Bridge to the futureHow Kathrein is revolutionising indoor and campus-wide mobile communications

THEANteNNAThe company magazine of KATHREIN-Werke KGIssue 1/2014

3

Creating quality –Challenging limits

Kathrein is the world's largest and oldest antenna manufacturer.

With its headquarters in Rosenheim, the company offers cutting-edge

products in various fields of telecomminications.

Kathrein's mobile communication systems in particular are in great

demand meeting the enormous growth in data transmission rates in

networks around the world.

Outstanding quality and technological leadership make Kathrein

a global market leader in communications technology. Numerous

awards and accolades each year bear witness to the antenna

manufacturer's innovative strength. More than 550 engineers and

technicians are employed in the development departments of the

Kathrein Group working on the technologies of tomorrow.

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Feature: Bridge to the futureHow Kathrein is revolutionising indoor and campus-wide mobile communications

Interview: Setting signalsQuestions to Dr Michael Weber, Kathrein Group CTO

Guest article: Considering major approachesCaroline Gabriel, Rethink Technology Research Ltd, on trends in the provision of mobile communications within buildings

Case Study: Counting blouses made easyHow Marc O’Polo is optimising its textile logistics using RFID technology

Story: Turbo data for cable TV networksAbout powerful Internet links that at the same time need to provide reliably high data rates to many users

Interview: When cars learn to communicateA discussion with Michael Heise, CEO of Kathrein Automotive

Portrait: Classicist and engineerAbout Max Göttl, one of the most important brains behind the development of mobile communication antennas

News: New SAT distribution centre in Ulm Kathrein erects radio antennas in Oshakati and Kamanjab

Social commitment: Kathrein supports KU’KO and the Lokschuppen exhibition centreKathrein collaborates as sponsor with Veranstaltungs- und Kongress GmbH Rosenheim (VKR)

Contents

Main feature

54

Bridgeto the futurehow Kathrein is revolutionising indoor and campus-wide mobile communications

Data traffic in mobile communications is exploding. Increasing numbers

of mobile users and mobile connections combined with higher speeds are

creating significant challenges for mobile network operators. Transmission

rates and capacities must be constantly expanded. The volume of mobile

data traffic is predicted to increase tenfold in the next four years. Forecasts

say that by 2018 more than 15 exabytes will flood through global networks

each month. This is a volume of data equivalent to one million terabyte disk

drives. One of the biggest challenges faced by network operators is how to

design data traffic within buildings to meet future demands.

5 THE ANTENNA #176

vantage of DAS is the possibility to transmit signals for several mobile network operators. Indoor DAS systems are already deployed in sports arenas and airports, for example when the building owners, users or system integrators have installed a sin-gle antenna system to support various wireless services.

DAS solutions are static

DAS solutions have, however, a significant disadvantage – they are static and provide no capa- city to adapt network capacity to match changing requirements quickly and affordably. Since a com- plex coaxial cable structure with splitters and antennas needs to be installed, DAS requires ca-pacity requirements to be forecast and hotspots to be determined two or three years in advance. The entire system has to be manually reconfigu-red, calibrated and adjusted if building utilisation changes because, for example, a business moves from one floor to another or because higher band-width is required for mobile communications in the management board's offices. This results in

More than three-quarters of mobile data communications is now accounted for by data traffic within buildings. Besides offices, stores and private households it also involves public places such as airports, railway stations and hotels. More efficient data communications solutions with higher capacities will be required if future demand is to be met. The new LTE wireless networking standard allows such high data rates and is being rolled out to radio masts around the world. However, there are increasing restrictions within buildings. For ex-ample, energy-efficient architecture uses special metal-coated windows to reflect sunlight. However, it is difficult if not impossible for radio signals to pass through such windows.

Operators are turning to centralized radio access networks (centralized RAN, C-RAN) in order to solve the problems of network coverage and capacity. They allow the resources of macro-net- works to be efficiently exploited. As a consequence, solutions are required that support this C-RAN approach at the micro-level. Today, distributed antenna systems (DAS) play an important role in mobile communications within buildings. An ad-

feAture

a time-consuming and costly process that also demands a high level of expertise.

In addition, capacity in a building is not used consistently over the course of time. The demand for data communications is different in a shopping centre than in offices or residential buildings. And a DAS tree structure must be duplicated in order for MIMO (multiple input and multiple output) to be supported for increased data rates on mobiles phones. This means high levels of investment and interruptions to operations.

6

Innovative solution for maximum flexibility

With this in mind, Kathrein has developed a micro C-RAN solution that ensures that future demands can be met as data requirements in mobile communications constantly rise. "K-BOW" was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2014. The system uses the flexibility of a mobile communications pool and can make capacity available dynamically in areas of buildings in which it is actually needed. This allows mobile communications providers to tailor their networks to customer requirements within buildings and to respond quickly to changes in user behaviour.

K-BOW aggregates data traffic with a centralised RAN platform and forwards multiple combinations of traffic signals to individual radio units (RUs). The solution is remotely-controlled over a network monitoring system so that capacity in any area within the building can be easily in- creased or decreased. Kathrein thus allows for the creation of self-organis-ing networks (SONs) in buildings. LTE MIMO is also integrated with K-BOW, which can be introduced directly to offer end users the same data rates they find outside the building.

K-BOW results in numerous benefits for mobile communications providers. They can implement their independent single- or multiple-operator strategy based on a single platform that is compatible with every solution for OEM base stations. Automatic calibration means that no costly system configuration is required by installation teams. No local access is required when adding new carrier frequencies or introducing MIMO, either. All operations can be performed by the network monitoring centre.

