Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), Transit Wireless and SOLiD Bring Wireless Service to New York CityTransit Authority (NYCTA) Riders

Massive endeavor will bring wireless voice and data communications capabilities to 277 New York subway stations by 2018

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Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), Transit Wireless and SOLiD Bring Wireless Service to New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) Riders

Summary

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announcedin April 2013 that 30 new subway stationsnow have wireless voice and datacommunication capability allowing NewYork City subway riders to make andreceive cell phone calls, send and receivetexts and e-mails and access Wi-Fiunderground. Metropolitan TransportationAuthority (MTA) officials were joined byexecutives from Transit Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Boingo Wireless todemonstrate the new capability at thecity's busiest station, Times Square. 36stations total are now online and have anaverage annual ridership of approximately7 million customers per station. Phase II ofthe project, which is currently underwayand expected to be completed in mid-2014, includes 40 more stations, includingGrand Central Station, 34th St. HeraldSquare and Bryant Park in mid-townManhattan, as well as stations throughoutthe Borough of Queens.

With the explosive proliferation of wireless voice and data in the 21stcentury, users have come to expect at least some degree of servicenearly everywhere to enable their array of telecommunications needs.

One area that has long proven a thorn in the side of mobile users and wirelesscarriers alike is the New York City Subway system, a stronghold of wireless isolation.Due to a multitude of challenges, there was no public wireless connectivity in thesubway system prior to 2011. Under a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)license agreement, Transit Wireless undertook the massive endeavor of enablingwireless voice and data communications capabilities in New York subwaystations – more than 270 stations by 2018.

New York City’s subwaysystem is currently one of thelargest – and one of the oldest– in the world. Coupled withthe harsh subterraneanenvironment, the project wasparticularly challenging. Usingtime-tested, reliable solutionsfrom companies like RFSensures that our designs meetthe precise coverage, trafficand route requirementsnecessary for such a large scaleand complex project.

Saeid MalakiDesign & Construction Manager

at Transit Wireless

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à Opened in 1904

à 24 x 7 operation

à 468 stations across 4 boroughs

– 277 underground – 191 aboveground

à 659 track miles – local and express

à At peak over 570 trains operating simultaneously

à Annual ridership 1.65 billion

à Prior to 2011 no public wireless connectivity!

New York City Subway – Lifeblood of a City

About Transit WirelessTransit Wireless owns and operates the subway station wireless communications network and acts as a neutral host forextending a variety of wireless carrier services to NYCTA’s more than 1.6 billion riders annually. Major wireless carriers havealready signed on to be partners on the Transit Wireless Network. In addition, there is interest for several applications frompublic/private wireless providers.

Services to all 277 underground stations will be rolled out over the coming years. First services were launched in six stations inChelsea in September 2011.

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The Project

MTA officials contracted with TransitWireless to build the system and rentbandwidth to mobile providers, as itwould be impossible both structurally andeconomically for each wireless carrier toconstruct their own networks in the 110-year-old subway venue. Upon itscompletion, the Transit Wireless New YorkCity Transit Authority (NYCTA) networkwill be one of the most expansivedistributed antenna system networksworldwide, allowing the use of a widevariety of mobile devices anywhere withinthe system with cellular and Wi-Ficoverage options along with passengeraccess to expanding transit applications.This includes service information, alertsand advisories, access to the Help Pointhigh-tech intercom system, location-basedapplications consisting of rider awareness,local business support and E911, andcommercial wireless services for publicsafety and security personnel. The systemwill also harness the potential to supportadditional NYCTA business applicationsand Wi-Fi applications.

Transit Wireless owns and operates thewireless communications network andacts as a neutral host for extending avariety of wireless carrier services. NYCTAis the sixth largest carrier market in the USby subscriber traffic. The four major U.S.wireless carriers – T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprintand Verizon – have already signed on tobecome partners in the project.Customers of T-Mobile and AT&T arealready receiving service and Sprint andVerizon customers will be able to useservice later this year.

The Challenge

Enabling the underground environmentto be effectively connected is a prioritythat has been voiced collectively by the1.6 billion transit riders, MTA-NYCT, andvarious public safety agencies. Makingthe subway stations wired andoperational for mobile device service,however, proved to be a complicated taskfor engineers, requiring a distributedantenna system (DAS) and specializedcabling to support it.

