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Choosing the Optimal Base Station Antennas

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Opinion by Bo Jonsson, and Torbjörn Kämpe

The choice of antennas for base stations rarely receives any attention. Antennas are regarded as a cheap commodity that will “do its job” regardless of which antenna you choose.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Antennas have a tremendous impact on coverage, performance, capacity and efficiency, and choosing the right ones can make or break a mobile operator’s ability to cope with the rapidly increasing demand for data.

Looking at the installed base, one could get the impression that the obvious, or even optimal, choice for almost all sites would be the traditional 18 dBi antenna.

This antenna has 65° of horizontal beamwidth and around 6.5° of vertical beam width, as do about 80 percent of all installations on 1,700 to 2,100 MHz.

The 15 dBi antenna is still quite common, especially on the lower frequencies, with a vertical beam width of around 14°.

There are also high gain 21 dBi antennas and new so-called ultra high-efficiency antennas using air as dielectric and virtually eliminating power losses.

These antennas improve base stations’ transmission capacity, resulting in higher signal strength, an increase in geographical area coverage, improved indoor penetration, increased traffic, improved data throughput and reduced production costs per call.

One newly launched multiband antenna (by Swedish manufacturer CellMax Technologies) offers 21 dBi radiated power on the high band with 4° of vertical beam.
18 dBi antenna is chosen for historical reasons, not with forethought

How much forethought is behind the choice of 18 dBi antennas? The decision to use this antenna comes down to historical reasons.

The 18 dBi antenna was the highest gain available from antenna vendors able to deliver antennas in mass quantities, and was such an obvious choice that it became almost a de facto standard and installed almost without a second thought.

This was of course not without reasons; it was a good compromise and has served us all very well.

But the 18 dBi antenna does not deliver the highest gain anymore – high gain ultra high-efficiency antennas do.

The 18 dBi antenna was also always questioned both for its narrow vertical beam width and also its horizontal beam width of “only” 65°.

With data surpassing voice in new 3G and 4G mobile networks, interference is different and so must the antennas be to stay effective.

Most sectors would benefit significantly from an antenna with higher gain and a sharper upper roll-off curve than the standard 18 dBi can offer.

The choice of antenna depends on the individual situation

So what is the optimum antenna for all installations? The answer to this question is: “there is no such thing as an optimum antenna for all installations!”

It always depends on the situation. If there is a tall building nearby, a small antenna with lower gain like 15 dBi would do a good job. At a rural site with maximum coverage as the most important objective, a 21 dBi antenna is clearly the best option.

At suburban sites the focus shifts towards capacity, suppression of interference and less on coverage. In can be seen that a high gain antenna will provide a 3.5 dB stronger signal level in the center of the cell, and suppress interference from next cell better than the 18 dBi antenna.

The 3.5 dB extra will improve in-building coverage and data transfer speed. Also, the lower interference will improve C/I and further improve performance.

A high carrier-to-interference ratio (C/I) is the key parameter for efficiency, data rate and general success. So a high gain high efficiency antenna is again the best choice.

What about dense urban sites? After all, that is where most antennas are installed and the requirement is here to contain the signal within the cell while at the same time provide a very strong signal for good in-building penetration and high C/I for high speed data transfer.

Simulations and real-life tests show that there is a very sharp “cut off” at 650 meters from the high gain antenna at 6° tilt.

This will provide a significant reduction of interference and a magnificent control of soft handover load.

There is a remarkable difference between 5.5° and 6° which proves that antenna tilt is crucial to performance, and that antenna tilt setting is a precision job where a scale on a tilt bracket is far from accurate enough.

The high gain antenna still outperforms the 18 dBi antenna in dense urban sites and the sharper upper roll off is the main asset, actually even more important than the stronger signal level.

Going further in tilt it can be seen that the high gain antenna provides a stunning 5.5 dB stronger signal and even more in interference rejection from outside 450 meters.

That does wonders for soft handover overhead and data transfer speed. So again a clear win for the 21 dBi high gain antenna with very sharp upper roll off.

High gain, high efficiency the way to go
So in summary and if we generalize a bit, we can see that the 21 dBi antenna is a better choice in surprisingly many situations, for much the same reason as the 18 dBi antenna once replaced earlier antennas with lower gain.

They very often offer significant improvements to the traditional 18 dBi antennas. But they have a significantly more complex feeding network so the efficiency becomes a very important parameter.

After all, to extend and improve coverage requires more radiated radio frequency power, not less. So look not only for a high gain antenna, but also for a high efficiency antenna!