Energy-saving potential

Shared network utilisation cuts the costs of investment for the pro-viders involved. K-BOW supports multi-operator connectivity and provides the possibility of assigning specific signals from one mobile communica-tions network operator to individual sectors in certain areas of a building. Selected bands and carrier frequencies can be enabled and disabled for each small cell sector. Using this function, mobile communications providers can, for example, activate a 2,100 MHz base signal to ensure basic network coverage within a building overnight and deactivate all other repeaters for the small cells. This function achieves energy savings of up to 50 per cent. K-BOW thereby opens up a whole new business model. At peak times, the lead operator can sell surplus or neutral host capacities and services to other operators.

The best signal – at all times

"The mobile communications sector will continue to experience dynamic change in the coming years. Our K-BOW system is setting the standard for mobile data transmission in buildings by simultaneously over-coming multiple technological challenges," says Dr Michael Weber, CTO at Kathrein. "We provide network operators with the flexibility they need to respond rapidly to their customers’ demands. We are opening up exciting new possibilities for indoor network optimisation, providing users with the best possible signal quality at all times."

K-BOW comprises a C-hub that is connected via provider-independent interfaces to the base stations of the operators and that covers all frequency bands. Since the entire spectrum of a band is supported, several operators as well as MIMO-capable base stations can be combined in the C-hub. The C-hub converts the signals into a robust digital stream of data. The digital transmission cable supports distances of up to 20 kilometres to the extension hub (E-hub), where the signals are allocated to sectors that can be modified via remote maintenance. That is also where remote units (RUs) are connected by coaxial cables or optical fibre. Each RU is equipped with several band-selective transceivers and LTE MIMO transceivers. In addition, the RUs also provide transparent IP connectivity with data throughput of up to 700 Mbit/s, which can be used for a sensor network, a small cell or wireless access points. RUs will be available with various levels of performance and offer mobile communications providers variable options with which they can roll out capacity in buildings as well as in open spaces and other outdoor areas.

Our K-BOW system is setting the standard

for mobile data transmission in buildings

by simultaneously overcoming multiple

technological challenges."

"

DaTa Traffic in mobilE

communicaTions is ExploDing

98

interview

Dr MIChAEl WEBEr,

CTO KAThrEIN GrOuP

"We are witnessing a change in

demand away from purely coverage

solutions to flexible capacity solutions."

setting signALsWith its "K-BOW" active micro C-RAN solution, Kathrein is

entering the field of indoor and campus mobile communications

coverage. The system addresses a number of technological

challenges, setting new standards for indoor mobile data transmis-

sion. An interview with Dr Michael Weber, Kathrein Group CTO.

9 THE ANTENNA #176

What triggered the development of this solution?Dr Michael Weber: Kathrein has been monitoring the indoor solutions market for a number of years and realised that very little is happening in terms of technology even though the market is growing at a tremendous rate. We noticed something else, too. Demand is changing, with solutions offering flexible capacity becoming increasingly important. K-BOW exactly meets this requirement. It is allowing us to write a new chapter in the indoor segment at exact- ly the right moment. Network operators around the world are in the process of rapidly upgrading their macro-networks to LTE technology. Mobile network users are growing increasingly accustomed to the LTE service and wish to see have it indoors, too. This means that LTE upgrades are needed there, as well. However, existing solutions cost a great deal of money and also have technical weak points. In this respect we are confident that our innovative solution will attract huge interest in the market.

What were considered to be the most important criteria to be met?MW: Kathrein is a relative latecomer to the market. There are already numerous players in the field of distributed antenna systems. With K-BOW we are driving technological change and intend to lead this change through innovation and quality. Our most important challenge is to solve the increasing pro-blems of network operators with signal coverage. Traditional, static solutions are not sufficient to solve the capacity problems of the future. In cont-rast, K-BOW can do this. On one hand, the system simplifies planning and installation compared with conventional technology. But its primary advantage is that it provides a future-proof solution for LTE-Advanced upgrades. K-BOW also offers the bene-fits of conventional solutions such as support for several network operators, frequency bands and mobile communications standards.

What were the biggest challenges?MW: Everyone wants a mobile communications signal indoors but no-one wants to see an antenna. We set ourselves the aim of offering an attractive design without compromising the functionality of the system. After several attempts we came up with an impressive result, as the feedback at

increased by between 25 and 40 per cent. Here K-BOW is pursuing a strategy based on automatic and dynamic adjustment of capacity distribution. This allows energy to be saved. Capacity is reduced to a minimum overnight and energy consumption can be lowered by up to 35 per cent. Another im-portant point to emphasise is the simple planning and installation. We offer a number of tools such as a smartphone app that simplifies start-up opera-tions. K-BOW follows the "one-visit" principle. This means that end customers are only disrupted once in their rooms, i.e. during installation. Everything else is automated and changes to the system can be performed remotely. K-BOW is above all a so-lution for the long term. Besides the conventional standards of GSM and UTMS, K-BOW supports LTE with 2x2 MIMO in the 1,800 MHz and 2,600 MHz bands from the outset. The system is also ready for LTE-A features such as CoMP, i.e. coordinated multi point, and carrier aggregation. With K-BOW, network operators and building owners invest in the future.

