Lower-cost solutions that operate over existing IP networks may provide relief in some situations for owners looking for better cellular coverage and capacity in their buildings according to Cris Kimbrough, PhD, PMP, Managing Director of CBRE Telecom Advisory Services,who was the keynote speaker at the Annual HetNet Expo held recently in Houston, Texas.
Billions of square feet in enterprise facilities go without a clear answer to better capacity from cellular services, at a time when the mobile device has become the workhorse of business and the social life line for consumers. In many cases, prospective tenants include cellular coverage and capacity in their must haves, to the extent that it has become known as the “Fourth Utility.”
Presenters at the expo, provided historical data defining short-term and long-term trends in the Wireless, Cellular and Network market both nationally and locally. The HetNet Forum is dedicated to the advancement of heterogeneous networks. HetNets provide increased network coverage, capacity and quality through the use of a variety of infrastructure and technology, enabling seamless voice and data communications. The HetNet Forum is a membership section of the Wireless Infrastructure Association.
Among Ms. Kimbrough’s observations were:
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is driving the need for neutral-host systems in multi-tenant office space;
- With current technology, alternatives to in-building cellular/LTE, such as Wi-Fi calling, do not provide the seamless experience desired in many enterprise spaces;
- Property owners who fund in-building cellular systems are driving demand for base stations or other signal source from carriers;
- Creative solutions, such as CRAN solutions that increase the square footage covered by one base station, have the potential to make properties attractive to the carriers.
According to Ms. Kimbrough, “There is a lot of tension between supply and demand in the in-building cellular space as carriers, integrators and equipment manufacturers seek way to provide less expensive, streamlined solutions for enterprise to meet the growing need for in-building solutions.”
With the availability of strong, consistent cellular connections more important than ever to today’s business environment, CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate services firm, has responded to the need for deeper in-building wireless analysis to provide richer insights into their clients’ commercial cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. With the launch of their new Benchmark In-building Cellular Signal Mapping services earlier this year, CBRE Telecom Advisory Servicescan now test and quantify the indoor network quality of entire properties or an individual unit.
In-building coverage has become a necessity for many commercial real estate leasing customers, with more than 80 percent of data usage now occurring inside buildings. The ability for CBRE Telecom Advisory Servicesto provide detailed reports and high-level snapshots identifying a property’s current cellular and Wi-Fi coverage and performance is invaluable to owners and lessees. With this insight, CBRE is better able to identify problem areas before their customers ever enter a building, define where distributed antenna systems (DAS) or other small cell installations may be needed, and move forward with value-added property marketing strategies.
CBRE’s Valuation & Advisory Servicesprovides appraisal, property condition, market studies, feasibilities, underwriting due-diligence, environmental, zoning and telecommunication consulting services to a broad base of local, regional and global clients. It has a professional staff of more than 1,700 appraisers, engineers, architects and environmental scientists in more than 300 major metro areas globally. CBRE was named the leading global valuation services provider in the 2015 Euromoney real estate awards for the fourth year in a row. In addition to the global awards, CBRE was named as the leading real estate advisory firm in Western Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa, as well as the U.S. and in 20 individual countries.
About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2015 revenue). The Company has more than 70,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 400 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