New York City’s subway system is thelargest U.S. rapid transit rail system andone of the largest in the world – but it isalso one of the oldest. Unlike a lot ofmodern subway stations, many of NewYork’s stations were built when thesystem first opened in 1904 – more than100 years ago – and are comprised ofheavy steel. While this makes the stationsextremely enduring, it blocks radio signalsin many areas and plays havoc withpropagation in the few places wheresignals do get through. On top of that,the moving metal of the trains and theconstant vibration makes it nearlyimpossible to design a pervasive wirelesssystem that functions well. Furthermore,dust accumulates on ground planesurfaces, causing passive intermodulation(PIM) interference that makes signalintegrity even more degraded. As a result,ensuring communications devicesperform as desired requires more thanthe typical distributed antenna system.Off-the-shelf equipment neededsignificant re-engineering to account forthe unusually challenging environmentalconditions.

Demanding the highest quality standards for the equipmentused for the project ensures an efficient and superior network that is required for mission critical communications.

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It’s going to be a lot moreconvenient. You can accessyour email. You can send textmessages. That’s the mostfrustrating thing about beingin the subway system … thatyou’re completely cut off fromcommunication with work,with family so it will be reallybe convenient,” John Dioso ofPark Slope told CBS 2’s HazelSanchez.

CBS New York, Underground Wi-Fi Service Expanding

to 30 More Subway Stations

In order to overcome these obstacles tosuccessfully extend wireless services to thesubway stations, special considerations hadto be made. Transit Wireless selected RadioFrequency Systems (RFS) and SOLiD tosupport its distributed antenna system inorder to provide wireless coverage andcapacity throughout the New York CitySubway system including undergroundstations, mezzanines and corridors.

The layered DAS/Wi-Fi architecture consistsof two wireless networks utilizing commonassets: fiber, power, conduit and mountingstructures. There are three distinct networkelements:

• Base station hotels (BSH)• Citywide fiber trunk networkconnecting BSH to stations (OSP)

• Station network (ISP)

A remote fiber node with integratedbidirectional amplifiers was intended to bemounted in public access areas but, in thiscase, the integrated amplifiers had to beredesigned to handle all frequency-bandslots from 700 MHz to 6 GHz. Moreover, thebox had to be specially designed to handlepassive cooling because of the large amountof metal dust in the air. With ventilatorcooling, the metal dust would be drawn intothe unit and cause a number of failures. Asa result, the boxes were designed to meetindustry specifications for water and dustresistance. They also were designed for walland ceiling mounting.

Fiber optic cables had to be routed alongcity streets and dozens of antennas had tobe installed. Ensuring the cell site handoffbetween underground and above-groundantennas as callers walked in and out ofstations proved to be a particularlychallenging factor.

Transit Wireless collocated the carriers' basestations with its optical distributionequipment in its fault tolerant,environmentally controlled facility. Each

carrier's base stations connect with TransitWireless' radio interface and opticaldistribution system at the facility, combiningthe radio signals and converting them tooptical signals for distribution on TransitWireless' fiber optic cables. These cables runthroughout ducts under city streets tosubway stations where the cables connectto multiband RFNs on every platform andmezzanine and at various points withinpublic access passageways. Coaxial cableconnects each remote fiber node andextends signals to strategically locatedantennas throughout each station.

The intricate design distributes low-levelradio signals everywhere to provide seamlesscoverage both above ground near thestations and below ground. An integratednetwork management system monitors theservice and if it detects a problem, itautomatically dispatches a technician andlogs the event.

The two primary technological challengesinvolved RF wave propagation in anenvironment hostile to RF, and component(primarily antenna and cables) aesthetics.

Transit Wireless selected RFS productsincluding HYBRIFLEXTM conduit cable and

transmission line cabling with low smoke andzero-halogen jackets and jumpers to supportthe project. HYBRIFLEXTM combines opticalfiber and DC power in a single corrugatedcable. The compact and durable designmakes it faster, easier and more cost-effectiveto install than bringing both traditionaloptical fiber and DC power to the antenna.HYBRIFLEXTM is ideal for connecting power-saving Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), especiallywhere space is constrained, and is also wellsuited for in-building Distributed AntennaSystems, for microwave backhaul networksand as bundled cables in harsh environments.

“Transit Wireless chose RFS because thecompany was able to quickly adapt itsproducts to meet the project’s specificneeds,” said William Bayne Jr., CEO atTransit Wireless. “As an approved supplier tothe NYCTA, RFS has developed a solutionthat is readily deployable and scalable in thisunique environment.”

Proven in other high-traffic subway systemsincluding the Seoul Metro, the SOLiD DASsolution supports all four major U.S. cellularproviders using just a single strand of fiberand delivers reliable, high-capacity wirelessservice with guaranteed RF power for eachcarrier. SOLiD’s NEMA 4X-rated ruggedcomponents have no moving parts andfeature a modular design for simplifiedinstallation and maintenance which is criticalfor success in the extremely challengingphysical environment of the New York Citysubway system.