What are the target groups for the solution?MW: Principally network operators since they can achieve better coverage and increased customer satisfaction. But K-BOW is also of interest to buil-ding owners who wish to cater for the constantly changing requirements of customers such as re-locations within buildings. Installation businesses are also likely to be interested in the subject since K-BOW opens up new sources of income through maintenance and operation.

how will mobile communications users benefit from K-BOW?MW: Everybody has experienced and been anno-yed by a poor or even total lack of signal within a building. The real advantage of K-BOW is that it provides the same LTE experience indoors and outdoors. And this is quite important as more than 80 per cent of mobile communication connections are made inside buildings. K-BOW is easier to plan and install than traditional solutions, and more buildings can be optimised for mobile communi-cations than in the past. Users therefore have the long-term prospect of a better signal in even more buildings.

the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona demonstrates. In order to address the existing problems of conventional solutions, we involved network operators and installation companies in discussions at an early stage so as to gather their feedback and include it in our system. We now need to keep it rolling, which is why we will contin- ue to collaborate closely with network operators.

What makes K-BOW so innovative and unique?MW: We are establishing a new category in the indoor segment that we call micro C-RAN. K-BOW is not a DAS system and it is not a small cell. It is an amalgamation of both solutions the outcome of which gives network operators, building owners and other providers an easy-to-use solution for the long term. K-BOW will benefit from the automati-on of small cells and from the versatility of multi-operator, multi-band and multi-standard features. Any base station can be connected to K-BOW irrespective of the system manufacturer. What is special about our system is that capacity can be distributed flexibly. Data traffic within buildings or across groups of buildings can be concentrated where it occurs. This means that the provision of capacity for each building and application can be

Our most important task

is to solve the increasing

problems of network

operators with signal

provision. Traditional, static

solutions are not sufficient

to solve the capacity

problems of the future.

"

"

1110

small cells, some with integrated Wi-Fi, some managed by an internal controller and some from the cloud. Another is to feed DAS from small cells in order to reduce cost and try to harness the best of each solution; or to deploy tiny remote radio heads over standard cable. And there are new de-velopments on the horizon, for instance in better Wi-Fi hand-off.

Enterprises, then, have many choices, and will have to decide on their key priorities in terms of coverage, capacity and cost. But within this new landscape, the antenna-based solutions are having a revival thanks to new levels of integration and new standards. A very interesting launch in this segment was made by Kathrein in February, with its K-BOW product.

This reflects several trends which are ma-king DAS – or the next evolution of distributed an-tenna platforms – more generally applicable, with lower power consumption, shorter time to install, and lower cost. DAS is certainly not a dead techno-logy – even AT&T, a great champion of small cells, is investing in just as many DAS nodes during the current year. But better economics are required to allow the antenna vendors to expand outside a high end niche, and these are demonstrated by K-BOW.

This is a challenging market for a company which is new to this particular segment, and will be competing with established DAS players as well as

At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it was hard to avoid the topic of in-buil-ding wireless. The challenges of bringing cellular coverage and capacity into enterprises, malls and other indoor environments are daunting. Several factors have made the barriers far higher in re-cent years. Employees often carry out most of their tasks on their cellphones rather than fixed phones and PCs; the deployment of 3G and some LTE in higher frequencies makes indoor penetration difficult; there is an overall upsurge in data traffic. And as more business is conducted on the cell-phone, a recent study found that the most urgent demand by enterprises was for better coverage and quality of service for voice.

There are several approaches to in-building wireless already in use. The most common are Wi-Fi; DAS (distributed antenna system); and re-peaters or other devices to improve the cellular signal coming from the macrocell outside. All three have their pros and cons. Wi-Fi is almost ubiqui-tous and good for data capacity, but can be weak for coverage and mobile voice or video hand-off. DAS is a strong coverage solution but its cost and complexity makes it suitable only for very large sites or shared environments. Solutions relying only on the macrocell are running out of steam given the weight of data traffic.

Many vendors are coming up with new remedies, many of them combining elements of the established technologies to improve the ‘three Cs’ of mobile networks - coverage, capacity and cost effectiveness. One interesting approach is

A guest contribution by Caroline gabriel, rethink technology research Ltd

CArOlINE GABrIEl,

rEThINK TEChNOlOGy

rESEArCh lTD

Considering mAjor ApproAChes

new challenges for mobile communications operators

11 THE ANTENNA #176

Wi-Fi and small cell vendors. However, K-BOW is promising many advantages which will interest the operators and enterprises as they look for the next leap forward in cost-effective, power efficient in-building systems.

Kathrein is promising many of the enhancements that DAS needs to be a more mainstream proposition, and dubs K-BOW a “micro C-RAN”, as in ‘centralized RAN’, where many endpoints are run from a single controller. That centralized, virtualized approach is becoming common in the macro layer, but with K-BOW, the same architecture can be moved from the macro to the micro layer, bringing its benefits of flexibility and management indoors.

K-BOW aggregates data traffic to the centralized RAN platform and transmits multiple combinations of signals to individual radio units (RUs). Network plans for the RUs can be loaded centrally and can support various scenarios such as ‘day and night’ (saving power by switching to 3G-only at night for instance), or specific patterns for conference rooms or peak times of day. In future, these capabilities could be integrated with carriers-self-orga-nizing network (SON) systems so that the network plan can be adapted more dynamically in response to usage patterns. The ability to change coverage and capacity remotely is designed to reduce cost and time compared to more static architectures.

K-BOW therefore promises significantly reduced cost and complexity compared to traditional DAS, but with the potential to scale to very large instal- lations and support multiple operators – and there is a higher powered, outdoor version on the roadmap too. The system is also CPRI-ready. Of course, CPRI support requires the cooperation of baseband vendors, which may have been hard in the past, but there is now significant pressure from operators for the OEMs to open up their systems. When that happens, K-BOW will be able to use the digital signal rather than the RF signal, a change which will improve cost and allow the base station to operate at full power rather than being reduced to interface to DAS.

