Connected Real Estate Magazine

VOLUME 3 / ISSUE 2 / CONNECTED RE MAG.COM

IN THIS ISSUE:

ExteNet’s fiber backbone expands Ross Tower’s connectivity capabilities

PROPERTY OWNERS: YOU ARE THE EDGE

GOOGLE

TAKES A STAND ON CBRS

IN CASE OF

EMERGENCY:

READ HERE

ON POINT / RICH BERLINER

Why I Publish This Magazine Who in their right mind starts a print magazine in this day and age? Sure, a digital publication, a newsletter, a blog, YouTube videos - but a full color print magazine? Maybe I’m crazy, but I saw a niche for CRE types to hold something in their hands and read how to find qualified, competent help to navigate the communications maze in their buildings. Yes, we have all the digital and social pieces too, but the magazine is our Flagship. Your riser is full? We have a company that can help. Bad cell coverage in your space? We have plenty of folks to help you. Need to know how much Fiber to bring in for the future of 5G? Not a problem, lots of companies can go over your options. Whatever help you need, you can find in our current or prior issues. These are pros who have done great work for other CRE firms and can do it for you. Without our print edition, I honestly feel that many of our readers wouldn’t get to see these firms. After all, people do still read. The next time you see our magazine on your seat or in the show bag at an event, think to yourself, “what’s new in communications tech that I need to be aware of?” Make no mistake, there’s a lot more than 5G coming and many of these technologies will be here way before 5G becomes a reality.

As a matter of fact, it looks like Apple may not have a 5G phone until 2021. What does that tell you about this over-hyped future technology?

“I WOULD BE HONORED” One of the items that I’ve wanted to accomplish since I started this company was to have an Advisory Board of real CRE stars and very accomplished communications pros. I’m pleased to say that we now have an esteemed leadership group in place. I was sheepish to ask people to join us until we were at least a few years from inception and well-known around the CRE space. I thought it was interesting that the response I heard most from the people we asked was “I would be honored”. For an upstart in this space to get that kind of response is pretty amazing and humbling. We now have a group of eleven people that have accepted, leaders such as Sandy Jacolow from Meridian, Saleem Baksh from Silverstein, Don Boos from JLL, Nick Ramos from Verizon, and Nick Stello from Vornado. We’re also thrilled to have Adrian Berezowsky from BirchCo, Dave Kimball from Sodexo, Tim Moynihan from SOLiD, and Rusty Stone from Sweet Harmonics (he was previously with Camden Properties), and Lee Brathwaite from Apex Building Group, as well as several others joining shortly. In keeping with one of our key beliefs, we have a number of prominent women as part of our Board, including Darlene Pope from WeWork, and Christen Heiden, the Chairwoman of our Advisory Board.

VOLUME 3 / ISSUE 2 CONNECTEDREMAG.COM PUBLISHER Rich Berliner VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS Aaron Friedman ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRWOMAN Christen Heiden DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Fran Sherman SENIOR STAFF WRITER Joe Dyton TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Urvashi Verma SALES & MARKETING Christine Perez Peter Krasny COVER PHOTO Ross Tower Dallas, TX MEMBERSHIPS:

NO FOLKS, I’M THE ONE WHO’S HONORED! Best Regards,

Rich Berliner

© 2019 Fifth Gen Media, Inc. Reproduction of any part, by any means, printed or digital, without written permission of Fifth Gen Media, Inc. is strictly prohibited. Connected Real Estate magazine and connectedremag.com are registered trademarks of Fifth Gen Media, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at FIFTH GEN MEDIA West Caldwell, NJ, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Connect124 Little Falls Rd, Ste 210 ed Real Estate Magazine, c/o Fifth Gen Media, Inc., 124 Little Falls Rd., Suite 210, Fairfield, NJ 07004.

Fairfield, NJ 07004 Subscribe online at connectedremag.com or mail a card with your name, mailing address including 973.244.5868 city/state/zip code and telephone number to Fifth Gen Media, Inc. CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

1

Cover Story:

ExteNet’s Fiber Backbone Expands Ross Tower’s Connectivity Capabilities

PG. 58

CONTENTS SMART BUILDINGS

4 Wi-Fi Won’t Cut It During the 5G Revolution 8 You May Be Dead and Not Even Know It 12 Choosing the Right IoT Technology for Your

CRE Application 14 Landlording 2.0: Are You Getting the Most Out of

Your Building’s Data?

18 The Digital Tenant and the Building of Tomorrow

FEATURES

22 Middleprise 2.0 32 In-Building Heavyweight Becomes Part of a Bigger,

Wireless Family – Ready to Help CRE 58 ExteNet’s Fiber Backbone Expands Ross

Tower’s Connectivity Capabilities 64 Broadstaff Helps Telecom Companies Win the

War for Talent

A VIEW FROM THE TOP 26

28

CBRS: A Potential Game Changer for In-Building Coverage Delivering a Seamless, Smart-Apartment Experience for Borror Residents

PUBLIC SAFETY

PG. 32 In-Building Heavyweight Becomes Part of a Bigger, Wireless Family – Ready to Help CRE

36

40 44

48

52

54

The Evolution of In-Building Public Safety Communications Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems In Case of Emergency: Verifying Your Building’s Network Coverage Gabe’s Puts Public Safety Expertise to Work for Washu Expansion Project The Female Factor: Gender Diversity Creates True Value Add in the Telecommunications Industry Public Safety DAS for New and Existing Buildings

DAS & IN-BUILDING WIRELESS

PG. 44 In Case of Emergency: Verifying Your Building’s Network Coverage 2

CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

58

66 70 74 82

86 90 94

ExteNet’s Fiber Backbone Expands Ross Tower’s Connectivity Capabilities Geoverse Brings More Clarity to the 5G Phenomenon Don’t Wait Venue Owners: You Are the Edge!

New Division from Apex Brings Clarity to the World of CRE Connectivity Top 10 US Malls Operator Benchmarking Dense Networks: The Connected Cities Tour Hiring an Unlicensed Electrical Contractor Could Cost You Big

SMART BUILDINGS

WI-FI WON’T CUT IT

DURING THE 5G REVOLUTION

BY LAURA ALTSCHUL, PRINCIPAL AT LB ALTSCHUL, LLC

HOW’S MOBILE CONNECTIVITY IN YOUR OFFICE? Commercial building owners and operators are deploying WiFi infrastructure in record numbers to provide wireless network access inside their facilities for tenants. As this is happening, it is smart to ask critical questions.

For instance: Are Wi-Fi services adequate? Can Wi-Fi meet tenants’ needs or should building owners and operators opt for more comprehensive cellular coverage, which is faster, more reliable and more robust?

Commercial-grade mobile networks play an essential role in enterprise productivity, network security and public safety. If you are developing a wireless plan for your property, making cellular connectivity a strategic priority is the right long-term vision.

Let’s compare Wi-Fi with commercial wireless and describe the powerful benefits and advantages 5G will bring. Then, we’ll 4

CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

explore practical suggestions for deploying optimal infrastructure, so property owners provide their tenants, customers and visitors the most desired indoor service options and features.

WI-FI VS. COMMERCIAL WIRELESS: USE CASES AND TECHNOLOGIES Traditionally, Wi-Fi services and wireless service providers have supplemented and complemented one another. While both are evolving to provide gigabit data speeds, the usages, benefits and architectures differ. To better understand these differences let’s take a closer look at each.

WI-FI: A WIRELESS LOCAL-AREA NETWORK TECHNOLOGY Wi-Fi is a wireless, local area network (WLAN) technology

SMART BUILDINGS that provides wireless broadband connectivity in a commercial building (or home) without the need to string Ethernet cables from devices back to the corporate network.

Wi-Fi is an open standard that operates on unlicensed spectrum in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and can be implemented with plug-and-play equipment to enable wireless data, voice and video services. It connects all types of products, from smartphones to computers, tablets, digital displays, printers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Wi-Fi connectivity is a standard option on smartphones, enabling seamless handoff between technologies as a user moves in and out of range of either option.

As a LAN technology, Wi-Fi devices must be used within 300’ of an access point. And because Wi-Fi is unlicensed, multiple systems can transmit in the same frequencies and location, creating congestion. To alleviate this, the Wi-Fi industry is working with regulators to allocate 6 GHz spectrum for unlicensed access to provide additional capacity.

CELLULAR: A WIDE-AREA NETWORK TECHNOLOGY Cellular services are offered on wide-area networks (WANs) to deliver voice, video and data services to customers anywhere, anytime, whether they are using a smartphone, tablet, laptop or automobile. Cellular technologies operate on licensed spectrum, which restricts operation to service providers that purchase rights to the spectrum from the Federal Communications Commission.

Cellular technology can be used in dozens of frequency bands and carriers require multiple radio frequencies in their mobile devices to ensure they will work in their given markets. Carriers also use frequencies to strategically support their network performance objectives such as range, speed and capacity.

Security is one of the hallmarks of cellular technology.

The networks employ advanced security and encryption to protect transmissions, and the closed system architecture is an added protection against intrusions. Carriers must certify manufacturers’ devices for use on their networks and every subscriber device must have a SIM card to access its carrier’s network.

As a WAN technology, cellular services provide extended range depending on the frequencies used, but indoor environments challenge the capabilities of traditional macro networks. To fix this, property owners need in-building cellular infrastructure that supports better coverage and capacity with distributed antenna systems (DAS) or small

cells. This is essential as user consumption of data increases, new technologies emerge, and customers continue to “cut the cord” in favor of a truly wireless experience.

WI-FI 6 The newest standard, known as Wi-Fi 6 (set to be finalized this year), is designed to offer lower latency, with data speeds of 1 Gbps and higher. And, there’s more: A next-generation enhanced throughput specification for Wi-Fi is forthcoming around 2023.

As good as a Wi-Fi network’s data speeds might be, there are limitations. Wi-Fi is dependent on the fiber network serving the building. If inadequately provisioned, the underlying fiber can create a bottleneck for users in an office building. Also, commercial-grade fiber is costly for an enterprise, and connections of just 500 Mbps to a building can be exorbitantly expensive.

Finally, it is well-known that Wi-Fi is vulnerable to intrusions. The newest Wi-Fi security protocol, WPA3, has already proven to have several security flaws in its WPA-3 Personal implementation where users share a password, and businesses of all types, from small to large, must make sure they are using the more costly WPA-3 Enterprise version to secure their systems. Even so, weaknesses remain from older protocols. And vulnerabilities can also be introduced if individual users are able to plug their own unsecured routers into an Ethernet port.

ARE YOU READY FOR 5G? While 5G-capable mobile devices will start hitting the market later this year, enterprises can plan their in-building strategies now to take advantage of the new standard.

Is 5G revolutionary? Absolutely. It will improve productivity for individual users, businesses and industries while increasing speeds, reducing latency and improving device battery life. It will be able to deliver 1 Gbps and higher data speeds. It can support 250,000 indoor hotspot users per square kilometer, assuring enterprises that they will be able to use the network for multimedia, virtual reality and augmented reality applications without concern for capacity. 5G is also designed for massive IoT. It is estimated it will be able to support as many as 1 million connected devices per square kilometer for low-bandwidth IoT applications, such as smart buildings.

As an architecture, 5G will use a sophisticated technique called network slicing that allows carriers to provision a dedicated “slice” of bandwidth and Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities for organizations. Enterprises can even request this capability to customize services to their specific needs.

CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

5

SMART BUILDINGS MORE RELIABLE THAN WI-FI With in-building 5G networks, commercial tenants will be able to replace slow or unreliable Wi-Fi connections and dead spots within their facilities with robust, reliable and always-available services. Tenants’ employees will expect advanced data speeds and features, which in turn will help companies recruit and retain employees.

