3G cell sites

As the 3G network is rolled out can the 3G cell sites be used to
improve coverage of 2G also ?

I have noticed telegraph pole type cell sites appearing that are for
3G according to sitefinder.gov. uk website . Poor 2G coverage exists
there also. Will there be any improvement in the 2G coverage, or are
the sites soley for 3G ?

I ask because my current phone Samsung D480 only picks up 2G signal

laurie_dunkley@despammed.com wrote:
> As the 3G network is rolled out can the 3G cell sites be used to
> improve coverage of 2G also ?
>
> I have noticed telegraph pole type cell sites appearing that are for
> 3G according to sitefinder.gov. uk website . Poor 2G coverage exists
> there also. Will there be any improvement in the 2G coverage, or are
> the sites soley for 3G ?
>
> I ask because my current phone Samsung D480 only picks up 2G signal
>

It depends entirely on the network who's using the new mast.

Like you say though, if they have poor gsm coverage it would
make sense to shove a gsm transmitter on there as well, but
when did making sense ever occour to any of our networks?

laurie_dunkley@despammed.com wrote:
<snip>
No a 3g cell will not improve 2 (2.5g) coverage, they operate on two
different frequencies.The telegraph poles you are on about are likely to
be microcells to improve network capacity.
Is the d480 a 3g handset?

<laurie_dunkley@despammed.com> wrote in message
news:1175445036.751882.115490@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
> As the 3G network is rolled out can the 3G cell sites be used to
> improve coverage of 2G also ?
>
> I have noticed telegraph pole type cell sites appearing that are for
> 3G according to sitefinder.gov. uk website . Poor 2G coverage exists
> there also. Will there be any improvement in the 2G coverage, or are
> the sites soley for 3G ?
>
> I ask because my current phone Samsung D480 only picks up 2G signal
>
These telegraph pole style poles are often refered to as Street Furniture
sites.

They (on some networks) can either be GSM or UMTS, or both, depending on the
cabinets at the base and the design of the antenna within the mast.

O2 use GSM and UMTS street furnitures either together or seperatly depending
on local needs/conditions

I have only ever seen Voda using GSM or UMTS sites but never combined. They
may do though, just never seen one. Same with T-mobile.

Only ever seen GSM(2g-1800) Sites, never a 3g streetworks site.

These type of sites are often used as in-fill on GSM networks. There will be
several main sites in an area but to improve reception in an area a network
can build a street works site. This will also take away some of the traffic
from the main sites, reducing the overall chance of network busy in that
location.

I guess that UMTS street works sites (like any UMTS site) will be different
as they dont tend to radiate (coverage) as much as a GSM network. Maybe only
2 or 3 mile, where as a full GSM site can radiate 20 miles in the right
conditions. A GSM street works site will radiate 2 or 3 miles.

S.

"Steve" <no@way.com> wrote in message
news:kTUPh.15851$_Q.7769@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk ...
>
> <laurie_dunkley@despammed.com> wrote in message
> news:1175445036.751882.115490@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
> > As the 3G network is rolled out can the 3G cell sites be used to
> > improve coverage of 2G also ?
> >
> > I have noticed telegraph pole type cell sites appearing that are
for
> > 3G according to sitefinder.gov. uk website . Poor 2G coverage
exists
> > there also. Will there be any improvement in the 2G coverage, or
are
> > the sites soley for 3G ?
> >
> > I ask because my current phone Samsung D480 only picks up 2G
signal
> >
> These telegraph pole style poles are often refered to as Street
Furniture
> sites.
>
> They (on some networks) can either be GSM or UMTS, or both,
depending on the
> cabinets at the base and the design of the antenna within the mast.
>
> O2 use GSM and UMTS street furnitures either together or seperatly
depending
> on local needs/conditions
>
> I have only ever seen Voda using GSM or UMTS sites but never
combined. They
> may do though, just never seen one. Same with T-mobile.
>
> Only ever seen GSM(2g-1800) Sites, never a 3g streetworks site.
>
> These type of sites are often used as in-fill on GSM networks. There
will be
> several main sites in an area but to improve reception in an area a
network
> can build a street works site. This will also take away some of the
traffic
> from the main sites, reducing the overall chance of network busy in
that
> location.
>
> I guess that UMTS street works sites (like any UMTS site) will be
different
> as they dont tend to radiate (coverage) as much as a GSM network.
Maybe only
> 2 or 3 mile, where as a full GSM site can radiate 20 miles in the
right
> conditions. A GSM street works site will radiate 2 or 3 miles.
>
> S.
>
>
>
>

Eh? Wrong by a factor old son.