But how willing will companies be to migrate from their existing sys-tems? The most important trigger is likely to be the move from 3G to LTE, since that will entail significant disruption anyway, making it an appropriate time to consider a new approach and a new supplier. The solution supports 2G, 3G as well as 4G, and it can assign traffic dynamically between bands (2.6GHz, 2.1GHz, 1.8GHz and 900 MHz), and upgrade, largely in software, to LTE-A features. However, the most important differentiators in K-BOW, in our opinion, lie in its readiness for upgrades to LTE MIMO, and then to LTE-Advanced capabilities, which are starting to become key priorities for operators. For instance, there is a roadmap to support CoMP (coordinated multipoint) which will have significant efficiency benefits.

Implementation of 3GPP Release 11 and 12 standards will have a far more dramatic effect on mobile network efficiency and performance than initial LTE upgrades, partly because of techniques like CoMP and eICIC, but also because this is the stage at which many operators will start to design their networks in entirely new ways. First-stage LTE roll-outs largely followed con-ventional architectures, with large cells for coverage and microcells to fill gaps.

However, to meet the rising mobile data demands of businesses and consumers, at a cost which can still support profitability, operators have to consider dramatically new approaches. These include dense meshes of small nodes – whether picocells or antennas – and centralized-RAN. These new architectures are more urgently needed indoors, where most data consump- tion takes place, than outdoors, and are particularly critical to enterprises and venues, whose mobile systems are rapidly becoming inadequate. With K-BOW, Kathrein is making a bold move to embrace the new architectures, and to adapt its existing expertise to provide an innovative new solution for the high demands of the in-building market.

Caroline Gabriel has been analysing and reporting on the high-tech industry since 1986. She has in-depth experience of technology trends and their effects on business models. She began her career as a technology correspondent, before taking on leading positions with online publications and in research and finally devoting herself entirely to research and consulting in the wireless industry. Caroline Gabriel co-founded Rethink Technology Research in 2002. The company specialises in emerging technologies in the field of mobile communications. Its focus is on the development of networks and the strategies of the 100 globally most important 4G operators. Its analysis concentrates on busi-ness scenarios and investments in wireless infrastructure and associated software with a special focus on LTE.

Biography: Caroline Gabriel

guest ArtiCLe

1312

Counting BLouses mAde eAsy

how marc o’polo is optimising its textile logistics using rfid technology

13 THE ANTENNA #176

veyed unopened past a reading device, the RFID tags on the goods are automatically scanned and it is immediately clear whether the details on the delivery note are correct.

Before the project started, Marc O'Polo first calcula-ted what investment was required and what financial benefit RFID technology would bring. The conclusion was that a very high investment would have to be made but the costs would already be recouped in the third year after implementation. Working together with a firm of management consultants, the fashion label set about looking for the right partner for the project in 2012. There were various potential providers to choose from. "We set up a test scenario reflecting what happens in our daily practice," says Peter Teufel, Director IT at Marc O'Polo, describing the approach. "For example, we performed stress tests to examine how the equipment would read a package containing 200 silk scarves lying close to-gether. A 100-per cent reading rate cannot be achieved un- der such circumstances, but the result should be as close as possible. The system from Kathrein was able to do the job and was also impressive in terms of price/performance." What also played a role was how unobtrusive the antennas were that were used to capture the signal from the RFID transponders on the goods. "In this case it was possible to use various options with Kathrein," adds Teufel.

Shorter waiting times at the cash register

Apart from logistics, the use of RFID also brought the expected benefits in the store. The items of clothing and accessories can easily be captured using a mobile handheld scanner. This means that sales staff can more easily deter-mine which items of what size have to be fetched from the storeroom. The process at the cash register is faster, too.

RFID stands for "radio frequency identification", i.e. the identification of products by means of electromagnetic waves. Marc O'Polo is a pioneer of the use of RFID in the fashion segment since, in contrast to department stores with many different labels, the company retains control over all the pro-cesses. This means that the big advantage of being able to track goods along the entire supply chain can actually be used.

"We originally had not thought about using RFID for the entire logistics process," explains Jana Hildenbrand, Director Sales Support at Marc O'Polo. Initially it was only a matter of installing the system in our own stores in order to optimise goods availability, processing at the cash register and gar-ment tagging. We soon recognised during project planning that RFID also brings significant improvements to the supply chain. Now each individual product is given an individual RFID tag after completion in the factory and can therefore be tracked all the way from production to the store.

Deliveries are checked in next to no time

"We used to have to believe what was stated on the delivery note since detailed inspection would have cost too much in terms of time and manpower," Jane Hildenbrand says. "In future it will be easy for us to determine whether a shipment actually contains the 2,000 blouses that we were advised of. The central warehouse is being equipped with a new control system for incoming goods. The boxes are con-

"rFID is a logistical

challenge that

we have tackled

with great care.

This is the only way

to achieve the

intended benefits."

CAse study

The Marc O'Polo fashion label is one of the leading brands in the premium

casual segment with more than 2,600 stores and retail partners. Logistics is

one of the core tasks within the company owing to short collection cycles and

rapidly changing trends. Flexibility, customer focus and, above all, speed are

vital. Marc O’Polo will in future be deploying RFID in order to optimise its

processes. Most of the technical equipment required for this will be supplied

by Kathrein.

1514

The companyEstablished in Stockholm in 1967, Marc O'Polo is today a leading international premium casual wear brand. The originally Swedish label is characterised by a preference for natural materials. The headquarters of Marc O’Polo AG is situated in Stephanskirchen, south of Munich. The central warehouse there supplies around 2,600 international stores and retailers. Marc O’Polo apparel is currently available from 105 of the company's own stores, 149 franchisees, 1,168 shop-in-shop partners and 1,193 multi-brand stores in some 30 countries. Sales in the 2012/2013 business year totalled around EUR 420 million. Marc O’Polo has more than 1,800 employees around the world.