Bo Jonsson is senior Radio Frequency Expert, CellMax Technologies and Torbjörn Kämpe, is CEO, CellMax Technologies

 

 


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MTN & Ultima Studios Kick Off Hunt for Nigeria’s Next Afrobeats Icon

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L-R: Puffy Tee, Producer and MTN Next Afrobeats Star judge; Chimdinma Maduforo, General Manager, ONErpm Nigeria; Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTNNigeria; Femi Ayeni, CEO, Ultima Studios; A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria and Andre Vibez, Producer and MTN Next Afrobeats Star judge at the media launch event for MTN Next Afrobeats Star held at the MTN Events Center, Ikoyi on Saturday, August 2, 2025.
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MTN Nigeria has officially launched Next Afrobeats Star (NAS), a bold new music reality competition designed to uncover and elevate the next generation of Afrobeats talent. The show was unveiled on Saturday, August 2, 2025, during a media event held at the MTN Rooftop Event Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos.


L-R: Puffy Tee, Producer and MTN Next Afrobeats Star judge; Chimdinma Maduforo, General Manager, ONErpm Nigeria; Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTNNigeria; Femi Ayeni, CEO, Ultima Studios; A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria and Andre Vibez, Producer and MTN Next Afrobeats Star judge at the media launch event for MTN Next Afrobeats Star held at the MTN Events Center, Ikoyi on Saturday, August 2, 2025.

Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, said: “Next Afrobeats Star is a bold initiative by MTN Nigeria, in partnership with Ultima Studios and ONErpm, to discover and elevate the next global icon of Afrobeats. At MTN, we believe in progress, not just as a brand stance but a purpose.

“We believe that every Nigerian, regardless of background, location, or education, deserves a chance to be connected, seen, heard, and celebrated. That is why we are taking this message to every corner of Nigeria, from the bustling cities to the most remote villages so that no youth is left behind. Because talent knows no boundaries, and neither should opportunity.

Today, Afrobeats is a global force, filling stadiums, topping charts, and inspiring millions. But the journey is far from over. The Next Afrobeats Star is our commitment to the future of this movement. It is a platform where raw real opportunity. Where the rhythm of Nigeria meets the reach of the world.”

A partnership between MTN Nigeria, Ultima Studios, and ONErpm, one of the fastest-growing music companies in the world, Ikenna-Emeka revealed that the winner will receive a $100,000 music deal made possible by a collaboration between ONErpm and U-Records. The remaining four finalists will also walk away with music deals ranging from $25,000 to $75,000.

This effort, Ikenna-Emeka explained, aligns with the Nigerian Government’s Destination 2030 strategy, which aims to position Nigeria as Africa’s leading hub for creative excellence. “Through the Destination 2030 strategy, the government is working to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for creative excellence by the year 2030. This vision is about more than economic growth, it’s about cultural pride, global influence, and national identity. It’s about creating an enabling environment for artistic brilliance, promoting diversity and creativity, and preserving the rich heritage that makes Nigeria unique.”

MTN’s partnership with Ultima Studios brings decades of production and talent development expertise to the show. Known for their work on Project Fame and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Ultima brings its expertise in audio-visual production.

Femi Ayeni, CEO of Ultima Studios, explained the standout quality of the show. “What makes this show different is because for the first time, we are having the producers, the beat-makers, actually recording original songs for the contestants for the show. So, they [the contestants] will be doing covers, but at the end of the day, their original songs are the ones that will determine how well they do on the show.” The producers have been revealed as Andre Vibez, Puffy Tee, Sarz and P. Prime.

Head of Content at Ultima Studios, Oluwabori Richards, explained that Next Afrobeats Star will feature online registration and in-person auditions. “After texting NAS to 13013, you get a text back with a link and a unique code,” he said. “That link takes you to the Next Afrobeats Star website, and then you enter your unique code and email address. Once you do that, you fill in your registration details.”

Richards added that the website hosts 10 to 12 instrumentals from the four producers. “Download any of the tracks that you want, you make music on it and then you put it back on the website. When you do that, we have A&R execs from ONErpm who will be reviewing all the entries.”

He also noted that regional auditions will be held in Jos, Enugu, and Lagos, giving applicants the option to audition either digitally or in person. “So, once we collate all the entries, both regionally and on digital platforms, 300 people will be shortlisted to come to the trial. The trial is the first round of the show, and that’s the first time you will be performing before judges,” he said.

The competition is open to Nigerians and will focus not only on discovering talent but also on nurturing it through professional development, mentorship, and access to industry-standard resources. To apply, text NAS to 13013 using an MTN line. Visit mtn.ng/NAS for more information.


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WhatsApp Cracks Down on Criminal Scammers & Introduces New Safety Tools

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WhatsApp on Tuesday announced significant advancements in its ongoing fight against sophisticated messaging scams, including taking down millions of accounts linked to criminal scam centers and the rollout of new in-app safety features designed to protect users globally. These efforts underscore WhatsApp’s commitment to user security amidst a landscape of increasingly complex fraudulent schemes.