PUBLIC SAFETY 5G will also improve public safety because it can deliver high levels of reliability and ultra-low latency communications to support 911 calls, communications among first responders, and other mission-critical services.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that consumers feel a greater sense of safety when they have their devices closeat-hand. But, having devices easily accessible isn’t enough – connections must work during an emergency, whether people are in an office building or parking garage.

Equally important, emergency responders need access to high-performing networks throughout a building without worrying about searching for a reliable connection.

Here’s an example of how one nationwide carrier is ready to provide this public safety support for 5G inside buildings and connect to networks outside buildings: T-Mobile will offer 5G in multiple frequency bands, from low-band (600 MHz) frequencies that provide extended range to ultra-high band millimeter wave frequencies at 28 GHz and 39 GHz to support maximum demand and capacity. In fact, all carriers are aiming to allow customers to experience true 5G no matter their location.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING YOUR IN-BUILDING NETWORK Building owners can control their in-building wireless services now and into the future by partnering with cellular operators and developers to deploy the infrastructure that is best suited to meet tenants’ needs.

Carriers that best know how to work with building owners emphasize that this investment will ensure tenants get proper rates and reliability for connectivity and capacity – which provides peace of mind for 911 safety and for every day network use.

DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS (DAS) When it comes to DAS, building owners and operators should consider using independent firms or systems administrators to design and build the DAS network, which is 6

CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

then owned and managed by the building owner as a “neutral host.” The building owner then has an asset that will appeal to a broader range of potential tenants, and by using its own capital to procure and deploy electronics the owner is able to better control operating costs.

DEDICATED SMALL CELLS ON “NEUTRAL PATH” INFRASTRUCTURE Building owners can also invest in the infrastructure for small cell architectures. Small cells are an attractive option for building owners because the antennas require less cabling and consume less power. Each cellular carrier will provide its own small cells and routers and configure, install and manage its network independently of other carriers.

Building owners and operators can get ready for dedicated small cell deployments by installing fiber in ample, shared bundles that provide a “neutral path” for the in-building infrastructure. But this approach does require advance planning. If it is a new building, the neutral path should be considered from the outset as part of the architectural plan. For existing buildings undergoing renovations or infrastructure upgrades, it is essential to design and provision the neutral path infrastructure strategically to minimize interruptions to the business.

THE TIME IS NOW TO CREATE A WIRELESS PLAN Current and potential tenants want to know that you are prepared to meet their 5G needs. As a starting point, reach out to your wireless carrier or third-party subject matter experts.

They can help you plan for indoor coverage and explain what is needed to support 5G, as well as how to partner with infrastructure firms and carriers to bring 5G to office buildings, large facilities, venues or corporate/educational campuses.

With next generation telecommunications changes upon us, the time is now – for building owners, managers, tenants, real-estate developers or government administrators – to incorporate a realistically robust plan for 5G connectivity. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LB Altschul, LLC specializes in wireless network industry consultancy for

small cell, DAS, macro and ultra-low latency microwave infrastructure. Ms. Altschul’s work has included executive responsibilities in the United States

and Europe. She worked at ExteNet Systems, T-Mobile and GTE Mobil-

net (now Verizon), and consulted with real estate developers for wireless in-building and f inancial traders to build high-speed networks. You can reach her at laltschul@icloud.com.

LIGHTS? WATER? WIRELESS! Smart Buildings Plan for Wireless.

In office buildings and facilities across America, there is a new basic amenity on par with electrical, gas and plumbing: in-building wireless coverage.

Build Your Own Coverage.

Let T-Mobile help you achieve outstanding coverage and capacity for tenants, residents and visitors throughout your entire facility— even when it’s at its most crowded.

Call: 206.966.6000 Email: BYOC@T-Mobile.com

© 2019 T-Mobile USA, Inc.

HowMobileWorks.com/smallcells

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL | CAMPUSES | VENUES | HOSPITALS | STADIUMS | MALLS | CASINOS

SMART BUILDINGS

YOU MAY BE DEAD

AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT

M

eeting tenants’ increased demands for robust, reliable wireless connectivity has become a top priority for commercial real estate owners everywhere, but by no means should it be their only priority. Take a building’s battery backup system for instance—

8

BY JOE DYTON

CRE owners should be able to say with 100 percent confidence that their system is working properly. If they can’t—there’s a very good chance their uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which serves as an emergency power source in the event the main power fails, could already be dead.

CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

In order to ensure your building’s battery backup system is working properly, it’s critical that you perform regular testing and maintenance. Your UPS system is in place to prevent costly downtime and the damage it could do to your or your tenants’ mission critical equipment. Without the proper main-

SMART BUILDINGS

tenance tests, the backup system you rely on could fail when you need it the most. By conducting consistent battery testing, you can be proactive rather than reactive with any repairs that need to be made.

Telecommunications solutions provider ANS Advanced Network Services uses state-of-the-art equipment to perform battery testing, which measures how healthy backup batteries are. ANS Advanced Network Services acts not only as installers, but as consultants who can offer design services, issue recommendations, and provide solutions if your batteries are not working properly.

Additionally, ANS Advanced Network Services provides similar services for direct current (DC) power systems, including connection inspection, battery capacity testing, and alarm verifications.

The ANS Advanced Network Services team recently conversed with Connected Real Estate Magazine about why UPS and DC battery maintenance is critical for CRE owners and the role these battery systems play in public safety and more.

annually. You could set up on an even more incremental schedule to load test your equipment, batteries, and critical power infrastructure. For example, when generators are set up, it’s best practice that they be exercised once a week, once a month, or once a quarter, assuring they will be ready if needed.

Most generator sets have that functionality available and you can implement a similar schedule with the batteries.

“

Customers will receive a report that will provide them with information associated with the testing performed, as well as the health of their backup power system.

”

Connected Real Estate Magazine: How does a commercial real estate owner benefit from regular UPS and DC battery maintenance and testing?

ANS Advanced Network Services: (Testing) ensures the system will stay online when it’s needed. If power is lost, and CRE’s do not have a battery maintenance program in place, they can’t be sure the batteries will be available.

Connected: And ANS follows the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards for your tests, correct?

ANS: Yes. What we do is recommend for the carrier specification; for example, our typical maintenance plan is according to the Verizon program, which is more defined than the IEEE.

Connected: On what type of recurring basis would you recommend conducting these maintenance checks?

ANS: Most maintenance programs should be performed quarterly and

Connected: What else will CRE owners who take part in ANS’ backup power maintenance program expect?

ANS: Customers will receive a report that will provide them with

information associated with the testing performed, as well as the health of their backup power system. For example, a negative 48-volt, DC power plant is typically housed in telecommunications facilities and spaces. It’s in the wireline and wireless switches, cell sites, as well as the PBX room of a building. The UPS is more of an enterprise IT focused, or data center application.

A quick comparison of UPS versus a DC power system is that AC UPS units are a double conversion system, whereas a DC power system is a single conversion system. This means that a UPS takes in your commercial AC service, converts it to DC to condition the power and charge the batteries and then converts the power back to AC for distribution to your equipment. At the equipment level, IT equipment converts this back to DC at the equipment power supply. Each conversion point creates heat which is lost energy. The DC system only has a single conversion when converting the commercial AC feed to a DC feed for distribution to the equipment.

The DC model is more efficient, but the trade-off is the electronics are typically a little more expensive, and the power distribution requires a larger gauge copper conductor to go a comparable distance to an AC based system.

From an operations perspective, you typically save more money on a DC plant than you do with a UPS because there’s less energy that is dissipated in the conversions.

Connected: If a UPS or DC battery is not working properly, how does that impact a business’ bottom line in terms of downtime?

ANS: Depending on their customers, downtime is going to have a different CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

9

SMART BUILDINGS

calculation in terms of what the inputs are to the calculation. Factors include the number of personnel, the number of facilities, and whether it’s a vertical type of application. If your tenant is in the finance sector and loses the ability to make trades, those can be incredibly high costs, and the tenant is going to hold you responsible for the costs incurred. Based on tenant leases, there are certain provisions that may have to be the guaranteed by the owners.

If your property is a hospital or a critical care location, it’s going to affect lives. If you have a UPS and a generator that’s backing up the infrastructure in an operating room, what happens if that equipment goes down? If those batteries die and you have someone on the table that’s having open-heart surgery, and all the facility equipment suddenly turns off—they’re going to lose that patient.

Now you’re opening yourself up to liability associated with lawsuits.

Similar to your public safety and your DAS, if there’s a catastrophic event at your building and commercial power is lost and your UPS does not work, what are the first responders going to do if they have no communication abilities inside that facility?

How will the people that are trapped inside the building communicate with the authorities? They will have no way to communicate out.

Connected: To a commercial real estate professional, computer backups may be part of the consideration for a battery backup plan. Is there a way to centralize the battery backup systems throughout your building in order to minimize downtime?

ANS: There is, but it’s more challenging because at that point you are supporting many more devices with

different levels of criticality. So, if you’re talking about a 20-30 story office building and a trading center, it may make more sense to have disparate systems feeding each couple floors for computers, with a different backup system for the trading center and other mission critical applications, instead of one centralized unit that’s going to handle the whole facility at the same level. The reason being is that the UPS sizing for all systems at a mission critical level, and

“

If your tenant is in the finance sector and loses the ability to make trades, those can be incredibly high costs, and the tenant going to hold you responsible for those costs incurred.

”

the additional AC distribution cabling could be cost prohibitive at that point.

Generally, seventy-five percent or more of commercial buildings, high rises, et cetera, will have some sort of generator and UPS backup. And they’ll have certain protected panels.

Those protected panels will have circuits for critical systems, and they are typically designated with an orange outlet to differentiate them from non-protected outlets. These outlets will be placed in IDF closets, mechanical spaces, air handlers, and fire alarm panel rooms to support the critical

10 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

infrastructure of a building.

That’s really the critical infrastructure, from a building standpoint. If they support the phone needs of the tenants in the building, the protected power panels would also need to support their PBX. But the likelihood that they would have all their desktops backed up on that same platform is pretty low because that adds a lot more cost and ultimately, the cost of having a user down is less than the cost of having critical equipment not come back up when commercial power is lost.

Connected: What can lead to UPS or DC batteries overheating?

ANS: If the batteries are not located in a proper environment such as the telco or IDF closets, or if the telco closets are small and do not ventilate and dissipate the heat created by the increasing amount of equipment located in those closets. Over a period of time, the batteries start generating heat at a rate that cannot be internally dissipated and they continue to generate more heat in a self-feeding cycle.

This is called thermal runaway, and the batteries start swelling and can crack, leading to the potential for a fire and a hazardous material situation if the battery acid leaks out. That is what can happen when your batteries go awry.

Connected: Finally, what sets ANS Advanced Network Services apart from other companies when it comes UPS battery backup services?

ANS: Our differentiation is we use a stricter level of testing parameters associated with the carrier specifications, versus what’s typically applied to UPSs and DC power systems in a commercial real estate or enterprise environment. 