The challengeThe challenge was to optimise the fashion label's textile logistics and, in the process, achieve cost savings. This involved accelerating the turnover of goods and ensuring protection against theft.

The solutionThanks to the use of RFID technology, Marc O'Polo is able to track goods through transportation from production to the point of sale. RFID tags attached to the products provide a precise overview of incoming goods and inventories.

The benefitMarc O’Polo saves time and therefore money at several points in the supply chain. The fast recording of stock levels and goods movements reduces the working time required for these activities.

Marc O’Polo and Kathrein

"Our processes have

become far more

efficient than before

with rFID. This is

something customers

appreciate when they

nolonger have to

wait as longat the

cash register."

Staff no longer scan individual barcodes. And since the RFID tag is also used to secure the goods, it is no longer necessary to remove a hard plastic tag. Customers simply place their articles on the counter. These are then scanned and the purchase is confirmed following payment. The system automatically knows that the goods may legitimately leave the store.

Theft detection is a challenge for RFID in technical terms since the system must recognise whether for example a pair of trousers in the ent-rance area is being presented or is already on its way out of the store. "We are talking here of a complicated movement profile for an RFID transponder," explains Thomas Brunner, Sales Manager at Kathrein RFID. For this purpose there are four antennas installed on the ceiling of every Marc O’Polo store that continuously capture data. Special software evaluates this data and can determine based on various parameters whether someone is trying to steal the trousers or whether the gentlemen simply wishes to show them to his wife standing at the shelf opposite.

Processes and premises must be customised

For all the benefits of RFID there are still a few sticking points. "You cannot assume that everything will be simpler and faster," acknowledges Jana Hildenbrand. For example, the structural constraints of the stores must be taken into account. Without appropriate adjustments it is easily possible for articles in the storeroom to be scanned when only the stock in the store itself is to be captured. For stock-taking, care must be taken to ensure that a tag is attached to each article and especially that there are no loose tags lying around. "It is not simply that you just walk through the store to complete stock-taking," says Marc O'Polo's RFID project manager. It is important to deliberately slow down some processes and, above all, to thoroughly train staff in order to ensure that they understand the equipment.

Marc O’Polo intends completing the rollout of RFID technology across all stores by summer, something which has not gone unnoticed in the industry.

"We have already received initial enquiries from other companies," says Jana Hildenbrand, "but we first want to gain some experience and then we can perhaps give presentations on the subject later."

15 THE ANTENNA #176

CAse study

Interview with Jana Hildenbrand

how did Marc O’Polo hit upon the topic of rFID?Jana hildenbrand: A few years ago, fashion label Gerry Weber conducted initial tests with RFID. As a result, our management board suggested that we should also look into it. The technology is useful to us as a company to the extent that we can use it along the entire value chain, i.e. in logistics as well as in our own stores.

how did the project run in your view?Jh: Personally I had very little idea about the technology, but I became acquainted with it very quickly. Our cost-benefit analysis then revealed that we could achieve a return on investment within an appropriate period and so we went for it. We found competent partners for the technical equipment in Kathrein and system integrator Enso Detego. The whole project has taken a good eighteen months from kick-off to rollout, but you need that time if you wish to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Overall I am very satisfied with the way things have gone.

What have been the most important lessons learnt from the project?Jh: The most important lesson has been that you have to work hard to achieve a 100 per cent reading rate. It is not a question of just scanning the goods. We also have got to know the limits of RFID technology. Metal shelving and storage racks can have a considerable negative effect on readability. We had to make a number of adjustments in this areas and train our staff accordingly. Nevertheless, the benefits definitely outweigh the disadvantages in logistics and in retailing.

JANA hIlDENBrAND,

DIrECTOr SAlES SuPPOrT,

MArC O’POlO

1716

Retrieving a missed programme from the media library, sending holiday

photos to friends or making the latest video clips of the children available

to grandparents – all this has long since become routine. Today's youth

is growing up quite naturally with social networking. All this requires

efficient Internet connections that can reliably provide high data rates for

many users at the same time.

17 THE ANTENNA #176

In these circumstances, the cable sector is preparing the next step. The recently agreed DOCSIS 3.1 standard defines data rates of up to 10 Gbit/s at the technical level. This not only ensures future-proof solutions. Thanks to new modulation methods, lower susceptibility to interference and improved error correction it is possible to further increase the transmission capacity of existing cable networks by up to 50 per cent. The first cable modems for the new standard are expected to reach the market in the course of 2015.

DOCSIS 3.1 also allows the use of additional frequency bands and thus provides additional bandwidth. The frequency range can be extended in a first step from 862 to 1200 MHz. This will require investment in networks. Optical transmitters, receivers and coaxial amplifiers as well as passive networks must be enhanced to meet the advanced requirements. Kathrein is developing the new generation of equipment to enable network operators to upgrade their networks at an early stage. The first 1200-MHz models are already in production and additional products will soon be brought to market. De-tailed discussions with major customers have accompanied the development process in order to define the functional scope of the new equipment.

Kathrein has been able to contribute its many years of experience and its extensive expertise to the process. This will enable cable network operators to further increase their lead over the competition – and customers will be able to enjoy data services at maximum speed.

