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Femtocell cellular base stations used by Global Medical Response (GMR) in their Dallas, Texas, offices are receiving high-accuracy GPS location and timing signals from RF-over-fiber links from ViaLite Communications.
The GPS signals help GMR provide emergency quality medical care at a moment’s notice, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world.
The Local Integrated GPS Splitter. (Photo: ViaLite)
The highly reliable system consists of a ViaLite GPS Link that sends the GPS and timing signals from the rooftop antenna down an optical fiber to a Local Integrated GPS splitter situated in the building. The splitter then distributes the timing data to multiple femtocells.
“The efficiency of ViaLite’s signal distribution techniques is second to none, and in this emergency support application, when action at a moment’s notice can be vital, our equipment’s reliability and performance are crucial,” explained Craig Somach, ViaLite sales director.
A monitoring and control module is built into the GPS splitter. (Photo: ViaLite)
Use of the high-tech splitter, which features a built-in monitoring and control module, also eliminates the need to install multiple antennas on the rooftop, avoiding the appearance of an antenna farm.
“As a first-time customer, we found the deployment was as smooth and simple as ViaLite had promised,” said Dan Cottom, senior manager of communication systems at GMR. “The GPS distribution is working great.”
Senior Editor Tracy Cozzens joined GPS World magazine in 2006. She also is editor of GPS World’s newsletters and the sister website Geospatial Solutions. She has worked in government, for non-profits, and in corporate communications, editing a variety of publications for audiences ranging from federal government contractors to teachers.