SMART cellphone antennas that reduce the number of masts needed to get the new 3G broadband mobile networks up and running – and minimise “dead” spots in phone coverage to boot – will be tested on a novel network during the Olympic Games in Athens this summer.
Because 3G networks use different frequencies from those used in today’s GSM system, they demand new antennas. In the UK alone, 100,000 are planned. But smart antennas that communicate with each other to provide the best coverage would cut this number by 15 per cent, says electronics engineer Laurie Cuthbert, one of the smart antenna’s…
