RFS to Support Phase 2 of Transit Wireless Project to Bring DAS Network to NYC Subway System

MERIDEN, CT--(Marketwired - Oct 1, 2013) - Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), the global wireless and broadcast infrastructure specialist, today announced that its products will be used by Transit Wireless to support the architecture for Phase 2 of its extensive project to bring a distributed antenna system (DAS) to the New York City subway system. Phase 2, which is expected to be completed in mid-2014, includes 40 new stations, including Grand Central Station, 34th St. Herald Square and Bryant Park in mid-town Manhattan and stations throughout the Borough of Queens.

RFS previously announced its involvement in Phase 1 of the multi-year project to build a state of the art wireless network in the New York City subway system. The network will cover 277 subway stations, enable 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and use about 120 miles of fiber-optic cable to transport wireless signals. Transit Wireless has already hit major milestones by bringing 30 new subway stations in mid-town Manhattan online by spring 2013, including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle.

Upon its completion, the Transit Wireless network will become a shared wireless infrastructure enabling commercial wireless services for more than 1.6 billion New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) riders annually. The Transit Wireless NYCTA network, one of the most expansive distributed antenna system networks worldwide, will allow the use of a wide variety of mobile devices anywhere within the system with cellular and Wi-Fi coverage options.

"Bringing such an expansive wireless network to the NYC subway system is an extremely complex process for many reasons," William Bayne Jr., CEO at Transit Wireless. "For starters, North America has the most intricate networks because we have the most frequencies licensed by the FCC. To add further complications in this case, New York's subway system is 110 years old and every station is unique and requires a custom design and deployment. Therefore, we must have the highest quality standards for the equipment we use for this project in order to ensure we have an efficient and superior network while being able to withstand the extreme environment of this New York subway venue."

RFS products that will be used in the project include HYBRIFLEX conduit cable and transmission line cabling with low smoke and zero-halogen jackets and jumpers. HYBRIFLEX combines optical fiber and DC power in a single corrugated cable. The compact and durable design makes it faster, easier and more cost effective to install than bringing both traditional optical fiber and DC power to the antenna. HYBRIFLEX is ideal for connecting power-saving Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), especially where space is constrained, and is also well suited for in-building Distributed Antenna Systems (DASs), for microwave backhaul networks and as bundled cables in harsh environments.

"It is very exciting to be involved in a project that will help bring reliable wireless service to more than a billion NYC subway riders a year," said Suzanne Kasai, business development manager, enterprise markets, RFS. "We are pleased that our solutions are well-suited to support Transit Wireless in meeting the precise coverage, traffic and route requirements necessary for such a large scale and complex endeavor."

The four major U.S. wireless carriers -- T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon -- have already signed on to become partners in the project. Customers of T-Mobile and AT&T are already receiving service and Sprint and Verizon customers will be able to use service later this year.

Trademarks: RFS® is a registered trademark of Radio Frequency Systems. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About RFS
Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) is a global designer and manufacturer of cable, antenna and tower systems, as well as active and passive RF conditioning modules, providing total-package solutions for outdoor and indoor wireless infrastructure. RFS serves OEMs, distributors, system integrators, operators and installers. Its customers currently include the four largest wireless carriers, the majority of tier 2 and 3 wireless carriers in North America and many of the top wireless and microwave OEMS worldwide.

For more than 70 years, RFS has provided its customers world-class service that today is backed by a global presence of nine manufacturing facilities worldwide and sales and technical support centers in 23 countries.  RFS offers advanced engineering capabilities, superior field support, and expert technical assistance and training to provide scalable, flexible, future-proof and lightweight end-to-end solutions optimized across the entire RF chain. As an ISO-compliant organization, RFS solutions offer proven longevity, premium performance and unrivalled quality. 

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