Afrimat

Complete Professional External Terrain & In-Building Boosting Solution for Afrimat.

Afrimat Ltd required an external terrain & in-building boosting solution for their Glenover site. Some of the areas that needed to be covered on-site includes a Water tank network expansion, Shed Expansion, Site Office, and Mine Manager Coverage area.

Pre-installation signal strength readings ranged from -112dBm (Decibel Milliwatt) to -128dBm. 

The Problem

The Afrimat GlenOver site is set on a 3500m2 property, with poor cell phone signal across the area, on all the mobile network operators. It is critical that the various areas such as the water tank, site office and mine manager's home has strong reliable signal to perform all the necessary tasks on-site. 

LTE signal was poor to non-existent in the different areas tested before the installation.

Test Area 1 Before:

Test Area 2 Before:

Test Area 1 After:

Test Area 2 After:

The Solution

The main objective was to secure the best available signal from the surrounding Mobile Network Operators.

The signal expert on the project, Steyn Volschenk recommended the range of WilsonPro amplifiers, with multiple amplifiers situated in the individual areas that required enhanced signal.

The robust, powerful Tri-Band WilsonPro units were the optimal solution due to their scalability, allowing for future expansion. These amplifiers also have the ability to stand alone where necessary, separating individual clusters and providing a level of autonomy to the individual areas. 

The Water Tank Installation: 

Below is the Mast installation by Afrimat on the water tank. It was installed in such a way that it would be in reach of the fixed ladder. The key to this installation was to create enough separation between the donor and broadcasting antennas. This allowed the booster to perform at maximum output capacity. The Long Ranger (Parabolic) antenna, was tested, however the solution required an antenna with a wider beam width to pick up all the network providers. The Bolton Arrow (LPDA) was installed after further testing and we secured quality service on all available networks in the area.

The Site-Office Installation:

The office installation significantly improved quality for both voice & data services on Vodacom(H+) and MTN(LTE). Our installation team tested both GSM and WhatsApp video calls with clear results on both services.

Shed outside signal expansion:

The Secondary relay system that was installed, surprised us with the quality of voice & data service on both
Vodacom(H+) and MTN(LTE). Our team tested both GSM and WhatsApp video calls with clear results on both services.

Mine-Manager Home Installation:

The home installation improved call quality on both voice & data services on Vodacom(H+) and MTN(3G). We tested both GSM and WhatsApp video calls with clear results on both services. Initially the amplifier flashed red/green lights, indicating oscillation and reduced power output. We recommend a metallic sheet or a form blocking sheet to be placed behind the panel in the thatch. This will improve performance of the system and should increase coverage area.

The Results

The results from the installation were highly successful. From receiving no LTE signal and having very poor voice quality, to making and receiving clear, quality calls and having stable LTE signal.

The after-installation readings captured ranged from -71dBm to -91dBm, with strong, usable voice and data services on all network providers.