In addition to providing the wireless infrastructure equipment, JMA Wireless also worked closely with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the neutral host on overseeing all aspects of the project, from RF design, deployment and integration to commissioning and optimisation of the system.
The Transportation Hub is the third largest transportation facility in New York City, measuring one million square feet with 365,000 square feet dedicated to the high end shopping complex. This area serves over 320,000 local residents on a daily basis and is expected to serve one million plus annual visitors. The facilities are housed under an above ground area known as the Oculus Pavilion. The 355ft operable skylight known as the Oculus was designed by the world renowned Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.
Every year on 9/11 the skylight of the Oculus will be opened to the sky for 102 minutes as an annual remembrance of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Currently, the wireless network supports four mobile operators and multiple bands, including LTE 700, 800, 1900, 2100 and 2300, UMTS 850, 1900 and 2100, CDMA 1900, TDD 2500, and GSM 1900. It is comprised of JMA Wireless’ multi-carrier, multi-band Teko DAS, compression connectors, and TRU-Omni antennas, which are providing 2X2 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) coverage.
This modular solution includes a rack mounted master unit (MU), which combines the different high speed wireless technologies with multiple bands to easily serve the needs of public venues such as the WTC Transportation Hub. Additionally, with its future proofed design, existing infrastructure can be leveraged easily to support new bands and technologies.
Only a single optical fibre cable was pulled to simultaneously distribute multiple frequency bands and multiple carriers from the MU to the high power remote units throughout the multiple levels of the Transportation Hub and Vehicle Security Centre. With the multiband spectrum analyser (MSA), the facility’s IT department can remotely monitor and optimise the quality of service (QoS) delivered by the components. It easily addresses uplink and downlink signal quality issues, and the RF spectrum is measured and recorded for each sector and remote unit.
Performance-degrading interference is identified quickly to ensure the system is operating optimally at any given point in time. In addition, the deployment included multiple in-building TRU-Omni Antennas, which were installed strategically under the strips of steel comprising the ceiling of the structure. These antennas offer MIMO 2X2 coverage, PIM certification and are ideal for neutral host deployments.
After many RF design iterations and antenna pattern tests performed by JMA Wireless, all stakeholders were satisfied with the integrity of the system.
Finally, the network utilises JMA Wireless’ compression connectors, which are PIM-optimised, making them a key factor in ensuring robust mobile communications throughout the new facilities.
