The entire mobile antenna market is basically dominated by 5-6 manufacturers. These are Ericsson from Sweden, Huawei from China, and the relatively recent merger of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent.
They all had one problem in common: they sold their antennas to an operator like Vodafone, AT&T, Verizon, or Orange and didn't oversee the installation. The use of several different connectors, which is not recommended, is causing serious problems in these installations. The root cause is the IEC standard, which is simply insufficient in this case. This standard (generally IEC 61076-2-106) doesn't cover compatibility between two connectors from different manufacturers. This lack of compatibility is precisely the reason for the new standard, which is already implemented in other sectors.
The creation of its own standard by the AISG group was the most agile and quickest way to achieve AISG 4.0. The main components affected are the M16 circular connectors that supply power (generally) to mobile phone antenna tilting systems. These tilting systems precisely guide the antennas to increase mobile network coverage. The standard connectors are products from Amphenol-Tuchel (Germany). They modified the C091D series in 2002 and remain market leaders to this day. The German company (a member of the AISG group) developed the new standard in cooperation with international connector manufacturers.
Some of the most important technical aspects of the standard relate to IP67 (waterproof rating), electrical shielding, and corrosion resistance >720h SST (salt spray test). These are typical requirements for connectors used outdoors in harsh environments.
The release of AISG 4.0 is scheduled for autumn 2015. Prior to this, a comprehensive testing program is being conducted by independent testing laboratories. Connector manufacturers with this certification will mark their products with the AISG logo going forward.
The direct results of this standardization of the M16 market are improved connector comparability and quality.
