INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Tech Talk
Commscope: In-building wireless –
what it is and why it matters
to your business
Following the release of Commscope’s
eBook, In-Building Wireless Best Practices,
Femi Oshiga, Sales Director MEA,
talks to ICIO Africa about in-building
wireless for enterprise.
B
ringing cellular signals indoors
with in-building wireless (IBW)
systems is a challenging feat,
which perhaps explains the lack
of such coverage today, despite
significant interest from business
enterprises, their tenants and workers.
In order to explore attitudes and
insights about enterprise mobility,
CommScope commissioned a
study carried out by research firm
Coleman Parkes. Those surveyed
included the professionals who
design and manage buildings –
including building managers, facilities
managers, real estate managers
and architects.
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The results show that whilst the
driving force for reliable cellular
connectivity in a building is clear,
the reality on the ground is that
stakeholders are not invested enough
in dedicated indoor systems. This is
especially surprising considering that
survey respondents estimated the
value of a property could increase
by an average of 28% with the
implementation of a dedicated in-
building wireless system. We see this
trend in Africa as well.
The commercial imperative for
investing in dedicated in-building
wireless systems is becoming clearer
as challenges associated with system
costs and technical complexity are
confronted and overcome. Cellular
connectivity in the building is now as
important as making any basic utility
for a building available. After all, would
you refuse to invest in a water supply
within your building because it was
deemed too expensive or complicated
to do?
IBW challenges – why broad
adoption will continue
Providing mobile coverage to users
within larger and more complex
buildings can require investment in
dedicated technology. However, there
are clearly concerns around who is
o c . i t n e g i l e t n i .