Acentury

Tier 1 Operator Case Study: Custom Designing a Low PIM 18-band Point-of-Interface (POI) combiner

About the Customer
The Tier 1 Operator we worked with is one of the largest wireless network operators in North America. They provide wireless voice and data services throughout the country and is a multi-billion dollar company listed on the NASDAQ.

The Challenge
Our client was looking for a solution to combine 18 bands from all operators in the country (including the CBRS bands); this design would introduce a number of challenges:

• Introducing multiple components and cables increases the installation cost and complexity.
• The complicated structure and extra interconnections increases insertion loss
• Additional components would increase the risk of Passive Intermodulation (PIM) and VSWR performance issues
• The form factor would require more space

The Solution
One of the differentiating services Acentury Radiocomm offers is the ability to help design and customize network components with fast lead times. After digesting the customer requirements and challenges, our team designed an integrated 18:1 POI combiner.

Benefits
A single, custom-designed component for 18 bands offers some immediate benefits:

• Improves insertion loss performance
• Eliminates inter connection challenges and reduces the size footprint (70% of the original design proposal)
• Simplifies installation complexities
• A single, compact design significantly de-risks potential VSWR and PIM performance issues