There is fierce competition in the fixed line segment between telecommunications companies with their countless DSL services, cable TV operators and in some cases new providers with optical fibre. Here cable TV operators have been able to gain significant market share in recent years. A major advantage is the "triple play" offering, i.e. TV services, telephony and Internet from a single source. Furthermore, a well developed infrastructure allows maximum data rates to be achieved. Thanks to the DOCSIS 3.0 transmission stan- dard that is commonly in use today it is already technically possible to achieve speeds of 400 Mbit/s, and some services already make use of this to a large degree. High data rates in turn result in high data volumes that need to be transported over the networks. Network operators are seeing a 30-50 per cent increase in data traffic each year. Cable network operators are having to invest in network segmentation in or-der to offer the highest possible quality of service. With more optical fibres and optical receivers, fewer users share the bandwidth of one cell.

Furthermore, cable TV networks can also serve as a robust data backbone for public WiFi hotspots. This explains the considerable strategic interest that mobile communications companies are showing in cable network operators. Some cable network operators are also opening up their customers WiFi cable modems for public use, giving rise to so-called homespots. Urban areas with high rates of penetration are seeing the development of almost full-coverage wireless networks providing broadband connectivity to mobile devices

– and all this within a short space of time with minimum invest-ment. Belgian and Dutch cable network operators in particular along with some German companies have been focussing on homespots.

turBo dAtA for CABLe tv networKs

story

Thanks to new

modulation methods,

lower susceptibility

to interference and

improved error cor-

rection it is possible

to further increase

the transmission

capacity of existing

cable networks by

up to 50 per cent.

1918

Many benefits would result if cars could talk to each other. Drivers would be

warned earlier about possible dangers and many accidents could be prevented.

So-called car-to-X communication allows vehicles to exchange data and information

with the help of electronics and sensors. However, it will take another few years

until this becomes standard. Nevertheless, car drivers' communications needs are

already a hot issue. Data transfer in cars via mobile devices such as smartphones

and tablets is increasing rapidly. A discussion with Michael Heise, CEO of Kathrein

Automotive, about the challenges of the future.

MIChAEl hEISE,

CEO KAThrEIN AuTOMOTIvE

when CArs LeArn to CommuniCAte

19 THE ANTENNA #176

processing unit. However, what we can currently achieve does not yet meet the desired cost target, which is nothing unusual for the first generation of a new technology.

let us spin the idea of the communicating car a little further. The increasing desire for an uninterrupted data connection and impending autonomous driving will in fu-ture require significantly higher data rates. how are you contributing to this?MH: One of the main areas of focus of our research is the development of multiple antenna systems for the new LTE mobile communications devices and impending 5G. Here we are developing basic solutions in the Kathrein Group that will also benefit our automotive customers. We can, for example, demonstrate optimum multiple antenna solutions for a vehicles using sophisticated simulations.

Does the automotive industry require or demand this expertise?Mh: In our view, a supplier of antennas also needs a profound systematic understanding of very com-plex mobile communications standards in order to be able to offer optimum solutions. The numerous enquiries directed to us by the automotive industry concerning mobile communications and LTE test systems shows us that we are on the right track here.

End customers are attaching increasing importance to having perfect reception for their smartphones together with high data rates in their cars, too. how are you addressing this?Mh: Besides antenna solutions we will in future also offer our customers solutions for optimum reception for smartphones, which users wish to integrate with vehicle architecture. One of these is the so-called "coupling antenna" used to connect the smartphone to the higher-performance vehicle antenna. We use compensators to remove any loss

The idea of a car that can communicate has been around for a some time. Scenarios, modules and components of networked motoring have been discussed in public for around ten years. Where are we today?Michael heise: Numerous field tests aimed at technical validation have been performed in Germany and Europe in the last few years. One particular test worth mentioning is the 'Safe and Intelligent Mobility Test Field Germany (simTD) project'. Vehicles are networked with one another and with the infrastructure and as a result can exchange information at lightning speed. The pro-ject has been conducted by a large consortium of German car manufacturers, automotive suppliers and university research institutions. One finding was that the number of traffic-related deaths could fall by up to 90 per cent because information, for example on traffic holdups, obstructions or icy conditions, would be available to all road users. In addition, up to EUR 6.5 billion could be saved through accident prevention.

The question arises as to the system ar-chitecture, i.e. how vehicles communicate with one another. WiFi would be one possi-bility of allowing data to be exchanged di-rect from car to car, with each vehicle being a transmitter and receiver at the same time. Information and warnings would be passed from one vehicle to the next like a relay baton. however, car makers also appear to be looking into connections via mobile communications with everything running via a telematics control centre. What is the position of Kathrein Automotive on this subject?Mh: Kathrein Automotive can develop the optimum antenna solution for whatever communications channel is desired. The chosen communications standard, whether WiFi 802.11 p or cellular mobile standards, depends on the so-called use case, i.e. the application that is the be offered to car owners. A collision warning within a range of two kilometres is more likely to be transmitted by WiFi while a congestion warning is more likely to be relayed using cellular mobile communications. For this rea- son the different standards with their particular characteristics can usefully complement each other and converge in a telematics control unit in the vehicle.

What are the greatest challenges from a technical viewpoint?Mh: The consortium of car manufacturers and automotive supply industry is interested in provi-ding an attractive cost-efficient solution that al-lows very robust communication between vehicles even at high speeds. This places high demands on the performance of antenna, receiver and signal

on the way between the smartphone antenna and the exterior antenna and use an "intelligent anten-na matrix" to minimise the number of telephone antennas required.

We are talking here about products that are external to our current portfolio. Does Kathrein Automotive wish to change its main focus?Mh: Certainly not. Kathrein stands for the product antenna. However, where we see additional product ideas for our excellent high-frequency knowledge we will present our ideas to the market and, if customers show interest, develop solutions for them tailored to the automotive industry.

