Radio Frequency Components Used in the Wi-Fi Hotspot on the Fan Mile in Berlin

The Berlin Fan Mile is also well known outside of Germany and is one of the most popular outdoor event locations. Whether for public screenings, open air concerts or state visits, the area around Berlin’s emblematic landmark of the Brandenburg Gate attracts hundreds of thousands of sports enthusiasts, tourists and music fans each year. Sharing high-resolution photos and video streams via smartphone has long been a feature of the events held here. In order to ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available when thousands of users are sending and receiving their high-resolution media, telecommunications providers are constantly expanding their mobile network services by providing public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Active technology below street level
HUBER+SUHNER has been working with partners since September to test a public gigabit Wi-Fi access point in the Berlin Fan Mile area. “We did not hesitate to contribute our knowledge, hardware and resources when we were asked to support the project with state-of-the-art radio frequency components for mobile communications and Wi-Fi” explains Egemen Kara, Market Segment Manager CEM & IBC. Particular expertise in problem-solving was required for the design of the antenna and cabling technology. One of the key challenges was to deliver the Wi-Fi signal to an antenna which was positioned at the top of a road sign. As the active technology required for the hotspots was underground, the radio frequency cables were installed underground and pulled up the mast of the road sign and connected to the antenna. The small dimensions of the mast meant that the diameter of the nine radio frequency cables had to be as small as possible. At the same time, cable losses (“attenuation”) had to be minimised in order for the Wi-Fi hotspot to function correctly.

Wi-Fi antennas and coaxial cables
Our SPUMA-240 coaxial cables, with a diameter of only 6 mm, provided a perfect solution to this project’s requirements. Three Spot-S 3 × 3 Wi-Fi MIMO antennas (Multiple Input Multiple Output) from the HUBER+SUHNER SENCITY® range were also used. With a height of just 100 mm, they provided an antenna gain of 8 dBi – without interfering with the city’s iconic landscape. The combination of our cabling, antenna technology and low-interference MIMO transmission will ensure excellent Wi-Fi performance within the hotspot.

The pilot installation was integrated into the existing infrastructure in August. Customers of all telecommunication providers receive free Wi-Fi access for 30 minutes. The hotspot currently provides up to 600 people with a minimum signal strength of –65 decibel milliwatts. Following the pilot phase, which will run for several months, a decision will be taken as to a possible further expansion of the public Wi-Fi service in the area.