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Siemens Communications is to supply Vodafone Germany with remote radio head systems for the new installation of W-CDMA base stations and the expansion of existing ones. Radio heads are usually permanently integrated in base stations, but a new modular system from Siemens permits the physical separation of the radio head from the server of a base station.

That means that, for the first time, carriers are able to install the radio head remotely, giving them unprecedented flexibility in building networks. This also lets them reduce power consumption in the final stage of the transmitter by up to 50 percent and line and installation costs by between 30 and 70 percent.

Vodafone Germany has decided to deploy remote radio heads in order to increase the capacity of its W-CDMA network quickly and in a cost-effective manner. It plans to install remote radio head technology at suitable new locations and also use it to expand the capacity of existing W-CDMA base stations. This technology has now been shipped and installed and is undergoing field trials.

In a second step, the operator can also install remote radio heads for GSM base stations. In conjunction with a small standardized 19-inch slider server, Vodafone can make its GSM stations W-CDMA-capable at little cost and effort.