will increase his mobile data traffic footprint by 450 times. One carrier, AT&T, claims to have seen a 5,000% increase in mobile-data growth between 2007 and 2009, which it attributes to data device subscriptions from devices like the iPhone. Extrapolating from these numbers and adding in the other major US carriers, predictions are that future growth will be quite astonishing. Over the next several years users also are expected to own even more Internet-connected mobile devices, and usage per device will increase. By 2015, the average mobile user is expected to send and receive roughly 16 GB of information annually across their mobile devices.

According to a recent survey, 99.8% of college students have a cell phone, which they use as their core means of communication and entertainment. This points to a need for a viable, campus-wide wireless infrastructure, like the one recently deployed by the University of Kentucky. Its campus, located in the heart of Lexington, boasts 716 acres — almost double the average — and serves more than 26,000 students, who are served by nearly 11,000 employees.

University officials set out to create a comprehensive system that would enhance access to wireless data services by the students and staff. Before rolling out the technology campus-wide, the university decided to trial the new system at four dormitories, in an attempt to improve mobile communications for students and staff within a specific area. The plan was to use the smaller sample size to provide insight on how such a system would benefit the rest of the university. The coordinators could then determine, based on the feedback of the sample group, whether the project would be worth implementing on a wider scale. The university decided to implement a distributed antenna system (DAS) to augment coverage for the sample group.

A DAS is a network of separate antenna nodes connected to a common signal source. It is easy to deploy, simplifies maintenance, is very reliable, offers high performance and is cost-effective. By dividing the signal among multiple antennas, a DAS provides a wider coverage range and allows access to expanded services. These benefits, along with the fact that the wireless operators supported the installation, made the DAS a good choice for this project. (Perhaps the wireless operators are paying attention to estimates such as those from In-Stat, which estimates that revenue from the DAS market will double between 2010 and 2015.)

The DAS implemented at the University of Kentucky consisted of repeaters for each carrier, and coaxial cables connected to multiple antennas to carry the signal to each location. The repeaters amplify the signals delivered by each operator, so that coverage can be provided in areas where structures and other natural obstructions, such as trees, interfere with signals. The signals then are sent to high-performance broadband coaxial cables for distribution to the flexible and efficient indoor and outdoor antennas. 

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