Your CEO wants you to solve the poor mobile reception in your buildings – what can you do?

As we rapidly approach the 40th anniversary of the UK’s first mobile phone call, our usage of our mobiles has changed dramatically.  The phone’s original role as a handy device to make the occasional, if expensive, phone call when away from the office has shifted beyond anything that was envisaged when 1G was launched in the 1980s.

Having moved through the “G Cycles” from 2G to 5G, the phone’s position in our lives has dramatically shifted, from a nice-to-have to become a centre of the lives we lead.  Regardless of age, profession, status – a decent smartphone is now a necessity for work and for leisure.

One constant throughout this incredible evolution is that we often need to use our devices when ‘indoors’ – whether that be in the office, home, station, airport, car, train, stadium or mall; and yet all across the globe the mobile phone operators have deployed billions of dollars of equipment to provide a good user experience when outdoors, but at a signal strength that may or may not reach beyond the threshold of your typical office block or large public venue.

Many modern buildings are constructed using high quality steel frameworks, with windows that offer superb thermal efficiency – and this approach may create a ‘Faraday Cage’ effect, whereby the outdoor mobile signal cannot penetrate far into the building itself.  If you’re lucky enough to be located near a window – you may still be able to enjoy a reasonable signal, but if you are further in there is every chance you will struggle to use your device in the same way as being outdoors.

Given that a lot of smartphone usage is driven by the need for data, and the fact that there are options such as Wi-Fi calling for voice – one solution to this problem could be Wi-Fi, which is perfectly adequate in a controlled environment such as your home or small office; spaces typically frequented by the same people every day.  However, Wi-Fi is not seen as a realistic solution in scenarios where the occupants of the building or venue change on a dynamic basis; e.g. people who will not want the hassle and time delay of securely logging into any available Wi-Fi service every time they pass through that site.  This may be an office with high footfall or a station/airport that sees millions of different visitors pass through every year.  In these situations, customers want the simplicity and speed of being able to use the mobile service that they enjoy outdoors.

So, when your CEO complains that the mobile signal is unacceptable, how do you tell them you’ll solve the problem? Fortunately, there are various technical and commercial approaches to solving this headache and I will attempt to summarise the ones most likely to impress both your CEO and your CFO, and genuinely solve the problem:

Distributed Antenna System (DAS)

Arguably the premium method of providing enhanced cellular coverage inside a building, stadium, shopping centre or campus.  This approach utilises the deployment of specialist DAS equipment throughout the building, including antennas across all floors.  The DAS equipment is then typically connected to a dedicated radio source from one or more mobile network operators (MNOs) – which can be either inside that building or located off-site when space is at a premium.

The advantage of the DAS approach is that the signal quality is typically excellent, and all users enjoy a positive experience.  For very large areas and/or high footfall, it can also be the most cost-effective approach – but can be relatively expensive if the area is small, or there is low footfall since each operator signal requires a dedicated radio source from the operator.

One way to alleviate the large up-front capital cost of the DAS approach is to partner with a “Neutral Host” such as WIG, who would typically deploy all the necessary equipment and radios up-front, and then charge back the usage of that infrastructure on a monthly or quarterly basis to the building owner and/or tenant. We call this mobile infrastructure-as-a-service.

Cellular Signal Enhancement

For smaller sites where the footfall may not be so high (e.g. small shopping centres, car parks or smaller offices), there are more cost-effective ways to enhance the external signal into the building.  Using antennas sited on the outside of the building, it is possible to capture the external signal from each of the operators and boost it throughout the building.  Early versions of this technology were somewhat limited in their capabilities, especially when compared with DAS, but recent hardware and software enhancements have made this approach attractive in the right scenario.  In a similar vein to DAS, equipment is deployed throughout the building so that all occupants can enjoy a decent experience.  The actual signal enjoyed will only ever be as good as the external signal from the operator(s), but it can be cost-effective and rapid - since there is no need to procure and deploy dedicated operator radios.

For small, one-off installations this approach may easily sit within the budget of a typical IT Director, but for companies that may have a large, multi-site requirement it would be wise to consult with a Neutral Host provider, so they can provide both design and deployment expertise, along with the capital budget to deploy many sites simultaneously.

Wi-Fi calling

For voice calls – Wi-Fi calling can be a cost-effective solution.  Most telcos these days have adapted their platforms to provide some form of VoIP capability, and so for users who are in the same place on a regular basis, who do not need to repeatedly authenticate onto the Wi-Fi service. e.g. Office or home workers who typically work in the same location(s) each week.

This approach can be useful when there is no cellular signal, but can suffer from the following drawbacks:

·         Quality of Service – the Wi-Fi network may not always provide an acceptable experience for voice users

·         The overall capacity of the Wi-Fi infrastructure may be limited at peak times

·         This approach does require a login every time the subscriber enters the building.

Summary

If you want a robust solution that will absolutely guarantee a great user experience – then DAS is probably the way to go. This is typically the preferred option for blue-chip companies in dense urban environments, London, New York etc. and CEOs love it!

If your site doesn’t warrant a full DAS, there is a good chance that the latest versions of cellular enhancement solutions could also be a viable, cost-effective alternative.  This approach is always subject to a site survey to verify if the external signal is sufficient to provide a good mobile experience.

Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) have over 15 years of experience navigating this environment and are ideally placed to guide you in any given site or scenario.  Taking the time to thoroughly survey the entire site and ensure all coverage stats are interpreted will result in the optimal design for your organisation.

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