SMART BUILDINGS

CHOOSING THE RIGHT IoT TECHNOLOGY

FOR YOUR CRE APPLICATION

I

BY PROJIT AON

nformation overload is proliferating across all aspects of our personal and business lives, making it challenging to make decisions about every facet of our daily lives. This is not any different when the CIOs of the large commercial real estate (CRE) organizations attempt to make a choice on the right connectivity technology for their smart building solutions! As connected devices, otherwise known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT), encroach upon our spaces where we live, work, learn and play, the number of technology options — starting from the sensory devices to gateway devices, from connectivity technologies to applications and cloud providers — pose an arduous challenge for the decision maker to opt for the right choice in technology procurement. This article will explore the cellular connectivity aspects of IoT, particularly the much talked about low-powerwide-area (LWPA) technologies — LTE-M (aka LTE Cat-M1) and NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT) — and present a simple, synthesized version for the layman to understand and make the right choice for their IoT solutions.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE CELLULAR LPWA TECHNOLOGIES: The evolution of the LPWA technologies has taken an interesting shape within the past decade. During the early days of IoT, global mobile operators remained focused on supporting a new breed of application of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices — a term that preceded the term IoT in the

12 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

cellular world — via the traditional 2G, 3G or 4G cellular networks. The non-traditional players saw an opportunity in the unlicensed spectrums, and came up with proprietary wireless-wide-area-network (WWAN) technologies to serve the IoT market. LoRA, Sigfox, NWave, Weightless, etc. emerged as viable options to address specific WWAN connectivity needs of the enterprise and consumer IoT applications.

However, these proprietary LWPA technologies clearly lacked some of the greater advantages that the mobile operators brought to the mass market via the traditional WWAN technologies in 2G, 3G and 4G networks on licensed spectrums. Starting with standards-based approach and economies of scale, the global operators brought the obvious advantages in capacity, security, global footprint, and a plethora of eco-system partners with their network offerings. Naturally, it became a matter of time for the standards body of the global mobile operators, GSMA, to introduce its own machine-type communication (MTC) technologies, which ultimately became cellular LPWA technologies via the introduction of LTE-M (aka LTE-MTC, aka LTE-Cat-M1), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and Extended Coverage GSM IoT (EC-GSM-IoT) standards. Since LTE is the dominant and forward-looking technology globally, we will focus our discussion on LTE CAT-M1 and NB-IoT in this article.

Thinking about the market opportunities with LPWA, interestingly, the market analyst firm Machina Research (part of Gartner) estimated 3 billion LPWA connections by 2025,

SMART BUILDINGS with 56% of active LPWA connections on licensed spectrum by 2022 (source: GSMA).

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAT-M1 AND NB-IoT AND HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONNECTIVITY TECHNOLOGY FOR AN IoT APPLICATION An important distinction between the proprietary LWPA technologies and the cellular LWPA technologies is flexibility and network options based on application complexity. As the knowledge of enterprise and consumer IoT applications have become sophisticated, so have the cellular connectivity options supporting them. Therein lies the real difference between CAT-M1 and NB-IoT — NB-IoT is targeted mostly for the end-point devices, such as sensors, actuators that have simple requirements, while CAT-M1 are targeted for low-powered devices with a bit more complex requirements like voice, mobility, and firmware upgrade capabilities. A comparative view of these two technologies has been laid out in the table below, including a comparison with LTE Category 1 (an earlier introduction of another MTC type standards by GSMA) to further contrast flexibilities in terms of cellular technology capabilities.

LTE CAT-1

LTE CAT-M1 NB-IOT

Bandwidth

20 MHz

1.4 MHz 200 kHz

Penetration

Good

Better (indoor) Best (deep indoor)

Peak Data Rate

Up to 10 Mbps

Up to 1 Mbps < 100 kbps

Power Consumption

High

Medium Low

Mobility

Yes

Yes Limited

Voice Capability

Yes

Yes No

Firmware Upgrade

Yes

Yes Limited

Cost of Ownership

High

Medium Low

As we now have some understanding of the distinctions among the cellular LWPA technologies, let’s dive into figuring out how to choose the right technology for any application. In our examples below, we have focused on common IoT applications utilized in the CRE space. The table examines the requirements of each of the example applications as defined by GSMA. We

have exemplified and suggested a choice of technology based on the characteristics of the applications and corresponding cellular LPWA technology. (See chart below) THE “FIT” QUESTIONS TO ANSWER FOR THE RIGHT CHOICE OF CELLULAR LPWA TECHNOLOGY Further to our understanding of LPWA options, choosing the right technology really depends on three “fit” factors: 1. Technology fit: It is important to understand the requirements and constraints of the IoT application, and decide which connectivity option is the best fit for the desired application type. As we have explored a few example models above, the decision maker must dissect their device and application requirements along those example categories and understand their needs.

2. Fit by cost: While at times it may seem that both Cat-M1 or NB-IoT can be a good fit, the cost factor can act as the guiding factor. Cost analysis must be performed in a holistic fashion by incorporating all of IoT applications and device needs for the organization. For example, consolidated applications using the same network from the same mobile operator may lead to a longer-term benefit in discounted data pricing.

3. Fit by availability: Last but not the least, availability and maturity of the desired LPWA network by the mobile operator of choice in the desired geography is an important factor. For example, some mobile operators might be ahead in the deployment of LTE-Cat-M1 network, while the others are ahead in NB-IoT. Knowing their timeline of a scalable offering will help align with technology selection and implementation.  REFERENCES GSMA: https://www.gsma.com/iot/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/3GPPLow-Power-Wide-Area-Technologies-GSMA-White-Paper.pdf ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Projit Aon is a technologist, a product leader, and an expert in IoT technologies.

He led product management and helped to build Verizon’s Cellular IoT Platform, ThingSpace. Projit can be reached at paon08@gsb.columbia.edu.

Applications

Number of messages per day

Size of message Total daily load Coverage (bytes/day)

Battery Smoke detector –

Firmware Voice Upgrade

Suggested LPWA Technology

home/enterprise

2 /day

20 bytes

2*20 = 40 bytes

5 years

No

No

LTE-M or NB-IOT

Water/gas metering

8 /day

200 bytes

8*200 = 1600 bytes Deep Indoor

15 years

No

No

NB-IOT

50 bytes

5*50 = 250 bytes

Indoor

10 years

No

No

NB-IOT

100*100 = 10,000 bytes

Indoor

N/A

Yes

Yes

LTE-M

Building automation – alarms, actuators 5 /day

Vending machine – privacy data verification, voice 100/day 100 bytes

Indoor

CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

13

SMART BUILDINGS

LANDLORDING 2.0: ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BUILDINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DATA?

A

s the commercial real estate market faces tightening yields, the ability to maximize value from assets, equipment, tenants and occupants is becoming increasingly critical. Data-driven technologies are enabling landlords to derive maximum value from commercial real estate assets and create a completely new profitability paradigm for the commercial real estate industry.

Now companies like Comba Telecom, Inc., a global leading wireless solutions provider, are enabling building owners and landlords to create the digital networking infrastructure re-

BY URVASHI VERMA

quired to achieve profitability goals as they adopt data-driven smart building technologies.

Wireless mobile coverage is the most important facet to facilitating the voice and data communications infrastructure required to support enhanced occupant experience and deploy smart building applications available in the marketplace today. Not only will occupants benefit from these deployments, first responders will receive wider coverage that will enable reliable communication in life or death emergencies, and enterprises will be able to work seamlessly

14 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

and effectively with wireless solutions where companies such as Comba deliver a wide portfolio for Commercial DAS and Public Safety equipment.

According to research firm Memoori, the commercial real estate industry is expected to deploy an astounding $84 billion in IoT devices and sensors by 2022. The convergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and 5G are rapidly transforming both profitability and business models in the commercial real estate industry. To deploy these technologies, commercial

SMART BUILDINGS building owners will need a robust digital telecommunication backbone designed by companies like Comba.

Smart building IoT devices are enabling building owners and landlords to reduce operating costs and generate new revenue streams in four key areas: energy savings, predictive maintenance, occupancy data and space planning, and tenant satisfaction. While the first two areas are focused on reducing costs, the latter two will be the greatest drivers for revenue generation and profitability in the coming years.

DATA-DRIVEN ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS Today an increasing number of building owners and landlords are using low-cost IoT devices and sensors to optimize energy efficiency inside their office buildings.

Efficient energy usage has been a critical problem for landlords and owners, particularly for high loads such as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. More than 30% of global energy consumption comes from HVAC usage inside buildings.

A report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that the average office building can save 18% of its whole building energy use by deploying energy efficient smart building technologies such as occupancy sensors and smart thermostats.

“These technologies can display real-time data, diagnose faulty equipment operation, and reduce energy waste,” stated Christopher Perry, who leads ACEEE’s work on smart commercial building trends and technologies. “Although building operators have had the ability to schedule their equipment for many years, more recently equipment can be connected (wired or wirelessly) and controlled from one central point,

responding to changing conditions inside and outside the building.”

Many platforms available today are designed to optimize energy costs, not only through data collected directly from the systems themselves, but also information collected by sensors that monitor human activity and the environment within the space such as sunlight, heat from electronics and the number of occupants. Continuous data feeds from sensors coupled with machine learning are enabling building systems to take action such as autonomously adjusting room conditions when occupants have left. An underlying cellular infrastructure is critical to gaining access to real-time data required to achieve energy efficient outcomes. However, with new technology and developments for smart buildings there are situations where some occupants may experience poor indoor coverage. Signal blocking can still occur from Low-E Glass, concrete, metal, and more, which results in delayed communication for first responders and an unreliable network for occupants. Building owners and landlords can find various solutions, but a recommended choice will be through Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS).

With a licensed System Integrator who can install equipment from providers like Comba, a DAS only requires a single line to support the system and is connected to various antennas within the building to provide reliable service in each area and reduces the overall costs that other solutions may have.

Each building or jurisdiction will have their own requirements. Whether it be accommodating to new technology or improving their current coverage, it is ultimately up to the building owners and landlords to seek a solution that fits their budget and situation.

PREDICTING EQUIPMENT FAILURES While there is no way to eliminate maintenance requirements in commercial office buildings, predictive maintenance, or the use of data analytics and machine learning, are helping to better solve outage problems and prevent wasted resources and time. Real-time data collected through IoT devices is being used to predict when large pieces of machinery or equipment will break down through proactive intervention.

Previously landlords and owners had little to no knowledge about why and when a maintenance issue or breakdown could occur in large assets such as elevators, rooftop chillers, large HVAC units or even public safety equipment. Companies are often developing new innovations to assist with the maintenance for buildings as well. For DAS-installed buildings, Comba’s CriticalPoint™ Antenna Monitoring System helps monitor individual in-building antennas and passive links; users will be notified through dry contact alarms and can immediately detect where the problem area is. Now, with the use of data analytics, latest innovations and machine learning, owners are better able to maintain equipment and predict costly failures that can result in significant dissatisfaction for tenants and occupants.

OCCUPANCY DATA ENABLING A NEW VALUE PROPOSITION FOR CRE While energy savings and predictive maintenance are important cost-saving drivers, they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to deriving value from smart building data. Perhaps the most transformative data-driven technology in the sector today is the use of IoT sensors to determine space and occupant density.

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SMART BUILDINGS

Occupancy data collected through sensors and devices is being used by commercial real estate landlords and tenants to predict demand for space requirements, reduce occupant costs per square foot and their carbon footprints.

Enterprise tenants are making full use of these technologies to determine how much space is needed to meet employee requirements. However, the value derived from occupancy data is far greater than just calculating how much square footage is required for commercial tenants.

“Data from smart buildings was all about energy management; there’s only so much you can invest in those technologies to achieve higher returns. The new drivers for the adoption of smart building technology are employee experience and workplace productivity,” said Darlene Pope, Global Head of Smart Buildings and Digital Workplace at WeWork.

The days of offering commercial real estate tenants four walls, water, light, and electricity are now over. The massive disruption of the CRE industry by the emergence of coworking business models has elevated expectations from tenants. As more enterprises strive to attract and recruit the best talent in the industry, a superior workplace experience is imperative.

“It’s no longer about facilities management, it’s about creating a digital workplace,” said Pope, who added that access to insights from data will play a key role in the provision of commercial real estate services in the future.

According to Pope, occupancy data has far greater use to the industry than just providing space planning.

“Occupancy data is important for multiple uses and people only seem to be looking at it for space management.

