RFS Has Fans Covered for Wireless Communications at Saturday's FIFA World Cup Matches in Mineirao and Maracana Stadiums

MERIDEN, CT--(Marketwired - Jul 2, 2014) -  Soccer fans headed for Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte and Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro this Saturday can count on having instant access to wireless communications anywhere in the stadium on a network infrastructure enabled by Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), the global wireless and broadcast infrastructure specialist.

The sophisticated, multi-operator Distributed Antenna System (DAS) solution provided by RFS at the four World Cup stadiums have proven to be more than a match for the high demand for capacity and coverage during games. Data released by Brazil's SindiTelebrasil shows that approximately 212,000 fans have used the RFS networks at Maracanã Stadium, Mineirão Stadium (Belo Horizonte), Arena das Dunas (Natal) and Arena Pantanal (Cuiabá). And SindiTelebrasil reports that the new networks deliver an increase in capacity of more than 40 percent for data communications and 50 percent for voice calls compared to the networks deployed for the Confederations Cup at Maracanã and Mineirão in 2013.

"The wireless infrastructures at Mineirão and Maracanã are optimized to provide maximum coverage and capacity for this Saturday's matches, based on a thorough analysis of the stadiums and expected traffic demand," said Marcos Wrobel, RFS commercial director, Latin America. "These networks have been deployed to ensure all fans have 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE) and iDEN wireless communications wherever they are in the stadium. They support customers of five Brazilian operators, and are built with state-of-the-art indoor wireless infrastructure products manufactured at the RFS plant in Brazil. This includes RF corrugated coaxial cables, the revolutionary HYBRIFLEX™ hybrid cable, indoor and outdoor antennas, jumpers, and accessories."

With the increase in smartphone use by fans at live events, data traffic on these networks is very high. Typically, peak traffic periods are before matches and during breaks in the action on the field. To date, the RFS networks have ensured thousands of fans are always connected with family and friends while they are at matches. In a one-hour period, each network has supported an average of 300,000 voice calls and approximately 20,000 simultaneous data connections, for e-mails, image sending and text messages. And RFS maintains support teams in all four stadiums and in remote operations centers to ensure each network operates as intended at all times.

To support the high coverage and capacity demand, RFS used a new RF sectoring concept for each network that delivers a considerable increase in capacity when processing calls from fans on the move. This guarantees the network is always able to support new connections and calls from all fans.

"With the Confederations Cup deployments and these, RFS is the wireless indoor solutions and turnkey projects leader in Brazil," said Wrobel. "We continue to operate the only microwave antenna plant in the country, and we have accumulated expertise in a variety of projects, including the Administrative Center of Minas Gerais, shopping centers, metro, corporate buildings and more."

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, RFS installed more than 850 wireless access antennas and more than 40 km of Hybriflex cable. The use of HYBRIFLEX™ cables has delivered a cost-effective infrastructure solution at all stadiums and simplified network deployment and installation.

HYBRIFLEX™ combines optical fiber and DC power for remote radio heads in a single, highly flexible, corrugated cable that can be easily grounded. This integrated cabling solution replaces traditional multi-cable approaches, which require additional infrastructure components, long site installation times, difficult implementation accessories and training for installers who must work with the delicate optical fiber.

Trademarks: Radio Frequency Systems^® and RFS^® are registered trademarks and HYBRIFLEX™ is a trademark of Radio Frequency Systems.

About RFS
Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) is a global designer and manufacturer of cable, antenna and tower systems, plus active and passive RF conditioning modules, providing total-package solutions for wireless infrastructure.

RFS serves OEMs, distributors, system integrators, operators and installers in the broadcast, wireless communications, land-mobile and microwave market sectors. As an ISO compliant organization with manufacturing and customer service facilities that span the globe, RFS offers cutting-edge engineering capabilities, superior field support and innovative product design. RFS is a leader in wireless infrastructure.

For more information: www.rfsworld.com. Follow RFS on Twitter (www.twitter.com/RFSworld).