Radio Frequency Systems is getting a jump on what's sure to be a glut of new product announcements leading up to the 3GSM World Congress 2006 in Barcelona this coming February. The company this week announced that it will unveil its new Optimizer Plus tower-top assembly at the show. The integrated system consists of an antenna, tower-mounted amplifier and antenna tilt control unit.

According to RFS Area Product Manager Remi Deniel, the use of TMAs in 3G universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) networks is proving essential. “The challenge to network operators is to minimize the additional costs and roll-out delays associated with TMAs at a site level.” Deniel said in a statement. “Conventional standalone TMAs add to the visual impact of the site, potentially delaying site acquisition and often increasing site leasing costs. They also add to the complexity of the roll-out, increasing site installation and testing turnaround times.”

The system design's low visual impact helps fast-track cell-site planning approval and site acquisition processes, while its unique ‘all-in-one’ design reduces associated roll-out costs, the company said. The one-body Optimizer Plus is fully factory-assembled and tested and has just two fixing points, allowing for site installation and testing time to be cut by up to 40% when compared with similar installations using discrete RF components, RFS claimed. The entire assembly--including TMA, TMA housing, and mounting hardware--weighs just 15 kilograms and is only 1863 millimetres long.

The first release of the new Optimizer Plus--the high-band broadband (1900 MHz to 2170 MHz) 1.3-meter antenna variant--will be unveiled at the 3GSM conference, which takes place Feb. 13-16, 2006, at the Venue Fira de Barcelona, Montjuic, Barcelona, Spain.