Occupancy data can be sent to elevator systems to learn traffic patterns and signal when and how often to dispatch an elevator. Those are the types of things that are enabled by the technology which are invisible to the end user but add tremendous value,” Pope said.

“From a WeWork perspective, we need to scale and maintain a quality of experi-

“

While there is no way to eliminate maintenance requirements in commercial office buildings, predictive maintenance, or the use of data analytics and machine learning, are helping to better solve outage problems and prevent wasted resources and time.

”

ence. We are operating at a massive scale with more than 450 global locations. Our corporate clients are looking for global consistency. We couldn’t accomplish the massive amount of scale and consistency without data,” Pope added.

As workplace productivity and employee satisfaction become critical to enterprise tenants, building owners can now work in partnership with tenants

16 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

to deliver data-driven insights and maintain a competitive edge.

Designed to provide occupants with access control, security, audiovisual equipment and access amenities and way-finding, smart building apps are the most likely piece of technology to be adopted by corporate real estate directors, according to a new survey by JLL. As smart building apps serve as the gateway to experiencing the office buildings of the future, a reliable cellular infrastructure will be required to create a frictionless user experience and drive tenant satisfaction.

A robust cellular wireless networking infrastructure will be critical to harness the operational efficiencies and revenue generation models created through data-driven smart building technologies in the marketplace today, according to Comba. With their own research and development team, Comba has spent the past few years keeping a close eye on 5G and developing new technologies such as CBRS — a new technology for private LTE networks. In response to the growing trends, Comba launched a 3.5GHz CBRS CPE, integrated fixed wireless broadband access equipment that allows property managers an opportunity to deploy their own private LTE networks. Comba also offers ComFlex™ DAS for commercial support, which is a compact, multi-band, multi-operator system that can be deployed both indoors and outdoors.

Landlords and property owners alike can see major improvements in their coverage with the help of dedicated solutions provider like Comba.

Whether it’s deploying IoT systems to drive energy savings, lighting or a tech-savvy workplace/smart building apps, office buildings of the future will need a digital connectivity backbone. 

|Leading Solutions For In-Building Communications

Commercial Cellular and Public Safety Communications

Contact us today or learn more at www.combausa.com

Comba Telecom provides state of the art technology for enterprise grade wireless hardware and in-building solutions. Learn how Comba can help bring your real estate portfolio into the new era of digital connectivity with the greatest cost efficiency.

568 Gibraltar Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035| +1 866 802 7961 ext 3 www.combausa.com

SMART BUILDINGS

THE DIGITAL TENANT AND THE BUILDING OF TOMORROW

D

BY ERIC ABBOTT

igital transformation is reimagining the future of commercial real estate in unprecedented ways. The traditional approach of architecting buildings with fixed/dedicated purpose utilization is now yielding to an approach grounded in dynamic utilization based on the needs of both human and digital workforces. Such changes are not simply limited to incorporating digital services such as wayfinding kiosks and/or smart walls. Rather, it is recognition that the building itself must support the hybrid co-existence of virtual digital workers and humans as well as autonomous digital systems such as robotic agents. By enabling such capabilities, leading building owners have a unique opportunity to transform their facilities to leverage “Destination Real Estate” and deliver unparalleled value to the bi-fold workforce of the future. And as we shall see, the key to success starts with a building’s cognitive computing network.

18 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

SMART BUILDINGS

Let’s begin with the tenant experience. Attributes of the modern human tenant include but are not limited to convenience, access, scale, personalization, and customization. By definition, this includes contextual services such as location-based services anchored in presence, identity and access management, security, protocol compliance and adherence, wayfinding, and geo-tracking. The FCC and mobile communications industry leaders have long recognized that location-based services for indoor tenants needs to be vastly improved, and they are taking steps to define new standards to address this shortfall. Once approved and available from mobile networking service providers, building owners will stand to gain new revenue opportunities predicated on leasing agreements rooted in value-based services as opposed to traditional, fixed agreements based on (simplistic) floor utilization models. Furthermore, by investing in digital networking services, building owners will optimize the tenant experience and find that human tenant demand will be stimulated by the availability of digital conveniences.

Examples may include autonomous vehicle services, experiential workplaces, customizable rooms, and artificial intelligence (AI) digital assistants/ chatbots to improve productivity and efficiency. Most importantly, investment in cognitive computing networking will allow building owners to smooth out demand variability and engender leasing predictivity, mitigating building operations management risk. With such technology, building owners won’t just have predictive analytics about a building’s occupancy

and utilization — they will be able to predict and proscriptively market the facility to ensure continual demand.

One of the more interesting emergent areas for the building owner is the opportunity to host digital workers. With a cognitive computing network and attendant capabilities such as advanced mobility services,

“

With a cognitive computing network and attendant capabilities such as advanced mobility services, digital workers can be employed by tenants to work alongside their human counterparts to perform a range of duties.

”

digital workers can be employed by tenants to work alongside their human counterparts to perform a range of duties. In health care, use cases may include billing and coding services. In entertainment, use cases may include guest services or event management.

Regardless of market segment, the digital workforce provides a variety of services that a building owner can monetize. For example, billing the tenant on a per digital worker per month (PDPM) basis for utilization of building services such as data networking or data backhaul, much

like how a human tenant is assessed for certain building benefits such as parking or use of gym facilities. Or, domiciling of the digital worker including services related to autonomous imagination.

Another transformative technology is robotic process automation, which may include process robots or intelligent machines to provide basic service tenant tasks like food delivery, linen service, package delivery, and so forth.

Other potential service applications may include building automation and maintenance, all managed by a cognitive computing network that is contextually aware of occupancy, predictive servicing, and even regulatory service requirements for such facility items as elevators.

As shown, the cognitive computing network is the core of the future building, and architecting and managing such a network is not simply an activity of bolting together constituent pieces.

Such a network must incorporate not only building systems, but also wireless modalities, location-based services, mobile edge computing, computer vision, robotic processes, sensory intelligence, and natural language processing capabilities. There are also dependencies such as the regional determinants like the environment, the local culture, tenant needs, and so forth. Consequently, planning, design, construction, and operation of the network necessitates highly skilled expertise to ensure solid results. Towards this end, let TrueAccess Networks be your trusted partner along the highway of this amazing transformative journey and building the future of commercial real estate.  CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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MIDDLEPRISE 2.0

BY SCOTT GREGORY, DIRECTOR, MARKETING

F

our years ago SOLiD started the MIDDLEPRISE discussion. Three years ago, the wireless industry joined the conversation and today the MIDDLEPRISE is talking MIDDLEPRISE. However, is it the same MIDDLEPRISE as three years ago? Well, yes and no.

The industry has learned a lot in three years. The market definition has matured, everyone I talk to is questioning the early TAM estimates, 5G, CBRS, and CRE Property Technology are impacting the conversation and the elephant-in-the-room is that the entire market opportunity hinges on a few powerful entities. Yet, despite the slow adoption pace and seemingly impossible barriers, the MIDDLEPRISE is not going away, but it is different than the wireless industry’s early analysis. I think it’s time to absorb the lessons learned and start thinking MIDDLEPRISE 2.0.

IT’S STILL BIG, BUT I ALSO FOUND THAT SIZE AND OPPORTUNITY ARE IMPACTED

BY THE CRE MARKET. The MIDDLEPRISE started off with a simple definition: commercial properties between 100,000 to 500,000 sqft along with the premise that property owners can and are willing to invest in wireless technology. This was an easy way to show the market potential, specifically cellular DAS, and differentiate it from larger, legacy venues like stadiums and convention centers and subways …

However, it’s a bit too simple and fails

22 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

to address the realities of the complex CRE industry, specifically occupancy rates, lease cycles and a broader scope of in-building wireless. So how big is the MIDDLEPRISE? Some of the market estimates are based on a total CRE sqft inventory. Some take-into-account the size and or use of the building. And still others look to specific verticals to generate a TAM. It’s still BIG, but I also found that size and opportunity are impacted by the CRE market.

MIDDLEPRISE thinking must consider that low vacancy rates and the staggered nature of current lease

terms not only shrinks the SAM but also changes the IBW conversation.

Conversations with a building owner can’t start with “your tenants be won’t be happy if their cellphone don’t work in their space”. Why? Because they are already tenants and will be for at least 3-5 years on average. For most building owners and their tenants, that conversation is just not relevant during a lease cycle. For example, if a building owner has a tenant that occupies 80% of a 250K sqft building and are in the first year of a 10 year lease, you better have something else to justify the installation of an in-building wireless network. Yes, it’s an extreme example, but considering today’s low vacancy rates and an average lease term of 4+ years, you can see that the SAM, at any given time, is less than anticipated. Without going into the numbers, you must agree that the billion(s) dollar MIDDLEPRISE TAM has a significantly lower SAM as a result or dramatically scales back the TAM. Additionally, the MIDDLEPRISE is impacted by the availability of leasable inventory. Today that rate is trending lower according to a Q4-2018 report from the National Association of Realtors. Office space vacancy rate have trended downward from a 2010 vacancy rate of 21% to a national average of roughly 13%. The National Association of Realtors also report that “The shortage of available commercial inventory remained ranked as the top concern for realtors”.

How does this impact the in-building wireless MIDDLEPRISE? Cellu-

lar connectivity, as part of an enhanced tenant experience technology push, is less of a value-add to a market with low vacancy. At a minimum, it forces the MIDDLEPRISE players to change their strategy and demonstrate, to the

MIDDLEPRISE 2.0 will undoubtably include new wireless technology, however, until 5G is ubiquitous, most buildings will still have a cellular coverage and capacity issue.

”

CRE market, that In-building wireless is going to play a role in the future of their buildings regardless of today’s low vacancies rates.

New construction projects and enterprise direct opportunities are also part of the MIDDLEPIRSE. They are uniquely different than existing, occupied buildings and, in my mind, should be targeted separately. New construction with energy efficient building materials and a smart building technology focus are being designed with infrastructure to support wireless technology, as well as property tech solutions. Likewise, enterprise owned, and occupied buildings are attractive as they often have fewer financial barriers and a corporate level, B2B relationship with a mobile network operator. New construction that is LEEDs certified, Smart building focused and deliver an adaptable enhanced tenant experience will almost certainly require in-building wireless infrastructure. In contrast to the upside, according to Dodge Data Analytics, new construction starts have decelerated since 2015 from double digit grow to a 3% growth rate in 2018. Really bad timing for the MIDDLEPRISE IBW industry, yet I still consider this to be the low hanging fruit for the wireless industry. One last data point on market size from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. They report that buildings over 100K sqft represent only 2% of the total building count and they represent only 35% of the U.S. total sqft inventory. The MIDDLEPRISE market size or TAM is not as large as anticipated.

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5G AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS In 2016, 5G was in full pre-hype mode right alongside of the MIDDLEPRISE conversations. Fast forward to 2019 and 5G is now part of the MIDDLEPRISE. The 5G stage is also shared with Citizens Broadband Radio Service or CBRS, an unlicensed spectrum being developed for in-building applications and is positioned to solve the MIDDLEPRISE signal source problem much like cellular over WiFi today. Of course, your mobile devise will also need to be CBRS compatible and I don’t see this being an issue of if but rather when it does it happen. Millimeter wave is also in the conversation as part of the 5G performance vision. It no doubt provides the performance needed but it is going to take time and acceptance from the general public. Wrap all of this together and the CRE industry is almost guaranteed to be confused.

MIDDLEPRISE 2.0 will undoubtably include new wireless technology, however, until 5G is ubiquitous, most buildings will still have a cellular coverage and capacity issue. So, what does this mean?

