Published by WIA on HetNetForum
Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and Small Cells Defined
As its name suggests, a DAS takes the radiofrequency (RF) signal from a standard third-party
cellular base station and conveys it through a series of active and passive network elements via
fiber, copper or coaxial cabling to an array of relatively low-power antennas throughout a building,
venue or campus. Because the transmitting antennas may be located inside the building, they may
deliver stronger signals than neighboring macro towers, whose transmissions must penetrate
exterior and interior walls of the structure. The DAS base station also provides its own capacity, so
intensive indoor use — for example in an airport or convention center — does not “rob” capacity
from the surrounding macro network.