German communication leader, Kathrein, opens Bangalore centre to showcase current and future telecom solutions. Some are truly disruptive -- like a Wi-Fi antenna buried under a street manhole!
Leading Rosenheim, German-headquartered international specialist for in communication technologies– Kathrein — has set up a new regional customer experience centre, in Bangalore, to showcase its current and future technologies in 4G and 5G networks and smart urban solutions.
The company hopes to partner with India-based telecom providers in areas like Smart Cities and at last month's CommunicAsia expo in Singapore, showcased its product innovations. Some of them appeared to be truly disruptive and relevant for India. Consider:
Kathrein Street Connect is a micro cell solution for optimal mobile coverage in inner cities. The antenna is installed not a height, but on the ground—under street manhole covers, creating dense but unobtrusive hotspots for street-level users.
Another solution that was developed for particularly lively spots such as city centres is Kathrein Inside Connect. This is a modular system integrated into billboards, advertising columns and bus shelters and is therefore not visible. Indoors, the antenna could be built into furniture.
These solutions might find application in India, as more Smart Cities come on the map with the promise of wide-spread public WiFi networks.
Demonstrating these solutions at CommunicAsia, Ashwini Bakshi, Kathrein's Managing Director for Asia Pacific and Frank Weber, group vice president and head of marketing, said the company was already set to launch a suite of new solutions to cater to 5G — when the new standard becomes operational in a year or two. Kathrein 5G innovations on display included antennas using innovative glass-ceramic radiators where the filters were embedded.
Ericsson in its latest Mobility Report, predicts that Asia Pacific will emerge as the second fastest growing region for 5G subscriptions with 10% being 5G in 2022. In India, LTE and WCDMA/HSPA technologies are together expected to represent 85 percent of all Indian subscriptions by 2022, while 5G subscriptions are forecast to constitute 0.2 percent of total mobile subscriptions reaching 3 million.
Many of these current and upcoming solutions spanning 4G and 5G, can be seen in the 300 square metre Bangalore showroom which includes technology demos, training courses, and a test and diagnostic lab. Special focus is on developing software for regional solutions and customer requirements. Also showcased are areas like vehicle connectivity, Internet of Things, building digitalisation and smart cities.
“Our new customer centre in Bangalore is a place where you can experience Kathrein’s quality and technology at first hand,” said Bakshi.
