Lack of 4G coverage inside corporate buildings poised to impact public safety and security
Nextivity Inc, global suppliers of smart mobile signal booster technology, have collaborated with Spry Fox Networks Ltd, suppliers of bespoke in-building mobile signal solutions, to facilitate uninterrupted 4G coverage for public and private sector organisations across the UK.
The partnership is strategically aligned with a cross-government programme to roll out a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) that will replace the current Airwave service used by blue light organisations. The service will be reliant on 4G mobile coverage and will be used by the fire/police/ambulance services, local authorities, healthcare establishments, utility companies, private enterprises, as well as first responders such as inshore/offshore and mountain rescue.
Based in Swindon, Spry Fox Networks specialises in developing and commissioning end-to-end communications to enhance in-building mobile coverage for a range of industries including healthcare, distribution and the public sector. Services include providing mobile coverage solutions, technical consultancy and system design, development and deployment. Spry Fox Networks have chosen to partner with Nextivity because of that company’s proven market reputation, network-agnostic capabilities and because Cel-Fi is the only signal booster product range that satisfies Ofcom’s mobile repeater licence exemption specification, making it legal to use on all mobile 3G and 4G networks.
“With 4G poised to replace Airwave for critical communications services, reliable coverage inside buildings will no longer be a nice to have but could mean the difference between life and death.” comments Colin Abrey, VP International Sales, EMEA, Nextivity. “Our products lend themselves really well across small and large buildings with poor or no cellular coverage because they’re easy to install, competitively priced and will provide all the coverage needed to satisfy current health and safety requirements.”
DAF trucks, the UK’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, was one of the first organisations to benefit from the collaboration by commissioning a robust in-building coverage system at its newly built headquarters for commercial and safety reasons. Although less than 200m from a mobile operator base station, mobile coverage inside the building was poor to non-existent because the materials used were having a detrimental effect on signal strength, blocking the signal completely in some areas.
“Our customers demand excellent in-building mobile coverage along with great support and assurance.” said Steven Ballantyne, Director of Technology and Innovation, Spry Fox Networks. “By combining Spry Fox Networks’ own, innovative QuantumPath advanced service assurance system with Cel-fi signal boosters, we not only provide our customers the in-building coverage they need but we also pro-actively monitor the availability and quality of voice and data services over the solution, ensuring they are available when needed”.
Other coverage projects have included the brand new TECA Conference Centre in Aberdeen, the vitally important Scottish National Blood Transfusion Centre, and key branches of Metro Bank.
Cel-Fi’s products have been designed with the award-winning Intelliboost chipset at their core. The baseband processors are optimized to process radio frequency signals with incredibly low latency, ensuring seamless operation between mobile networks and handsets for all 3G and 4G/LTE technologies and services. They also have intelligence built in, which means they self-configure according to network coverage conditions and automatically power down if there is a network conflict.
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