Cellular Connectivity in a High-end Commercial and Residential Buildings

Cellular Connectivity in a High-end Commercial and Residential Buildings

Commercial and Residential High Rise building owners are beginning to invest in Cellular Distributive Antenna System (DAS).  While building owners have looked to carriers to solve the problem, experts say a changing landscape in the provision of cellular connectivity is putting the onus on high rise commercial and residential building owners to provide a robust cellular service within their properties.  Historically the community hasn’t been concerned about mobile connectivity because they have looked to the carriers to solve the problem but they are now embracing the concept that carriers cannot afford to build out every environment.

In the past carriers such as AT&T and Verizon made the investments in DAS that boosted indoor cellular signals for their customers in high mobile traffic venues such as sports arenas, large office complexes, and airports. However, as the number of mobile devices in use grew exponentially, carriers were unable to keep up with demand for outdoor cellular signal services and are unable to allocate resources towards the provision of cellular signals inside of buildings.

This responsibility has now fallen squarely on the shoulders of the building’s owners and managers to provide in-building cellular coverage.  Many tenants will not pursue a property a potential leasing space if it does not meet their cellular connectivity requirements.  Tenants today are smarter than they used to be when it comes to what coverage means to them and how they want to use it because they are getting smarter the demands on the building owners are increasing.  As building owners grapple with realities of the high costs of installing a robust connectivity backbone many dismiss the need and say the tenant can install it they really need it, experts say. However due competition in the marketplace either they will eventually adapt, or be left with empty buildings.  This not only applies to commercial buildings but to high-end residential sales where tenants are purchasing properties in cities like Miami, Houston and San Francisco in the millions of dollars.

Building owners need to understand all the technology choices for them to enable wireless cellular connectivity. Helping building owners to understand what is currently available and stay ahead is critical.  There are many cost-effective options available to building owners to overcome cellular connectivity problems. However, to determine which solutions work best it’s critical that owners educate themselves on both the economics and the long-term viability of solutions to future-proof their buildings.

Owners should be asking themselves questions like what are my choices and will they also be a good choice downstream three to five years from now?

One thing that owners should understand is that the technology will not only increase rents but also ensure they monetize their buildings.