“New York City’s subway system is currentlyone of the largest – and one of the oldest –in the world. Coupled with the harshsubterranean environment, the project wasparticularly challenging,” said Saeid Malaki,design & construction manager at TransitWireless. “Using time-tested, reliablesolutions from companies like RFS ensuresthat our designs meet the precise coverage,traffic and route requirements necessary forsuch a large scale and complex project.”

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Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), Transit Wireless and SOLiD Bring Wireless Service to New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) Riders

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The Solution

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RFS cabling being used in a New York City subway station to support wireless serviceduring the Phase 1 rollout.

Conclusion

The multiyear project will bring wireless service to all 277 ofNew York’s underground stations, including major stationssuch as Times Square, Rockefeller Center and ColumbusCircle, enable 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and use several hundredfeet of cabling to transport wireless signals.

In addition to supporting 700, 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100and 2500 MHz cellular bands, the NYCTA project includespublic Wi-Fi at 2.4 and 5.8 GHz supporting a variety of data,advertising and other relevant services and an NYCTA band.The Wi-Fi network will further support machine-to-machine,direct-to-consumer and business-to-business wirelessapplications and services. It will allow for secure privatenetworks and public Wi-Fi in the same architecture. All thecarriers will support 4G LTE service in all the stations in thephases moving forward.

"The New York City subway system is the most heavilytrafficked system in the world, and now all riders will haveaccess to wireless service during their commutes," said Mr.Bayne. "Furthermore, this network benefits not only riders,but city workers and first responders, and will be thebackbone for future technology and safety improvements tothe city's subway stations."

Transit Wireless chose RFS because thecompany was able to quickly adapt itsproducts to meet the project’s specificneeds. As an approved supplier to theNYCTA, RFS has developed a solution thatis readily deployable and scalable in thisunique environment.

William Bayne Jr.CEO at Transit Wireless

About SOLiDSOLiD is a global communications technology innovator that empowers capacity and coverage for cellular, public safety, andWi-Fi services at large venues and campuses through industry-leading Distributed Antenna System (DAS) and carrier-gradeOptical Network solutions for Small Cell Backhaul and Passive Optical LAN (POL) deployments. In addition to metropolitansubways, SOLiD counts among its global customers major wireless operators; leading hospitals; Olympic, professional, andcollege sports venues; government, university and Fortune 500 corporate campuses; and other marquee customer sites.

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RFS: The TelecommunicationsPartner of the TransportationIndustry

Enabling seamless coverage and high-quality reception in the world’s tunnels with the most extensive cable portfolio in the industry.

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Transportation operators rely onmission-critical communications toensure the safety of millions ofpassengers, employees and assetsevery day. Their network solutionsmust enable continuous, high-quality communications acrosstunnels, complex in-buildingenvironments and diverse outdoorterrains. At the same time, thesesolutions must support commercialapplications that increase passengersatisfaction and provide newrevenue opportunities.

For more than 40 years, RFS hasprovided innovative communicationssolutions for transportation operatorswith all the essential elements of acomplete end-to-end RF solutionincluding the most extensive cableportfolio in the industry. Every cablecomes with a guarantee of reliability,performance and cost-effectivenessfrom the most experienced andinnovative cable manufacturer in theworld – Radio Frequency Systems.

HYBRIFLEXTM hybrid feeder cablingsolutionsHYBRIFLEX is an innovative, hybrid cablingsolution that combines optical fiber andDC power in a single, highly flexible,lightweight aluminum corrugated conduit.

A cost-effective solutionHYBRIFLEX makes innovative use ofmaterials to reduce structure load andmaximize existing infrastructureinvestments. Also, with mountingprocedures similar to RF feeder cable,additional training is not necessary.

Maximum flexibility and reliabilityTo simplify installation, the corrugatedaluminum outer armor offers outstanding

bending characteristics, which allows it tobe installed like a conventional coaxial RFcable. It is designed to standard RF feederdiameters, therefore, commonly availableRFS feeder accessories can be used in allHYBRIFLEX™ installations. And to furthersimplify installation, it is delivered pre-connectorized for fiber optic and DCconnectors.

Low weight and extra protectionThe extremely lightweight cable featuresaluminum armor. Aluminum also offersthe fragile fiber optic cables inside moreprotection than polyethylene tubes and ata much lower cost than cable trays. It alsoincorporates the grounding function.

RADIAFLEX® high-performanceradiating cablesRADIAFLEX is the world’s leading “leakyfeeder” cable solution. Designed todeliver contoured RF coverage, the cablesprovide a scalable and practical means oftailoring RF coverage in even the mostchallenging confined spaces. Whererequired, corrugated outer conductorsand small bending radii provide theflexibility needed for easy installation.