2.0 thinking must include a path to 5G, CBRS, mmWave, Fiber-to-the edge infrastructure and open source RAN. So far these discussions have been a bit of a barrier-to-market where, ironically, the problem today is still largely 4G coverage and capacity.

cellular network, have ultimate say in a MIDDLEPRISE deployment. Afterall it is their spectrum - their customers - their business, which means it’s their choice to invest in the network. They have historically picked who, when and where they want to provide access to their signal. But unlike the T1 business of decades ago, in-building cellular is just not part of their business, and at times appears to be only a marketing tool for the MNO. I believe

THE ELEPHANT(S) IN THE ROOM There is an elephant in the MIDDLEPRISE, in fact, maybe two. We seldom talk about them, but everyone knows they are there. The mobile network operators, a necessary component of any in-building 24 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

this signal source model, unfortunately, eliminates as much as 50% of the MIDDLEPRISE opportunity, that is until there is a new model.

Elephant two, are the base station transceiver ( BTS) OEMs. Signal source technology has seen little movement to deliver solutions that change the way signal is provided to a building as well as the ownership model, and cost, somewhere around 50K per site, per MNO. There is a glimmer of optimism on the horizon, a few of the OEM pachyderms are members of the oRAN alliance and seem somewhat interested in working to develop a standards-based solution that both elephants and the market will embrace. Till then, it’s going to be business as usual, MIDDLEPRISE 1.0.

IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN? A final thought, nobody I’ve spoken with believes that the MIDDLEPRISE won’t happen. Yes, the market size has been reduced, technology is being refined and the market today is very competitive.

Even the elephant in the room has not completely trampled the MIDDLEPRISE. MIDDLEPRISE 2.0 thinking must present the building owner or enterprise with a direct value proposition and today this is about smart building initiatives and property technology that enhances the tenant experience. In-building wireless networks, that support these initiatives will get attention and will steer both the CRE and wireless industries to a successful future. Ultimately, the wireless industry will land on a signal source solution that checks all of the boxes and wireless access that opens the door to significant MIDDLEPRISE growth and new in-building opportunities. 

DRIVING EXTREME EDGE CONNECTIVITY

Wireless is no longer a luxury in a 5G world, it is a necessity.

Your tenants, employees and patrons expect ubiquitous coverage wherever they roam.

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Visit us to learn more: www.solid.com

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

CBRS:

A POTENTIAL GAME CHANGER FOR IN-BUILDING COVERAGE

BY ANDREW CLEGG, SPECTRUM ENGINEERING LEAD, GOOGLE

A

ndrew Clegg is Spectrum Engineering Lead for Google, one of the conditionally-approved CBRS Spectrum Access System Administrators. He has been involved with the development of CBRS from an engineering and standards perspective almost since the beginning of the CBRS concept. He chairs the committee that established the industry-wide operating standards for the CBRS band. Prior to joining Google, Andrew served in spectrum-related roles at the U.S. National Science Foundation, Cingular Wireless, and Comsearch.

Q: WE’RE HEARING A LOT LATELY ABOUT CBRS. WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? A: CBRS stands for Citizens Broadband Radio Service. It’s a new wireless service that’s been recently authorized by the FCC and coming online soon. One of the key benefits of CBRS is its potential to provide new connectivity options for a broad range of entities, ranging from major wireless carriers to individual building owners and even to consumers. In a way, that’s what puts “citizens” in Citizens Broadband Radio Service.

Q: HOW DOES CBRS DIFFER FROM TRADITIONAL LICENSED WIRELESS SERVICES? A: If you look at traditional wireless services such as 4G LTE, they’re generally provided by major wireless carriers on dedicated frequencies that they’ve paid potentially billions of dollars to use.

Those networks often rely on relatively large cell sites covering several blocks in cities, or several miles in rural areas. By and large, those networks have served us pretty well over the years and will continue to serve us going forward. However, given the extreme growth in demand for wireless broadband, the wireless industry is always looking for more frequencies to provide increasingly greater amounts of data to a growing number of users. CBRS is a new band with a new spectrum use model that can allow new entrants and new opportunities in the broadband wireless space.

The technical rules for CBRS also favor smaller cells serving localized indoor and outdoor areas, such as entertainment venues, office buildings, and other commercial properties.

Q: HOW DOES CBRS DIFFER FROM WI-FI? A: Wi-Fi networks operate on unlicensed frequency bands, which means that anyone can use the frequencies as long as they adhere to certain technical requirements. There’s no coordinated management of the bands, so different devices can and will interfere with one another. Your Wi-Fi devices operate in the same 26 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

frequency bands as Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, microwave ovens, and your neighbors’ Wi-Fi devices, for example. So while Wi-Fi is a good solution in many cases, it lacks the ability to guarantee quality of service in any specific instance. CBRS, on the other hand, is centrally coordinated and supports both exclusive/ guaranteed access (similar to cellular bands) and permissive access (similar to Wi-Fi bands but with coordination).

Q: CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE LICENSE MODELS? A: CBRS offers two tiers of service. The higher tier is a Priority Access License (PAL). The lower tier is General Authorized Access (GAA). PALs offer interference coordination with other PALs, and interference protection from GAA. PALs will be auctioned by the FCC on a county basis, and as many as seven PALs will be granted for each county. The GAA tier can use any frequency that’s not used by any PALs at a particular location and does not require an auction. GAA is free to use. An important characteristic of CBRS is that PAL and GAA share the band with systems that already existed in the band prior to CBRS. These systems include the U.S. military and some satellite dishes. PAL and GAA must not interfere with these pre-existing operations. All of the interference management is accomplished behind the scenes and is essentially transparent to the user.

Q: WHY DOES CBRS MATTER TO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OWNERS? A: Some aspects of CBRS are particularly favorable for in-building and around-building coverage. As many real estate owners know, cellular coverage inside buildings can often be poor or nonexistent. Signals from towers outside the building don’t often penetrate into the building well. Many building owners may not realize that the increasing use of energy-efficient building materials is making the indoor coverage situation worse. For example,

A VIEW FROM THE TOP energy-efficient windows often achieve improved thermal efficiency by coating the glass with conducting materials, which do a good job reflecting heat. But they also do a good job of blocking radio signals, thereby keeping outdoor signals from penetrating the glass. The result is weak or no cell signal inside the building.

Q: WHAT CHALLENGES ARE SOLVED BY CBRS? A: CBRS makes it possible for almost anyone to provide services.

Access to the spectrum is either free (for GAA users) or auctioned over county-sized areas (for PALs) that will likely be much more affordable than the regional or nationwide licenses traditionally used for mobile services. This enables an individual building owner to install their own private LTE network to accommodate, for example, secure voice and data communications that can make use of commercially-available user devices, like smartphones. One interest of the CBRS industry is to develop CBRS as an enhanced version of today’s in-building DAS. The desired outcome is for a building owner to be able to simply install small and affordable CBRS base stations inside their building, connect them to the Internet, and then customers of the major wireless carriers can seamlessly roam onto in-building CBRS. Q: HOW DOES CBRS FIT INTO IoT AND 5G? A: Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the multitude of devices that connect to the Internet for remote control, remote monitoring, inter-device communications, and lots of other things. As just a few examples, IoT includes security cameras, remote-controlled thermostats, remote-controlled light switches, smart electric meters, and electronic door locks. These devices have a variety of bandwidth requirements. For example, a high-resolution security camera uses a fair amount of data, but a light switch or thermostat typically needs very little. CBRS offers the opportunity to provide connectivity to all of these devices, with high reliability and security.

With regard to 5G, the CBRS band has recently been declared an official 5G band by 3GPP, the international standards body that defines the 5G standard. The CBRS Alliance, a domestic industry group, is developing standards that will allow the adoption of 5G technology in the CBRS band, and those standards are expected to be completed later this year. CBRS will be an early implementation of 5G in the U.S., and makes us more competitive with other countries, which are working to deploy 5G in similar frequencies.

Q: I HEARD THAT CBRS CAN BE DISRUPTED WHEN NEARBY GOVERNMENT RADARS TURN ON. IS THAT TRUE?

A: CBRS is a managed band, which means that for devices to transmit, they have to communicate with a central cloudbased Spectrum Access System (SAS). Many companies, such as Google, will be providing SAS services. The CBRS band is shared with the Navy, which uses it for occasional shipborne radar operations off the coast. When they do, the SASs must reconfigure CBRS systems in the adjoining coastal areas to avoid interference to the Navy. The vast majority of Navy radar operations only impact a small number of CBRS channels, so devices will be reconfigured by simply changing channels. The SAS and the CBRS devices do the reconfiguration automatically, so all of this is transparent to the users.

Q: WHAT IS THE TIMESCALE FOR CBRS? A: The government completed lab testing of SASs, and we expect to get permission to provide initial commercial CBRS service by August. Initial Commercial Deployment (ICD) will demonstrate to the FCC and DoD that CBRS will work properly “in the wild.” Full commercial service will follow, most likely in November or so. Initially all CBRS operations will be in the GAA tier, as the FCC’s PAL auctions will not occur until sometime in 2020. CBRS equipment is already commercially available. Google introduced the first CBRS phone in February, and others have since followed. CBRS base stations from multiple equipment manufacturers have been approved by the FCC. Overall, the CBRS industry is ready to go — we’re just awaiting final approvals by the FCC. Q: WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ON CBRS? A: The Wireless Innovation Forum (cbrs.wirelessinnovation.org) develops the baseline industry standards for the CBRS band. The CBRS Alliance (www.cbrsalliance.org) is an industry body comprised of 120 companies (and growing) that is actively developing the LTE- and 5G-based CBRS ecosystem. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andrew Clegg is the Spectrum Engineering Lead for Google. Prior to joining Google, he served as the spectrum manager for the U.S. National Science Foundation. At NSF, he founded the Enhancing Access to the Radio

Spectrum (EARS) program, a $50 million program focused on improving spectrum efficiency and access. He has over 20 years' experience in spectrum management and

was a member of the U.S. delegation to two World Radiocommunication Conferences.

Andy holds a PhD in radio astronomy (major) and electrical engineering

(minor) from Cornell University, and a BA in physics and astronomy, with highest distinction, from the University of Virginia.

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A VIEW FROM THE TOP

DELIVERING A SEAMLESS,

SMART-APARTMENT EXPERIENCE FOR BORROR RESIDENTS

American Tower partnered with Borror to meet connectivity demands

BY JOE DYTON

28 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

B

orror, a residential real estate developer and property management company, quickly acted when it, along with many commercial real estate owners, recognized that connectivity is critical for achieving resident satisfaction.

Borror and American Tower worked together to enhance the connectivity at two properties—303 South Front Street and 985 High at The Castle, both in Columbus, Ohio—by installing wireless network infrastructure solutions.

“We wanted to offer fully integrated smart apartments,”said Kaileigh Steiner, Director of Marketing for Borror. “We think that’s the direction the market is taking. I know a lot of people who own homes that have that now, but we wanted to offer it as a management company and as an additional solution.”

303 South Front Street and 985 High provide high-speed wireless connectivity throughout the buildings. Residents have secure Wi-Fi wherever they are, whether in their own unit, at the gym, on the rooftop, or in the lobby.

CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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A VIEW FROM THE TOP said. “We would say, ‘Listen, everyone in Columbus is doing “You have the flexibility to work anywhere and also feel it a certain way. However, we see what they’re doing in New your computer data is secure,” Steiner said. “It’s helpful from York and California. We see it because of our roles as advisors a security standpoint. People who have sensitive documents or consultants across the country.’ And, they embraced trying do not want their computer visible to others on the network, some things that were not market ready in Columbus.” which was one of the problems we had at another building Borror’s willingness to be open to WhiteSpace’s ideas alwhere we tried something similar.” lowed American Tower to not only equip the buildings with Residents at both locations not only enjoy peace of mind high-speed wireless connectivity but also ensure the network from having a secure Wi-Fi network, but can also take adwill accommodate emerging technologies, such as Citizens vantage of the amenities that come with a high-speed conBroadband Radio Service (CBRS) when the private spectrum nection, such as flawless streaming, smart thermostats, and becomes available. The buildings use technology that can be keyless locks. In addition, they have access to a guest entry upgraded seamlessly to CBRS at any system, so they can see who’s looking time, further enhancing wireless conto enter, talk with the guest, and let nectivity at a lower cost. them inside—right from their unit.