'Streetworks' antennas are microcells and are designed to (a) fill in
with better signal where a local building top site does not get or
causes major multipath problems and (b) in particular to penetrate
into buildings better. Many moderm town centre buildings are of girder
construction with cladding which in many cases can equate to a partial
Faraday cage. To get the (higher) signals needed for 3G into the
buildings the aerial has to be able to shoot in through windows and
the like, which is what these microcells are designed to light up.

As regards range, given that a GSM hand portable phone is category 4
or 400mW output, the range in a built-up area will be measured in
hundreds of metres, or a kilometre or so at most, not miles. There is
no point in having big high-powered base station sites if the mobile
is unable to get back to it at a viable signal level.


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

"Steve" <no@way.com> wrote in message
news:kTUPh.15851$_Q.7769@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk ...
>
> <laurie_dunkley@despammed.com> wrote in message
> news:1175445036.751882.115490@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
>> As the 3G network is rolled out can the 3G cell sites be used to
>> improve coverage of 2G also ?
>>
>> I have noticed telegraph pole type cell sites appearing that are for
>> 3G according to sitefinder.gov. uk website . Poor 2G coverage exists
>> there also. Will there be any improvement in the 2G coverage, or are
>> the sites soley for 3G ?
>>
>> I ask because my current phone Samsung D480 only picks up 2G signal
>>
> These telegraph pole style poles are often refered to as Street Furniture
> sites.
>
> They (on some networks) can either be GSM or UMTS, or both, depending on
> the cabinets at the base and the design of the antenna within the mast.

Correct, at least so far as the BTS equipment used by Orange is concerned.
>
> O2 use GSM and UMTS street furnitures either together or seperatly
> depending on local needs/conditions

As does Orange. As, I should imagine, do all the incumbent networks.

>
> I have only ever seen Voda using GSM or UMTS sites but never combined.
> They may do though, just never seen one. Same with T-mobile.
>

Certainly not the case with Orange (and neither would I be certain of that
being the case with Voda either) - each of the 3 combinations are perfectly
possible and examples of such can be found amongst the 15-odd thousand sites
in operation.

> Only ever seen GSM(2g-1800) Sites, never a 3g streetworks site.
>

Orange "streetworks" (in common with every other type of installtion) are
perfectly capable of being 2G, 3G or dual.


> These type of sites are often used as in-fill on GSM networks. There will
> be several main sites in an area but to improve reception in an area a
> network can build a street works site. This will also take away some of
> the traffic from the main sites, reducing the overall chance of network
> busy in that location.
>
> I guess that UMTS street works sites (like any UMTS site) will be
> different as they dont tend to radiate (coverage) as much as a GSM
> network. Maybe only 2 or 3 mile, where as a full GSM site can radiate 20
> miles in the right conditions. A GSM street works site will radiate 2 or 3
> miles.
>
> S.
>
>
>
>

I won't bother adding much to harrogate's reply here, because it says much
of what I was thinking. All I would say is, the microcell (which is the
correct term for these lamppost sites - "streetworks" is merely one type of
microcell site, along with "wall mounted", for example) equipment -
depending on its location - could be serving anything from particular floors
of a building (very low-powered ceiling mounted antennae), to a particular
block of buildings (using directional antennae), to a street or housing
estate (using a low-powered omni-directional antennae).

Regards

Jon.

--
Jon Pitts
Email: jon@pitts50.co.uk Attachments: files@pitts50.co.uk