Smart Antennas Reach a Milestone

US : Smart Antenna technology is now deployed in one out of every ten base stations in the world, a significant fact for wireless operators seeking a proven technology to expand the capacity and performance of digital wireless networks, according to a new Visant Strategies study, "Smart Antennas: Wading into the Mainstream 2003."

Smart antenna technology, which increases the performance and economics of wireless networks typically through the combination of multiple antennas and advanced signal processing, has become a product many base station manufacturers are now looking to incorporate into their mix, following years of the product being pushed by a number of technology innovators and vendors.

"Current market conditions, despite the challenges, suggest greater potential for the technology in the near term," said Visant Strategies Senior Analyst Andy Fuertes, the author of the study. "Established infrastructure vendors are now integrating smart antennas into their product as wireless operators exhaust conventional methods of increasing their network capacity," Fuertes said. "Operators are under pressure to improve profitability, and questions linger about moving to 2.5G or 3G in a lot of areas throughout the world, leaving many operators evaluating smart antenna technology."
Market challenges include the current deployments of smart antenna technology mainly enhancing the standard PHS, while the GSM and CDMA2000 markets, the largest in the world, remain untapped, the study finds.

The smart antenna systems market will reach $1.6 billion in sales globally in 2008, according to the study, with some growth fueled by the improved economics smart antennas will provide to next-generation networks in Europe and broadband wireless access (BWA) networks worldwide.