“For every new installation, our focus The buildings’ fitness centers also have in the design phase is to ensure the netWi-Fi-enabled televisions.

For every new installation, work is 5G ready, regardless of whether Borror offers its high-speed service our focus in the design phase we’re building a Wi-Fi solution, supat a lower price than local providers, porting an Internet of Things (IoT) and access is available the moment a is to ensure the network application, or delivering high-qualresident moves into the unit. is 5G ready, regardless of ity voice and LTE services,” said Lisa “There’s nothing residents need to Lombino, American Tower Vice Presdo,” Steiner said. “It’s basically, ‘Here’s whether we’re building a ident of Network Engineering. your login, here’s everything you need, Wi-Fi solution, supporting An American Tower future-proof and you’re ready to go.’ There’s no need an Internet of Things (IoT) strategy has aligned well with Borror’s to schedule a rep to come out to install vision of staying current on the latest anything. We take care of all of the application, or delivering hightechnological trends to best serve its heavy lifting.” quality voice and LTE services residents’ connectivity demands. AcBorror selected a carrier grade Wi-Fi cording to Steiner, Borror intends to service for its residents with assistance integrate additional smart applications from WhiteSpace, a single-source into the company’s apartment buildadvisor for building owners, developings, whether incorporating Bluetooth ers, and architects. WhiteSpace CEO into its keyless locks or offering 5G service to its residents. and President Mike Smith recognized Borror was looking “Our long-term goal is to always be on top of security and to do something innovative in their buildings, so he enlisted technology,” Steiner said. “These are two of our big differentiaAmerican Tower, a leading provider of in-building wireless tors as a company. We want to ensure our buildings are secure infrastructure solutions in enterprise markets, to help. and stay on top of what’s offered in technology. If you can have “I brought everyone to the table and we started talking,” it in your home, we’d like to offer it in your apartment. We Smith said. “Borror was already looking at a bulk provider want you to feel like this is your home.” solution, but for Wi-Fi only. American Tower said, ‘We can Another of Borror’s initiatives is emphasizing high-quality deliver a 5G-ready wireless solution within the building.’”

Wi-Fi service, rather than cable. According to Steiner, the The American Tower solution enabled WhiteSpace to company has found residents are more curious of how much achieve Borror’s vision of connecting devices, like locks and Wi-Fi access costs without cable service. “From our perspecthermostats, while establishing a foundation for future aptive, we decided to offer Wi-Fi, versus a cable-based solution plications—something a traditional provider would not have from another provider, as high-speed Wi-Fi is what is most been able to do as easily. Smith felt this was a factor in conimportant to everyone,” she explains. “That means we can offer vincing Borror to work with American Tower. this incredible service for a great price.”  “Borror really embraced what we brought them,” Smith

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30 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

Enabling Dependable Smart Building Solutions A secure, reliable wireless network is becoming a critical utility for property owners to attract and secure tenants in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive markets. American Tower, a leader in wireless infrastructure, has enabled hundreds of building and venue owners in delivering seamless wireless connectivity throughout their properties.

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IN-BUILDING HEAVYWEIGHT BECOMES PART OF A BIGGER, WIRELESS FAMILYâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

READY TO HELP CRE

BY JOE DYTON

Industry veteran Stephen Bye will guide the new Connectivity Wireless Solutions as it looks to extend its leadership in the neutral host infrastructure and services business.

32 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

I

moving and shifting, taking those challenges and putting them n March, Neutral Connect Networks acquired Connectivity together to grow those businesses and that opportunity. I think Wireless Solutions. this industry is poised for a big shift when it comes to neutral Stephen Bye was named Chief Executive Officer of the host, and with the technology that’s coming in that unlocks that newly combined companies as part of the acquisition. The opportunity. For me, I thought this was an exciting opportunity.” role is a perfect fit for Bye, who has worked in the wireless The combination of the support of M|C Partners, the chance industry for more than 27 years for wireless cable and wireline to start anew with a smaller company, and Bye’s specific expeservice providers in the United States and abroad. Under Bye’s rience and skill set also made joining Connectivity Wireless an leadership, the companies will reorganize in an effort to imattractive opportunity to him. prove their respective operating efficiencies so they can create “M|C Partners is a very good firm,” Bye said. “I’ve known a world-class organization. them for a long time. Working for a smaller company is al“Our team members represent the most important capability ways fun. It’s different, and not everyone’s cut out for that. I we have,” Bye said at the time of the announcement. “We will think I can bring the experience that I have from a service work together to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible to provider perspective because they are one large customer deliver best-in-class solutions and services to our customers, group for us as a business.” supporting managed Wi-Fi, LAA, Real estate developers and landlords CBRS, private LTE networks, and the will also be significant customers for evolution to 5G and beyond.” the newly formed company, according While Bye’s background makes him to Bye. He believes Connectivity Wirean ideal fit to lead this newly formed I think this industry is less has not only established great relacompany, that same background also poised for a big shift when tionships with developers and landlords makes his decision to assume the role alike, but also generated a significant somewhat of a surprise. Bye was the it comes to neutral host, amount of credibility in the market Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and with the technology which will help this new company acand President of telecommunications that’s coming in that complish its goals. company and wireless carrier provider “That’s the other side of this relationC Spire, where he was responsible for unlocks that opportunity. ship that we need to manage from a the company’s day-to-day operations customer perspective as we go forward, prior to joining Connectivity Wireless because they have as much to gain and Solutions. He also held executive and benefit, and perhaps as much to lose, if engineering positions with well-known it is not done in the right way,” he said. enterprises such as Sprint, where he was “It’s really about bringing together those two constituents and also CTO, Cox Communications, AT&T, Bell South Corporaserving the service providers the best we can. There are no big tion, Optus Communications and Telstra. companies that have done that well, so we thought, ‘Okay, this However, Bye has never shied away from a challenge and is is a great opportunity to bring that together and take on this excited to help guide a company that’s newer and smaller than challenge and take advantage of this opportunity that emerges.” he’s accustomed to.

The merger began a few years ago when M|C Partners be“I love challenges,” Bye said. “If you look back at my career, I’m not the sort of guy that sits at a company for 40 years. I like taking on challenges and being in a position where the market is

“

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“

What we do impacts the customer experience across multiple dimensions, so how we operate those networks, how we work with the carriers to make sure those networks deliver what their customers expect of them is absolutely critical.”

”

came interested in the emergence of the neutral-host model in commercial real estate buildings and venues. The company made an investment in Neutral Connect Networks. The early success with Neutral Connect Networks led to an interest in Connectivity Wireless Solutions. “(M|C Partners) looked at acquiring the company and then combining it with what they had with Neutral Connect Network,” Bye said. “That’s when they approached me about coming in. I said, ‘Okay, let’s consolidate the different components we have and combine them in a way that really takes advantage of the strength of each so it will give us a great foundation on which to grow the business going forward, too.”

The consolidation means the new company will offer venues a full suite of in-building wireless solutions and services.

“What we’re doing is combining these different entities, consolidating the assets and the operations into two parts of the business,” Bye said. “One will be very focused on engineering design, deployment, construction and operating. The other will be the entity that manages and operates these neutral-host systems on behalf of the carriers and landlords.”

Essentially, Connectivity Wireless will provide the sales, engineering, project management, deployment, construction and operations for all in-building wireless solutions for the customers, and Neutral Connect Networks is the entity that holds all infrastructure, systems, assets and contracts for any neutral-host systems that they own and operate, Bye explained.

The companies will remain focused on serving their customers during the transition—the highest of priorities for both enterprises.

“We care about our customers’ customers,” Bye said. “By focusing on (them), you take care of your customer in that process.

What we do impacts the customer experience across multiple dimensions, so how we operate those networks, how we work with the carriers to make sure those networks deliver what their customers expect of them is absolutely critical.”

With M|C Partners behind it as an investor, and Connectivity Wireless’ sterling reputation in the CRE industry, Bye believes “the new Connectivity Wireless Solutions” in partnership with Neutral Connect Networks is set up to

34 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

continue to serve its customers well.

“I’m frankly excited about the pieces that we have, and what we’re trying to do is get as organized as we can to take advantage of all the different components that we have in order to be able to execute against that,” Bye said. “I am excited about how we can put together what we already have and take it to a new level. We’re at a very interesting point for the whole industry, and I think we’re well poised to grow with that switch and evolution of the business.” 

ABOUT STEPHEN:

Stephen is a senior executive with more than 27 years of experience working for

wireless, Cable and wireline service providers in the US and several other countries.

Prior to joining the Connectivity Wireless, Steven served as the President of C

Spire responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company with three lines of

business, including wireless, home service, and enterprise business services. Steven also served as the CTO of C Spire and is a former CTO for Sprint. He has also held

a range of executive positions at Cox Communications, AT&T, BellSouth International, Optus Communications and Telstra .

World-Class In-building Wireless Systems Providing coverage to more than 100 million square feet of Class-A properties throughout the U.S. Give your tenants the connectivity they expect and depend on by joining the thousands of satisfied venues that have benefitted from our In-Building Wireless Solution (IBW) Funding, Design, Installation and Maintenance services.

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www.connectivitywireless.com www.neutralconnect.com

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

THE EVOLUTION OF

IN-BUILDING PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

I

BY JOE SCHMELZER, SR DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT AT NEXTIVITY INC.

f your building is on fire or some other emergency is occurring on the premises that threatens lives or property, you depend on a wellhoned and coordinated team of first responders to save the day. And they do.

But when communications are down between the on-site emergency personnel or with dispatch or the multiple agencies needed to deliver the emergency services, emergency efforts may be delayed. Every minute lost due to poor or unavailable communication can cost lives and result in more extensive damage to property.

Voice communications provide continuous connectivity for public safety responders that are charged with

managing and mitigating emergencies.

Unfortunately, communication system failures do happen at times when first responders need them most. In a recent survey by the Safer Building Coalition of first responders, more than 65% said they had experienced some sort of communication failure inside a building in the last 24 months.

“Some of the most important and perhaps overlooked elements of building requirements are the local ordinances, and requirements of agencies such as the National Fire and Protective Association to include in-building communications for public safety responders as well as existing commercial broadband networks.”—-Andrew Seybold, author

36 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

of The Public Safety Advocate, a weekly column which can be found at www. allthingsfirstnet.com WHY ARE THERE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FAILURES? The public safety community has relied on Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems since the 1930s. As LMR systems evolved, varying and often disparate technologies were developed and deployed in new and upgraded systems across the nation. As a result, the public safety community has struggled with interoperability, making it difficult to facilitate communications across jurisdictional and agency lines. In buildings, particularly those located at

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

jurisdictional boundaries such as county lines or those in dense urban environments, there may be a wide variety of frequencies and radio services used by local first responders that add to system complexity and cost.

To compound the problem, in-building communications using LMR experience the same issues as cellular coverage: LMR network towers are typically outdoors, so signal penetration through challenging RF environments and building materials such as concrete is problematic. Low-emission certified (LEED) buildings are particularly challenging with the high attenuation properties of the coatings used to make the buildings energy-efficient. These obstacles in the environment or building construction may be responsible for preventing a first responder from connecting over LMR for vital communications.

