English (US)
Italiano
What Is a Multibeam Antenna?
Enhancing Network Capacity with Multibeam Antennas
Thought Leadership
Verizon
Thought Leadership
Enhancing Network Capacity with Multibeam Antennas
What Is a Multibeam Antenna?
A multibeam antenna combines multiple independent sectors within a single radome. Rather than relying on a traditional single-sector antenna, operators can deploy two or more sectors from the same physical antenna, multiplying network capacity.
This approach is particularly valuable for existing macro sites suffering from chronic excessive capacity demands or to support high-traffic event areas requiring temporary increased capacity demand. Ultimately, multibeam antennas provide a critical speed-to-market advantage, delivering network capacity faster with lower cost than constructing entirely new sites.
Key Deployment Requirements
When deploying multibeam products, maintaining the existing coverage footprint is essential to prevent network performance degradation. Key parameters include:
Coverage Footprint Maintenance: Utilizing proper gain and targeting specific coverage areas ensures no loss of performance. It is crucial to maintain adequate coverage at sector edges, where narrower beams must retain sufficient overlap.
Beam Characteristic Stability: Historically, technologies like the Butler Matrix were used to create narrow beams and share element technology. However, these often suffer from variation over frequency and tilt, leading to poor sector-to-sector overlap. Stability in beam performance is required to prevent interference and SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio) degradation between sectors, which can otherwise reduce capacity.
Physical Constraints: Weight and wind load are critical factors. To avoid substantial structural costs during site upgrades, new antennas must minimize physical impact on existing infrastructure.
Connection Complexity Reduction: Higher port counts for multiple sectors and bands increase the risk of incorrect cabling and post-optimization labor in the field. Streamlining the interface between the antenna and radio is vital for reducing configuration errors and accelerating speed to market.
JMA’s unique cluster connector takes a tenth of the time to install vs normal connectors
Company Product Differentiators
JMA offers a diverse portfolio of multibeam solutions designed to address traditional deployment challenges through technical innovation enabling a lower overall product cost.
Available Beam Solutions
The portfolio includes a range of configurations to meet specific site needs:
Low Band: Dedicated two-beam and three-beam solutions.
Multi-Band: Combined low-band and mid-band options in two-beam and three-beam configurations.
High Capacity: A four-sector solution specifically designed for fixed wireless applications to improve capacity and coverage.
Technical and Connection Innovation
JMA distinguishes its products by moving away from traditional multi beam technology, instead using proprietary methods to provide sharp pattern roll-off that remains stable across frequency and tilt. Key innovations include:
Cluster Port Connection: This unique system combines four RF connections into a single interface. It requires no specialized tools and allows for hand-installation in approximately one-tenth of the time of standard connectors. This significantly reduces the risk of misconnection in the field by dedicating four connections to a single radio efficiently.
Advanced Element Technology: The radiating elements are designed to be transparent across different frequency bands. This prevents interference between differing frequency bands that could otherwise degrade network capacity.
Structural Optimization: Significant advances in materials have reduced the overall weight and wind load of the antennas, lowering the total cost of ownership by minimizing the need for structural reinforcements.
We’ve combined reductions in weight and wind load, advances in the actual technology that was in the product simplification of installation and gave it a lower overall cost to the market.
A Smarter Path to Network Densification
As mobile traffic continues to accelerate, operators need practical solutions that deliver additional capacity quickly, economically, and without compromising network performance.
Multibeam antennas provide an effective path to network densification by enabling operators to multiply sector capacity using existing infrastructure. Combined with innovations in antenna design, lightweight construction, simplified installation, and advanced RF connectivity, JMA's multibeam portfolio helps operators expand network capacity faster while lowering deployment costs.
Whether supporting busy urban corridors, fixed wireless deployments, or high-capacity event venues, multibeam antennas represent a powerful tool for meeting today's growing demand for wireless connectivity.
When the game changes, our DAS doesn’t have to.
Delivering seamless mobility without the lock-in, while making in-building coverage more flexible, sustainable and economical for greater lifetime value.
Download Case Study Download Case Study
