Nokia Siemens Networks participates in World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 year

One of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 key themes is embedding design in life, looking for the best solutions to improve people´s everyday lives.

Nokia Siemens Networks and Aalto University are working together to study possibilities for new design in antennas of the future. The use of data services is continuously increasing, and the dynamic efficiency of antennas is becoming even more important. Also demand for broadband fluctuates as people use their favorite apps and voice services at various times and places. Network capacity – and antennas – need to be where the people and the need is, which makes good antenna design even more important.

“What would a future (2020) antenna look like in an urban environment - create an antenna that we do not need to hide!”

The task for the students is to create ideas for a new antenna design. Nokia Siemens Networks and Aalto University are realizing the project in conjunction with Helsinki based Aalto University´s renowned International Design Business Management program (IDBM) which is a joint teaching and research platform of the Aalto University School of Arts Design and Architecture, School of Engineering and School of Economics. Students from different disciplines will be working together on the project. The proposals will be evaluated by panel that includes design and technology experts from Aalto University and Nokia Siemens Networks

The winners of the active antenna design competition

Selecting the winner was tough for the evaluation panel that consisted of both design and technology experts from Aalto University and Nokia Siemens Networks. In the end, the best design award was shared between two teams, Owl and Tetrix. The design of the Owl team allows the antenna to be customized to different cultures, cities and neighborhoods, while the team Tetrix got the essence of an active antenna and gave it a simple shape and a design that could be installed both indoors and outdoors.

Mock-ups of the two winning designs are now showcased at our Solution Experience Center in Espoo Finland, where operators and other visitors from around the world can see them. The model designs were created in Aalto University´s ‘Design Factory’ where students had an opportunity to participate in the creation process.

Tetrix on the left, Owl on the right

Team Owl
Xuezhi Gao, Peta-Gaye Martin, Kathleen Pekkola, Huangying Sun, Maritta Toivola

Team Tetrix
Eero Hintsanen, Nina Kaijasilta, Faraz Khan, Jemina Lehmuskoski, Junhan Wu

Thanks to teams Coral, Element and Wanda for their excellent inputs as well.

Nokia Siemens Networks Active Antennas

Active antenna systems are the next step in the evolution of radio networks, reducing capital and running costs significantly, while also providing even greater capacity and coverage. Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the way with its Flexi Multiradio Antenna System, which integrates the base station’s radio frequency (RF) elements into the antenna. It is a key part of the company’s pioneering Liquid Radio/Liquid Net.