The public safety community continues to make strides in improving public safety communications and interoperability while also strengthening responsiveness and preparedness at all levels of government.

In February 2012, the Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act authorized the development and implementation of the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN).

The law also established the FirstNet Authority as an independent body governing the NPSBN; set aside $7 billion for network development, deployment, and operation; and assigned the use of specific frequencies to the FirstNet Authority for exclusive use of the public safety community. As envisioned, the network incorporates open, commercial wireless technology standards, in particular cellular 4G LTE, to provide access to mission-critical applications used by first responders.

The net effect of this is that, in the United States, there are now two standard radio communications systems in play in public safety: LMR and FirstNet. However, because FirstNet is an LTE broadband cellular network, it comes

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Some of the most important and perhaps overlooked elements of building requirements are the local ordinances, and requirements of agencies such as the National Fire and Protective Association to include in-building communications for public safety responders as well as existing commercial broadband networks.

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with the same connectivity issues for first responders as the LMR network.

At the same time, public safety currently uses wireless data services over commercial cellular networks for many mission-critical functions and data, such as dispatch; local, regional, state, and national and international license, vehicle, wanted person, and criminal history database queries; messaging; and transmission of real-time video and imagery.

It is also critical that people trapped in a building during a fire or other emergency are able to use their cellular phones to connect with first responders for rescue.

WHAT CAN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OWNERS DO ABOUT IT? “The technologies required to ensure that both building occupants and first responders can stay connected inside buildings is essentially identical,” says John Foley, Safer Buildings Coalition Managing Director. “Smart building owners are leveraging in-building public safety communication code-compliance to help prove in the financial model for adding cellular coverage and other technologies that ride on top of the same core infrastructure: pathway, conduit, fiber, distributed power, and passive components. It’s a smart play.”

Property owners and managers who are looking at a five to 10-year technology horizon should be preparing their properties for both FirstNet and for traditional LMR systems, along with good coverage for commercial cellular (occupant cell phones, tablets, etc.).

PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMMERCIAL CELLULAR SYSTEMS ARE SIMILAR, BUT THERE ARE VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES There are vendors who claim their equipment “supports public safety” because the radios they manufacture operate within public safety frequencies.

This can be a mine field for an unaware or unprepared property owner, or a system integrator unfamiliar with either the local requirements or the category.

The ENTIRE SYSTEM – not just the radios - needs to meet the public safety requirements in order to acquire a certificate of occupancy (CO). A bi-directional amplifier (BDA) might support the radio frequencies on site, but does it meet the other safety requirements, like UL2524 listing? Does it support the IFC 510 alarms? Does it directly CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

connect with the fire panel in the building, or does some sort of intermediary interface need to be installed?

Systems also diverge in the areas designated for coverage. In a commercial cellular system, many buildings owners may be primarily concerned with covering the public spaces, lobbies, car parks, hallways, etc. In a public safety system, the coverage needs are very different in spaces like a fire-safe room, elevator lobbies, stairwells, rooftops, and all of the buildings ingress and egress points.

A public safety system requires battery backup. Commercial cellular does not.

An attempt to do all of the above in one solution is likely to lead to unacceptable compromises, or exorbitant cost points.

LMR networks and the FirstNet public safety broadband networks are evolving in parallel. As communications evolve, public safety is likely to continue to use the reliable mission-critical voice communications offered by traditional LMR systems. At the same time, agencies will continue to implement emerging wireless broadband services and applications.

Mission-critical voice is coming soon to FirstNet. “If and when the technical and non-technical requirements are met, it is anticipated that some agencies will further integrate FirstNet partially or entirely into their communications network.”, per the Department of Homeland Security. This is not to say that LMR solutions are going away, but instead that FirstNet solution requirements have begun to be layered in by jurisdiction.

For a building owner to be proactive in public safety planning, it is helpful to understand key requirements in the Codes.

CODE COMPLIANCE A properly-functioning in-building

system is typically required in order to receive a CO or a temporary CO. Three things determine the specific requirements for any given building to be deemed “safe” by the inspector (in the context of in building communications): 1. A variety of code references, like the NFPA 1221, IFC 510, and UL 2524. These codes provide specific guidance for form and function of in-building systems, as well as how they must be installed, documented, and monitored.

2. The jurisdiction’s specific implementation of the codes. Each jurisdiction uses the code references in a way it feels works best for the needs of the community and local first responders. For example, the code might require 12-hour battery backup but the jurisdiction decides 24-hours is more appropriate for its use case.

3. The Authority Having Jurisdiction’s (AHJ) interpretation of the above codes, and enforcement process.

The AHJ is the inspector. The AHJ will typically have preferred testing methods, and defined procedures.

In any given jurisdiction, the AHJ is often referred to as the “Giver Of Decisions” and is the ultimate arbiter of compliance.

IN-BUILDING SYSTEMS: PIECES AND PARTS Because of the great variation from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in radio frequency use, code implementation, code interpretation, and equipment availability, most in-building public safety systems are a mish-mash of off-the-shelf components, cobbled together by a systems integrator, with a best effort to meet performance, cost,

SUMMER2018 2019 38 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SPRING

and time-to-market expectations.

When it comes to in-building code compliance there are a few areas that deserve special attention.

Radios and/or BDA Every jurisdiction has a set of pre-defined frequencies that will be used. This can encompass LMR bands, FirstNet, or a combination of both. It is important to consider how these have been defined prior to determining any solutions, because not all solutions or vendors support all radio types. The VHF frequencies are not supported by many vendors, for example, which limits options, and FirstNet is newer technology, not available everywhere yet.

Pathway survivability Pathway survivability defines the duration and requirements for conduits and risers, and system components, to survive a fire. Normally there are specifications for circuit integrity, cable integrity, fire-rated enclosures, and some sort of alternative method approved by the AHJ. Battery backup This is an extremely important requirement for property technology managers to understand. This is an area where commercial grade and public safety grade systems diverge. The first thing the fire department does in a fire incident is cut building power.

Therefore, public safety systems have a requirement for battery backup. Current guidelines and implementations are leaning towards 12-hour backup being the norm. Some jurisdictions/AHJs may require 24 hours. Having a generator on site can provide a waiver, if it’s installed in a manner supporting the spirit of this requirement. Commercial systems will not require or offer (or potentially SUP-

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

Are You Public Safety In-Building Code Compliant ?

are many business presented Code Compliance with NFPA 1221 & IFC 510 Requirement models from the community Pathway Survivability for Vertical & Horizontal Coaxial Cable  of installers, which Plenum Rated Cat5e or Coaxial Cable  will lead to variations Battery Backup - 12 Hours or 2 Hours with Emergency Generator  in pricing. The equipSignal Strength & Area Coverage - 95% General ment selected will  - 99% Critical (Fire command center, Fire pump room, exit stairs, also drive cost ratios, exit passageways, elevator lobbies, standpipe cabinets, sprinkler section valve locations and other areas deemed critical.) with some equipment Monitoring By Fire Alarm  types being more NEMA 4 Cabinets for Equipment & Battery Backup  expensive but requirAnnual System Acceptance/Testing  ing less labor, or vice In-Building Public Safety Solution Includes FirstNet in Markets that  versa. For example, an NEMA 4 AHJ Requires all-passive, traditional Public safety equipBDA-style system will have less expenFirstNet ment is required to be NEMA 4 rated. sive equipment, but requires a variety All 50 states, five U.S. territories and This is designed to protect in-building of highly skilled integrators to ensure Washington, D.C. have opted in to public safety gear from the effects of RF performance is passable. Overall, FirstNet, meaning each has accepted its water, via hose or sprinkler system. A building owners could expect to pay individual state plan detailing how the lot of “public safety” equipment does around $1 per square foot for public network will be deployed in their state/ not come with a NEMA 4 rating, so safety ERRCS systems. territory.

As of this writing, over 7,000 the installers are forced to kluge the agencies have signed on with more system together inside NEMA rated RECOMMENDATIONS than 570,000 subscribers. The network off-the-shelf boxes, which can add cost, Property owners and/or managers is 53% complete, running ahead of size, or other negative complexities to will benefit from working with partschedule.

Jurisdictions are transitioning the solution. ners who are very familiar with the from LMR to FirstNet, in many cases local code implementation, as well as supporting both.

As a building owner Monitoring the AHJ to understand how the AHJ or property technology manager, it’s Given public safety systems are not interprets and tests. very important to understand the local typically used except during an emerThe good news is there are a variety of first responders’ status with FirstNet. gency, they can fall into disrepair. It’s solutions coming to market today that In-building solutions can support just not uncommon for building engineers will meet the needs of both LMR and LMR, just FirstNet, or both. or maintenance staff to unknowingly FirstNet. The codes and system elements and mistakenly break some compodetailed in this article provide a good PRICING nent of an installed system. It’s easy basic checklist when evaluating a system Pricing for in-building ERRCS to cut a cable, unplug a component, or with a local partner.  systems is typically composed of three otherwise negatively impact a system. elements: equipment; labor; and, a Traditionally these systems were not service agreement for monitoring monitored or maintained with any enABOUT THE AUTHOR: and maintenance. The split between thusiasm, so in times of an emergency, Joe Schmelzer is Senior Director of Products at Nexthe equipment and labor should be it wouldn’t be uncommon for a system tivity. He has developed a variety of products and approximately 50/50. Service agreeto fail or not perform as well as desired. industrial devices for chipset vendors, OEMs, and ments are usually a very small part of For that reason, many jurisdictions are operators, including products for Qualcomm, Google, the budget, normally with one annual requiring system monitoring, enabled Verizon, AT&T, FirstNet, and T-Mobile. He was review. Modern equipment can be by alarms and alerts that can be generalso a founding member of CTIA’s Wireless Internet monitored remotely, which offers ated and reported by the system in the Caucus. For more information, contact hello@cel-fi. some very attractive advantages. There incident of a failure. com or visit www.cel-fi-com PORT) battery backup, and therefore may be eliminated as a potential public safety system.

Many vendors overlook this requirement and lead system integrators and property technology managers down a misleading path with their commercial gear.

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

EMERGENCY RESPONDER

RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Codes, Challenges and Solutions

F

BY KERN DAVIS | VICE PRESIDENT: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & CONSULTING SERVICES

or the last 20 years, CTS has been providing world class cellular in-building solutions to the Wireless Service Providers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint) and to their enterprise customers across the nation. With over 7,000 projects to date under our belt, a national footprint of regional offices, a design center running a record number of iBWave design licenses 24 hours a day, five days a week, and a Network Operating Center running 24x7 to monitor, maintain and repair both our own and others’ DAS systems, our track record of success in design, deployment and maintaining these systems has elevated CTS’ name to top-tier status in the industry.

So, one would think that adding Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems (ERRCS) into our menu would be relatively simple for us, right? At first glance, it might seem that

40 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

it’s really the same thing, just for a different customer. Right?

Not so simple.

To understand the fallacy of that line of thinking, we need to look at where those ERRCS Codes are today, and the challenges they represent to all of the stakeholders. This is a long list of well-seasoned veterans in their own right who, like CTS, find themselves a bit confused at times as they try to navigate their way through very muddy waters to understand the true scope of the required build. Code Writers, State and Local Governments, AHJs, Equipment Manufacturers, Distributors, Systems Integrators (Design, Build, Maintain), Building Developers & REITS, Architects & Engineers, General Contractors, and Building Management Groups all have some skin in this game.

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS THE JOURNEY The NFPA and IFC codes are relatively new, and in some cases, not accurate or are poorly worded at best. Because code writers review, adopt and publish code on a three-year cycle, it might take up to three years for code revisions and corrections to be published. Published code is reviewed at a State Level for adoption, then at County and City levels. At each step of the way, they can be adopted “as is” or with revisions. In all cases, there are frequently vast differences in the way the codes are interpreted and enforced.

