Powerwave enters public-safety in-building market
Powerwave Technologies this month announced the expansion of its fiber-fed Nexus FT broadband repeater system to include public-safety bands to help enhance wireless signals in buildings and tunnels.
After traditionally supporting commercial wireless spectrum bands, the latest version of the Nexus FT also supports the 700 MHz and 800 MHz public-safety bands, said Jake MacLeod, Powerwave’s vice president of government solutions.
“The bottom line is we’re just entering the public-safety market,” MacLeod during an interview at the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) show in Houston. “So, if you wanted to go with the standard public-safety [frequencies] now, you can do that, and you can upgrade to LTE at any time,”
By using optical fiber, the Nexus FT repeater can distribute wireless signals greater distances and provide greater capacity than solutions using coaxial cable, MacLeod said.
The Nexus FT is enclosed in the same 18- by 25- by 11-inch fiberglass enclosure used for Powerwave’s Nexus FT commercial repeaters.
“Powerwave Nexus FT Urban repeaters are approved by municipalities with strict aesthetic requirements such as New York City — enabling wireless infrastructure to better blend into outdoor settings, without compromising performance and capacity,” Khurram P. Sheikh, Powerwave’s chief product and development officer, said in a prepared statement.