Around the world there are differences in the implementation and selection of mobile communications standards and the asso- ciated frequencies. how are you dealing with this?Mh: Thanks to Kathrein Automotive's internatio-nal structure, with development teams in all the important regions of the world, we are able to support development work with first-hand infor- mation. For example, this helped us in the develop-ment and testing of the optimum antenna for BDS, a new version of the Chinese satellite navigation system.

Kathrein is one of the pioneers in antenna solutions for cars. In the past the company has permanently shaped this market through technical innovation, which then enabled new communication and entertain- ment technology to be introduced for cars. What is the path ahead for Kathrein Auto-motive?Mh: Our antennas are typically located on the outer surface of vehicles. What is important here, besides the technical demands placed on a high-perfor-mance antenna, are the very important visions that design departments have today. This is where our engineers very often have to perform a very fine balancing act between functionality and aesthetics. In order to be well prepared for future requirements we will constantly develop our antenna solutions for various services within ever smaller spaces.

interview

In our view, a supplier of

antennas also needs a

profound systematic under-

standing of very complex

mobile communications

standards in order to be able

to offer optimum solutions.

"

"

2120

The well-known phrase "My door is always open" appears to be true in Max Göttl's case. When you visit his office do not need to push the door handle if you wish to speak to him. The 52-year old receives visitors in a room dominated by an im-pressive ficus tree. His office also contains a desk with computer, a small meeting table, a couple of

CLAssiCist And engineer

MAx GöTTl,

SENIOr DIrECTOr rESEArCh & DEvElOPMENT

books and a whiteboard – nothing else. It does not need to, either, since Göttl is literally always on the move. "I've bought myself a pedometer," he explains. He wanted to know haw many metres he covered on an average day on his many ways through the company buildings. "They say you should walk around 10,000 paces a day if you

You can easily have a discussion with Max Göttl about cows. Or about the

poet Ovid. Göttl knows about agriculture since he grew up on a farm.

And after attending a monastery school he took his school graduation

exams – partly in Latin. However he chose not to become a farmer or a

teacher – technology is his true passion, something he recognised back

in his school days. At Kathrein, Max Göttl is one of the most important

brains behind the development of mobile communication antennas.

21 THE ANTENNA #176

want to do something for your health. I manage 8,000 to 9,000 paces a day in spite of the many meetings spent sitting – and that's just during working hours."

Direct to Kathrein

In contrast, it was only a short path that brought Göttl to Kathrein. After gaining a degree in electrical engineering from University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg he effectively had a free choice of jobs since there was a great demand for engineers at the time. He joined Kathrein direct in 1986 partly because "the people here seemed to me to be the most down-to-earth, and the atmos-phere was very personal." It was an exciting time, he remembers. As a development engineer in the area of mobile communications you had to take care of everything, including product documenta-tion and sales. "The department was very small back then. Nowadays you would say it was a sort of start-up within the company. We have learnt a great deal, and that has proved to be very valuable."

Mobile communications saw impressive development in the 1990s, and with it Kathrein. Telephoning on the go became a matter of course thanks to GSM technology. UMTS became the standard in mobile communications in the 2000s, and Kathrein was not just able to maintain its market position but to continue to expand it. Things took off for Max Göttl, too. He was promoted to head of electrical development for mobile commu-nications antennas in recognition of his skills and for him a big sign of trust by his managers at the time.

A man for predictions

The father of four is now on the move in two directions, so to speak. On the one hand, he is responsible for the operational side of business.

"My responsibility here is to bring new products to market. For example, when there is capacity bottleneck in a project, I'll assist to find some quick solutions," Göttl explains. On the other hand, he is always thinking of the future. What are the fu-ture directions of the market and technology and what will mobile communications look like in five or ten years time? "The next big thing will be 5G,

no question about it," says Göttl. 5G connectivity will enable data rates that are many times faster than the 4G technology currently in use. Marke-table solutions are not expected before 2020, and Kathrein intends being at the forefront here, as well.

"5G technology will be powerful, which is why companies in the Far East are investing a great deal of money in developing this new standard," expounds Göttl. He is not afraid because of this since Kathrein will also be able to take a leading role in this new technology thanks to its many years of experience and its highly qualified development engineers. "Having more people and more money is of course an advantage, but that doesn't automa- tically make you successful." The company must nevertheless continue to recruit new people in or-der to prepare itself for the future. The 52-year old sees Kathrein as an extremely attractive employer for young talent. "Development in a medium-sized company takes place in small teams, individuals are given far more support and their ideas are heeded. And there is still the possibility to work together with the major players."

It is the teamwork that Max Göttl likes best about his job. And here it is the personal contact that is very important. "I try to telephone as little as possible within the company. Instead, I try to talk face to face with my colleagues. I'm under way in development every single day and have many dis-cussions to gather ideas on how we can continue to improve."

Conscious relaxation

On the go from morning till evening, leading many discussion and frequently acting as trouble- shooter for problems – all this takes its toll on body and mind. It is not always easy for him to switch off after hours, but it is something he is still

working on. Family is the most important thing for the 52-year old in his free time. He has taken up playing football again with his son, and he enjoys going to classical concerts with his wife. And he can often be found working on the vegetable patch in his garden, which is not surprising for a farmer's son.

Göttl knows what manual work means. Not just from his family background, also from jobs on building sites during his youth. He has tremendous respect for colleagues in production. "The people there are making a very important contribution to the success of our company."

"I'm currently learning latin again."

He finds a factory hall a particularly fasci-nating place because that is where what he and his colleagues in development have thought up is given a material form. It is however a long journey before ideas that have matured in their heads can be seen as finished products packaged and ready for shipment. "It takes a lot of patience, and that is not always easy for me." Max Göttl would ideally like to see his visions become reality with a click of his fingers.

