The OD 65 series of antennas from Wireless Supply is a line of outdoor, directional panel antennas designed specifically for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and C-band frequencies. The four-port 4X4 MIMO series of antennas covers the 3300 MHz to 4200 MHz band and will be marketed for private enterprise systems, tribal networks, and rural broadband networks. The OD 65 series can be mounted on a tower, a wall or, in some cases, a cell-on-wheels.
“We’re seeing some good opportunities in the areas of enterprise private networks and in the expansion of broadband for underserved areas around the country, specifically, tribal situations where CBRS and C-band can be deployed very quickly,” Jeff Hall, Wireless Supply VP, General Manager told Inside Towers. Wireless Supply sells the antennas to integrators that are designing the wireless solutions.
The OD 65 series stands out from Wireless Supply’s other lines of antennas, because they are mostly 2X2 MIMO or single input/single output antennas. “The 4X4 MIMO has become a requirement for CBRS and C-band deployments, because of coverage and throughput advantages,” Hall said.
The Differentiator
The OD 65 series of antennas comes in three models: low gain, 11 dB; mid gain, 13.5 dB; and high gain, 17 dB. Each antenna has a 65 degree horizontal beam, and the vertical beam varies from 7 degrees up to 33 degrees. The lowest gain version of the OD 65 is only 6.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches deep and 6.5 inches tall, while the highest gain antenna in the series is the same width and depth, but is nearly two feet tall. Antenna specifications can be found here.
“We design antennas that are big and powerful in small packages,” Hall said. “Having a smaller footprint on the tower lowers the rent.”
Wireless Supply uses PC board technologies that keep the size of the antenna down but the performance very high. As a result of their small size, if these antennas are deployed in private wireless applications, they can be camouflaged very easily.
“Which antenna is best really depends on the system design, and what coverage solution the end customer is looking for,” Hall said. “If the customer needs a particular gain and coverage solution, we are happy to custom design an antenna for them.”
What’s Next
Driven by private 5G and densification, the in-building wireless segment is set to grow 50 percent over the next five years, according to a recent study by Mobile Experts. With that in mind, Wireless Supply plans to develop a companion to the OD 65, which will be a 4X4 MIMO antenna for in-building wireless applications. However, it will cover a wider frequency range, 600 MHz to 6 GHz, to cover the commercial wireless bands as well as CBRS and C-Band.
For more information, please visit Wireless Supply’s website, or call 877-517-8775.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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