In the first six months of this year alone, WhatsApp proactively detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts associated with criminal scam centers. These decisive actions were taken before scam centers could fully operationalize their fraudulent campaigns, preventing potential harm to countless users.

“The fight against scams is a relentless one, and we are continually evolving our defenses to stay ahead of bad actors,” said Kojo Boakye, Vice President of Public Policy, Africa, Middle East and Türkiye at Meta. “This is part of our unwavering commitment to protect our users, not just by banning malicious accounts, but by empowering individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to recognize and avoid these sophisticated threats. We believe that a safer messaging environment is built through a combination of robust technology, proactive detection , and user education.”

How Scammers Operate: Criminal scam centers often run multiple campaigns simultaneously, ranging from deceptive cryptocurrency investments to elaborate pyramid schemes. A common red flag for these scams is the demand for upfront payments to secure promised returns. These fraudulent activities frequently span multiple platforms, starting on dating apps or via text messages, then migrating to social media, private messaging apps like WhatsApp, and ultimately to payment or crypto platforms. This multi-platform approach is designed to evade detection by individual services, making comprehensive disruption more challenging.

In the latest example of cross-industry collaboration, WhatsApp, Meta, and OpenAI jointly disrupted a scam operation linked to a criminal scam center in Cambodia. This network utilized ChatGPT to generate initial text messages directing targets to WhatsApp, then quickly moved them to Telegram where they were assigned a task of liking videos on TikTok, eventually coercing them into depositing money into crypto accounts.

New WhatsApp Anti-Scam Tools: In addition to disrupting scam centers, WhatsApp is rolling out new features designed to protect against known scam tactics:

  • Group Messaging: A new safety overview will now appear when a user is added to an unfamiliar group by someone not in their contacts. This overview provides key group information and safety tips, allowing users to exit the group without viewing the chat. Notifications from such groups will be silenced until the user explicitly chooses to engage.

  • Individual Messaging: WhatsApp is testing new approaches to caution users before they engage with unknown contacts. This includes providing additional context about the sender when initiating a chat with someone not in their contacts, enabling users to make informed decisions.

Tips to Avoid Scams in Private Messaging: WhatsApp encourages all users to adopt a “Pause, Question, Verify” approach when encountering suspicious or unusual messages:

  • PAUSE: Take time before responding. Think about whether this is a number you recognize, or whether it reads like a legitimate ask.

  • QUESTION: Does the request make sense? Does it seem too good to be true? Are they asking for money, gift cards, or PIN codes? Are they rushing you into taking action? These might be signs of a scam.

  • VERIFY: If the sender claims to be a friend or family member, verify their identity directly through another communication method (e.g., a phone call to a known number) before taking any action.

WhatsApp remains dedicated to continually enhancing its security measures and collaborating with industry partners to create a safer digital environment for its global community.


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Kenyan Court Blocks Paradigm Initiative’s Bid to Join Digital Freedom Lawsuit Against X Corp

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In a pivotal ruling with implications for digital rights and judicial neutrality, the High Court in Nairobi has rejected an application by Paradigm Initiative (PIN) to participate as amicus curiae in a landmark data protection case involving X Corp, formerly known as Twitter.

The suit, filed by petitioner Felix Kibet, seeks sweeping reforms in Kenya’s online environment. Kibet has called on the court to compel X Corp to delete Kenyan accounts operating under aliases, remove content deemed offensive—ranging from lewd and pornographic to hateful—and ensure government enforcement of constitutional safeguards on social media platforms.

PIN, a pan-African organization known for its advocacy of digital rights, argued that the case raised uncharted constitutional questions surrounding anonymity, freedom of expression, and privacy in Kenya. They offered to submit neutral, expert commentary rooted in both domestic and international legal frameworks.

However, their application was met with resistance from the petitioner and the Communication Authority of Kenya, who argued PIN’s brief revealed partisan inclinations.

In its ruling, the court acknowledged PIN’s expertise but emphasized the rigorous standards set by the Supreme Court in Trusted Society of Human Rights Alliance v. Mumo Matemo. According to those guidelines, amici must be neutral, legally grounded, and offer fresh perspectives not already presented.

The judge ruled that PIN’s previous publication—Devolved Impunity: The State of Safety and Security of Bloggers in Kenya—demonstrated bias and aligned with one side of the case.

“For those reasons, the application has failed the Supreme Court’s test… based on its prior and ongoing role within commentary on digital freedom,” the judgment read.

The decision underscores the judiciary’s effort to preserve objectivity in cases concerning digital freedoms and sets a high bar for civil society participation.

Analysts say the ruling may influence how courts across Africa assess third-party submissions in technology-related litigation.


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