He can at least practice being patient at home. Together with his wife, he is bringing up three daughters and a son, and composure as well as patience are indispensable virtues here. His classical education comes back to haunt him when homework is pending. "I have one daughter in the year seven at grammar school and I recently struggled with the perfect passive participle when helping her learn. That's a humbling experience," he says with a smile.

portrAit

Göttl knows what manual work

means. Not just from his family

background, also from jobs

on building sites during his youth.

he has tremendous respect for

colleagues in production.

"The people there are making a

very important contribution to

the success of our company."

2322

Kathrein has expanded its location in Ulm. The company moved into its new SAT distribution centre on the "Ulm Nord" industrial estate at the begin- ning of February. The building was completed after only eighteen months of construction and is easily accessible from the motorway A8. Besides storage space of just under 4,000 m², the distribution centre also provides offices for the SAT southern sales region and a modern training centre in which technical content can be taught and new products demonstrated in a practical environment.

new sAt distribution centre in ulm

Besides majestic feline predators and lumbering elephant, the Namibian savannah has recently become home to advanced technology made in Germany: As part of a cooperation project with Rohde & Schwarz and staff of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Kathrein erected and commissioned radio antennas, multiplexers and transmitters at the locations of Oshakati and Kamanjab at the end of 2013.

Kathrein is not just making a significant contribution to the operational reliability of the equipment over the next 25 years. The first two of a planned total of 50 stations will also provide the country with full-coverage DVBT and FM reception by 2015.

The installed transmission antennas are suitable for broadcasting transmission power of 10 kW for five stations with minimum loss. Significantly higher efficiency is achieved by switching the individual stations to a common output channel using a multiplexer, which in turn supplies the antenna via feed cables. NBC's requirements with regard to mechanical stability and radiation characteristics were met in full through the professional project support provided by engi-neers in Rosenheim. For example, project manager Anton Vogl (back row, left) from Kathrein's Broad-cast Antenna Systems division travelled to Namibia to put "his" equipment into operation. Installation was completed on time through collaboration with Mbeno Murangi (front row, right), NBC's Technical Director, and his team of technicians.

The only risks for the broadcasting ope-rations come from the flora and fauna. Namibian elephants, for example, are fond of using electricity pylons to clean their skin, something which can bring power cut power supplies several hundred kilometres away for days.

Digital FM radio in Namibia

Kathrein erects radio antennas in oshakati and Kamanjab

news

The radio antenna in Oshakati, Namibia.

The technician team from the Namibian Broadcasting

Corporation with Anton Vogl (back row, left) in the trans-

mission room.

23 THE ANTENNA #176

Commit-ment

VKR is home to the KU’KO arts and cultural centre and to the Lokschuppen exhibition centre. "We are assisting the civic function of promoting the social and cultural life of the city and surrounding area as well as the development of its economic strength. To this end we offer a high-quality and at-tractive cultural programme with concerts, theatre, exhibitions and much more," explains VKR Managing Director Peter Lutz.

Around 4.3 million guests in 30 years

The KU’KO centre is one of the top venues for conferen-ces and cultural events in south-eastern Bavaria. The KU’KO

centre is an impressive venue for corpo-rate events, top-class congresses or me-morable concerts thanks to its generous space and first-class facilities, serving as an attractive meeting place for cultural, political and social events. With its va-ried and high-quality events programme, the KU’KO centre is an important factor in developing the city of Rosenheim and its surrounding region. The KU‘KO cen-

KAthrein supports

Ku’Ko And the LoKsChuppen exhiBition Centre

Promoting art and culture in the Rosenheim area is an integral part of Kathrein's corporate

philosophy. "I am aware of my responsibility in this field, too," says CEO Anton Kathrein.

The aim of sponsoring activities is always to do something for society, which is the reason

why Kathrein has undertaken a new commitment. The company is collaborating as the main

sponsor with Veranstaltungs- und Kongress GmbH Rosenheim (VKR).

tre has welcomed around 4.3 million guests, including many world stars, since it opened 30 years ago.

The Lokschuppen is well known as an exhibition centre far beyond local and regional borders. The cultural heart of the city of Rosenheim is semi-circular owing to its history. It is an old locomotive shed that was turned into an architectural gem in the 1980s, winning an award from the Association of German Architects. Prior to that the construction had been used as a warehouse, archive, library and even as a sports hall. The new exhibition centre opened in 1988 with a show called "Die Bajuwaren" ("The Baiovarii"). VKR assumed responsibility for operating and marketing the exhibition centre a year later.

Special exhibition on the Inca people

With up to 280,000 visitors each year, the Lokschuppen centre is one of Germany's ten most successful exhibition venues. A speciality are the state and special exhibitions that combine a sound academic ba-sis with a sophisticated, aesthe- tically ambitious presentation. The special exhibition "INCAS – Kings of the Andes" can be seen for the first time in Europe until 23 November. It presents the legendary pre-Spanish culture from its beginnings through to colonisation.

support for the arts expanded

Picture: B. Müller

24

"The Antenna" is the company magazine of KATHREIN-Werke KGKAThrEIN-Werke KGCorporate CommunicationsAnton-Kathrein-Straße 1-3, 83022 Rosenheim, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)8031 184-299, E-Mail: presse@kathrein.de

Publisher responsible (V.i.S.d.P.): Anton Kathrein

Image and picture rights: Unless otherwise indicated, all rights are the property of KATHREIN-Werke KG and the individual authors.Reprinting only with permission of the editorial team. Articles appearing under the name of the author do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial team.

99812253/5/414/mm/R Technical data subject to change

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