Broadband solutionRADIAFLEX cables support all majorservices from 75 MHz to 6 GHz, makingthem optimally suited for multi-operatorand multi-band applications.

Flame and fire retardantRADIAFLEX cables are low-smoke andhalogen-free to meet all major flame- andfire-retardancy standards.

Low lossFeaturing low longitudinal and couplinglosses, RADIAFLEX cables are availablewith optional “vario” coupling lossconfigurations for longer installation runs.

Comprehensive rangeWith diameters spanning 1/2” to 1-5/8”,the cables are available with differentjacketing, coupling losses & bending radii.

CELLFLEX® low-loss cablesCELLFLEX foam dielectric coaxial cablescombine high flexibility with superiorstrength and electrical performance.

Low attenuationLow attenuation enables extremelyefficient signal transfers.

Complete shieldingThe solid outer conductor creates acontinuous shield against radio frequencyand electromagnetic interference (RFI/EMI)to minimize system interference.

Low VSWRSpecial low voltage standing wave ratio(VSWR) CELLFLEX variants help maintainsystem integrity.

Outstanding intermodulationperformanceThe solid inner and outer conductorsvirtually eliminate intermodulation.

High power ratingLow attenuation, excellent heat transferproperties and temperature stabilizeddielectric material ensure a safe long-termoperating life at high transmit powerlevels.

Wide range of applicationsCELLFLEX cables support a wide range of frequency bands to support manyapplications.

CELLFLEX® Lite lightweightaluminum cablesCELLFLEX Lite aluminum cables are thelightest RF transmission cables on themarket today. They are specificallydesigned for fast, easy and cost-effectivecable installations. They combine aninnovative corrugated aluminum outerconductor design with:

• Single and multiple bending radii as per industry standards

• Robust construction

• Advanced electrical performance

• An attractive entry price point

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Radio Frequency Systems (RFS)is a global designer andmanufacturer of cable, antennaand tower systems, as well asactive and passive RFconditioning modules, providingtotal-package solutions foroutdoor and indoor wirelessinfrastructure. RFS serves OEMs,distributors, system integrators,operators and installers. Itscustomers currently include thefour largest wireless carriers,the majority of tier 2 and 3wireless carriers in NorthAmerica and many of the topwireless and microwave OEMSworldwide.

Serious about services

Customers know they can count on RFS for comprehensive logistical capabilities,flawless execution and outstanding technicalskills and support. The company’s dedicatedshipment coordinators, hotline staff and on-site engineers go well beyond meretechnology, striving to offer tailored solutions to meet even the most complexsite-engineering and delivery challenges.

RFS’ value-added services match the exact needs of business partners large and small.

Ever-present qualityguarantee

From design to manufacture, ISO 9001 andISO 14001 certification standards encompassall aspects of RFS’ business worldwide. Everyproduct RFS ships has stood up to the moststringent technical, environmental andquality control tests, continuously meetingand surpassing the expectations of a long listof wireless carriers, transportation and utilityoperators, and broadcasters.

RFS backs every product bearing its namewith a quality guarantee that is unrivaled inthe market.

A tradition of innovation

For over a century, RFS has been at theforefront of the wireless communicationindustry through its unwavering commitmentto design and develop the world’s mostadvanced technology in the field. DedicatedR&D teams, along with a privilegedpartnership with Bell Labs, are at the source ofbreakthroughs that are ensuring the mobilityof an increasingly wireless world.

RFS is at the frontier of wireless technologyinnovation, sustaining the boldest ventures toenhance the way people communicate and live.

A truly global company

With on-the-ground personnel in more than 20 countries and on every continent,RFS always delivers on its commitments,providing a comprehensive range ofpremium products, systems and services. Its clients benefit from all the advantages ofa global supplier, while relying on dedicatedsupport from RFS’ local engineering,manufacturing and shipping teams.

RFS’ products, systems and personnel can befound in every corner of the planet.As a global group, RFS is committed toupholding the most stringent environmental,health and safety standards, and seeks tointegrate green initiatives in every aspect ofits business.

Why RFS?

T h e C l e a r C h o i c e ®

www.rfsworld.com

For more information about this project:Suzanne Kasai, Business Development Manager203.537.2741 | suzanne.kasai@rfsworld.com

For more information, please contact the nearest RFS sales office:

Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa & Indiawww.rfsworld.com/sales/semeai

Northern Europewww.rfsworld.com/sales/euno

Latin Americawww.rfsworld.com/sales/latam

North Americawww.rfsworld.com/sales/na

Asia Pacificwww.rfsworld.com/sales/apac

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