October 3, 2024
FTTA Waterproof Outdoor Cable Assembly RRU-RRH CPRI Armored Cable Fiber Optic Optical Patch Cord with NSN Boot ODVA ODLc FULLAXS Connectors.
IP67 ODVA OptiTap FULLAXS IPFX NSN Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies are used in FTTA cable assemblies solutions.
Fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) is a wireless site architecture where optical fiber is run all the way up the tower, replacing much of what was traditionally completed with heavier coax cabling. Important components such as remote radio units (RRUs) are also positioned at the top of the tower instead of at the base location.
In a FTTA configuration, a baseband unit (BBU) situated near the bottom of the tower connects via a fiber optic antenna to a remote radio head (RRH) positioned near the antennas at the top of the tower. The RRH converts digital signals to analog, while the short span between RRH and antenna is still completed using traditional coax cabling.
The use of fiber to connect towers and then run up to the antennas addresses consumers' insatiable desire for bandwidth. To accommodate more bandwidth in cellular systems, new protocols (4G, LTE, and beyond) are implemented, necessitating more antennas to support additional frequencies. Thus, cell towers that once had three antennas may now have two dozen.
The increased demand for cellular bandwidth to support fast-growing data usage from smartphones and tablets requires upgrading towers—more bandwidth means more antennas. More antennas mean more cables up the towers. If those cables are coax, it increases weight and wind resistance, potentially exceeding the tower's design limits. Additionally, RF (radio frequency) signals require substantial power to transmit up the tower due to coax cable signal attenuation at high frequencies.