Then begins the task of training the AHJs, a process that can take tremendous effort and another two to three years, making jurisdictions one or two code cycles behind. In the wireless tech industry, this represents two to three generations of better equipment development that isn’t even up for consideration yet.

While both NFPA and IFC Codes require ERRCS to function throughout 95% of all new commercial buildings and 99% of critical areas, understanding what code year, amendments, interpretations, plan review and permitting requirements (fire and building) apply becomes an arduous task at best. Depending on the level of training within that particular AHJ community, there may or may not be anyone who has all of those answers. Finding the correct person and talking to them is a critical step in the process of understanding what the true scope of work is.

While these codes and requirements have been on the books for the last seven-plus years, many communities are actually just beginning to enforce them, taking developers, contractors and engineers by surprise. So the challenges are great, even to those who have been in virtually the same industry for decades. We might know how to design and build great systems, but finding out what the specific requirements are in the local municipality remains a very big challenge.

510 code requirements that had been adopted at both a state and local level.

It took the developer an additional 90 days to correct the deficiency and obtain the CO, causing their prospective tenants to miss vacations and the developer unplanned expense and lost revenue.

Some of the conditions causing this event were: • The Fire Marshal (AHJ) began enforcing this requirement during the construction of this project and applied it to their build. This meant notification hadn’t been made during the plan review process, surprising the contractor and owner at the final inspection.

• The Architect and Engineering consultants of record were not well versed in the ERRCS codes and/or their adoption at the state and local level, so had made no inquiries or allowances in the build.

A DIFFERENT PROCESS Developers, REITS and the supporting group of Architects, Engineers and Contractors have been building and adapting to building and fire code requirements for decades. Their process is refined and accurate for what they’ve done in the past, but these new codes find them outside of their comfort zone. The technology is unfamiliar, there is no historical information, and the process of determining what the build, budget and schedule will be occurs much later in their current process.

• Code only requires enhancements to the ERRCS in those areas where the outdoor signal isn’t providing adequate coverage. It’s rare that the entire building would require enhancement, but that determination can’t be made until the building has progressed to the point where signal measurements can be taken.

• Because of the vast differences in interpretation and enforcement of the codes, vast differences in the costs prevent accurate modeling

CASE STUDY #1: AN EAST COAST BEACH CITY A national developer of time-share properties had obtained their required variances and permits, built out their property and was in the process of final inspections to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy. When the Fire Marshals came to inspect the Fire, Life Safety systems they saw that their radios didn’t work in many locations of the building and failed the building, citing the newly enforced IFCCONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS • NOT anticipating critical infrastructure needs early in the process could require cutting and patching of finished surfaces, adding unneeded cost.

CHOOSE WISELY The stakeholders in this process have many challenges at every stage: determining need, designing a solution, obtaining reviews and approvals, establishing budget and schedule, integration into the overall build, and final inspection & acceptance. If you are one who isn’t familiar with all of this, it is critically important that you find experienced consultants and engineers to provide direction and clarity; important because it provides the security of knowing you will be developing the right solution, budget and schedule up front, and avoiding cost overruns and delays.

CASE STUDY 2: A 500,000 Sq. Ft. CLASS A OFFICE SPACE – SoCal With the building complete, including a new ERRCS DAS Enhancement, the General Contractor was obtaining final inspections to receive the Certificate of Occupancy for the tenant. Unfortunately, the installation was not meeting the required performance metrics and had not passed inspection with the AHJ. After weeks of failed attempts to correct the problems working through the engineer and installer of the system, the contractor reached out to CTS for help.

CTS found quickly that the existing design was incorrect and that very little of the installation could be reused in the required correction. A new design was developed and submitted to the AHJ, and was installed and approved, releasing the much-delayed Certificate of Occupancy and allowing the tenant to move in.

This most likely occurred because: • The contractor/developer didn’t understand the dynamics of these requirements and issued the “typical” RFP for a firm, fixed bid to provide the needed services.

• While it was too early in the build to develop a valid response to the RFP, the respondents were either ignorant of the code or the process of obtaining the correct information.

• The owner and contractor were unaware of the response deficiencies. An award was made because the price was low, when in fact no correct price (or design) could possibly have been developed at the time of the request.

42 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

LESSONS LEARNED: 1.This is a very technical, very young and rapidly changing code that the entire industry and its stakeholders are struggling to get their collective heads around.

2. Issuing the “typical” RFP at the beginning of the project is an invitation for the unqualified to respond, and paves the way for missed budgets, schedules and revenue realization.

3. These solutions require a different approach on the part of the Developer/ Contractor. It is important to find and engage an experienced, qualified consulting engineer early in the planning and development stage, much as architects and engineers are hired during the planning stages of a new build or a remodel. A trusted partner in this will establish realistic expectations, budgets, designs and schedules and avoid costly overruns and delayed revenue.

When it comes to Public Safety Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems Enhancement, CTS is second to none in the nation in providing a complete suite of services that will guarantee the earliest visibility and the right solution, for any build.

Consulting & Planning Services provide the stakeholders with accurate and timely assessment of the need from the earliest point of the new build process; guaranteeing the right solution, at the right cost, and keeping the project on schedule.

There are no surprises.

Deployment Services offer the option of a full turnkey build using the CTS in-house Project Management and Installation teams, or can offer Program and Project Management-only services should it be more advantageous.

Either way, the system is installed correctly and is of the highest quality.

System Performance & Post Deployment Services inspect the newly installed system, provide the required technical turn-up and integration, and coordinate the AHJ Inspection and Acceptance testing. The CTS Network Operating Center becomes the lifeline of the system with 24x7 Monitoring with options for preventative maintenance, system repair, and code-required annual recertification.

CTS is the trusted partner you can count on.

CTS…Empowering Mobility 

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY:

VERIFYING YOUR BUILDING’S NETWORK COVERAGE

A

BY DAVID ADAMS, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, PCTEL

re you positive your building’s network coverage is working, reliable and compliant with your local jurisdiction’s requirements?

How can you be sure your properties are prepared in case of emergency and can support the communication needs of first responders? These are some of the questions today’s building owners and managers are facing as public safety communications deal with a complex convergence of new technologies.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY? In-building coverage requirements are rapidly growing as government agencies and first responder organizations push the urgency of reliable radio coverage inside properties. Following 9/11 and other recent tragedies, improving emergency response has been highlighted as a matter of national importance. However, public safety requirements are not standard across the United States; rather, local officials in

44 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

city, county and state agencies, referred to as authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ), are responsible for creating and enforcing regulations for their jurisdictions.

A growing number of AHJs are basing their local ordinances on codes developed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and the International Code Council (ICC). Both the NFPA and ICC provide stringent standards for in-building radio coverage and signal quality that go beyond what properties have had to

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

comply with in the past. Property owners must be aware as their local AHJs adopt these codes so they can ensure their in-building networks are up to date.

The NFPA 1221 standard and the ICC’s International Fire Code (IFC) both state that building occupancy requires proof of meeting indoor coverage performance standards. These codes define specific testing and reporting requirements that tend to be updated every two to three years. Local codes may vary from that schedule, which can add some confusion to an already complicated compliance process.

The evolving nature of public safety communications adds further complexity to in-building coverage compliance. As public safety communications evolve, first responder organizations are relying on a wider variety of new communications tools and technology. FirstNet’s National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) is aiming to encourage widespread adoption of LTE technology to support these technologies. Adaptability will prove key as these new communication tools propel additional code requirements from AHJs. CHALLENGES TO ENSURING COMPLIANCE In order to comply with increasing regulations from your local AHJ, it is crucial to not only implement effective network systems, but to update your testing and reporting processes as well. While most agencies only apply regulations to new buildings or major renovation projects, jurisdictions are increasingly enforcing coverage and associated testing for existing properties. As more buildings become subject to these new requirements, public safety network testing will become a regular part of doing business. It is important to implement a testing solution that can

evolve with new codes, provides on-demand reporting, and does not require monumental investments every time a regulation is altered just to check if your systems meet that new requirement.

Public safety organizations and first responders rely on in-building coverage during emergencies. Public safety testing

“

By streamlining much of the testing and reporting process, our Public Safety Network Testing Solution decreases the time investment for inbuilding network testing and reporting by more than 50%.

”

methods are designed to ensure reliable voice communications throughout a building, including areas such as stairwells and fire escapes that aren’t typically prioritized for cellular coverage. This requires a different testing process from cellular DAS or small cell testing. The public safety testing process typically involves dividing floor plans into a grid with a specified number of areas, and then measuring the frequencies for each public safety radio channel in each grid area. Measurements of each channel are compared to the required thresholds to determine if each grid area passes or fails to meet the standards. Each AHJ may require a different percentage of grid areas to pass for the overall building to receive a passing grade.

Manually testing a building using a radio, pen and paper and then compiling the results into a report is time-consuming and can take more than six hours per floor. For large commercial buildings, this process can be a huge investment of both time and capital, especially if you must outsource your testing every time reporting is due. New and adaptive solutions are necessary to make in-building public safety communications testing faster and more cost effective.

ADDRESSING THE DIFFICULTIES OF TESTING Ensuring your in-building public safety radio coverage is up-to-date and compliant can be a monumental task – but it doesn’t have to be. At PCTEL, we aim to bring peace of mind to property owners and managers by providing easyto-use testing equipment which delivers accurate, clear results. By streamlining much of the testing and reporting process, our Public Safety Network Testing Solution decreases the time investment for in-building network testing and reporting by more than 50%.

Our Public Safety Network Testing Solution saves time and money by creating a seamless process for planning, testing, and reporting. Building owners and managers can even run in-building network tests themselves, thanks to the speed and ease of use of our tools.

In developing our solution, we sought guidance from a significant number of AHJs. We also consulted customers who use our testing solutions to design, verify, and optimize in-building wireless systems. They told us that a successful solution would need to provide accurate and consistent measurements across multiple bands, channels, and technologies along with the ability to customize parameters to local AHJ standards. As a result, our CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

Public Safety Network Testing Solution is customizable, allowing you to input the code requirements from your local AHJ and measure your network against these standards.

We also developed a standard report that simplifies the approval process for AHJs and building owners alike. AHJ requirements for radio performance typically mandate that building owners and managers document their results, but rarely give specifics on the exact content and format. This has led to a proliferation of report formats, creat-

ing a more challenging review process for AHJs and greater uncertainty for building owners. Our report has gained acceptance in every jurisdiction where our solution is being used, and we have spoken to many AHJs who are looking to streamline their process by standardizing on our approach.

PROVEN SUCCESS PCTEL’s tools are quick, easy, efficient and accurate: they measure radio coverage and signal quality in your building either before or after you put a system in

46 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

and show you clearly if you pass or fail according to your local requirements.

These solutions can output easy-to-digest reports, clearly showing whether your network has passed or failed according to your AHJ’s requirements.

Property owners and managers can deliver these reports directly to the appropriate local governing organizations to use as proof of in-building network compliance, which may reduce the time it takes to gain approval of building occupancy permits.

At PCTEL, we’re thrilled that our solutions are making a significant impact for many of our customers. We’ve worked closely with Radio One to implement our Public Safety Network Testing tools across several of their clients’ properties, including some of the world’s largest amusement parks. “(This solution) should be a standard as far as what’s required. It’s a great piece of equipment that gives you the readings you need,” says Joseph Rohlic, Program Manager and Director of Construction Services at Radio One. Our public safety testing tools provide a proven time-saving solution. As Joseph explains, “I’m able to do my on-site prewalks in half or even one-third of the time as before when I had to do a more manual walk through the buildings to record every single frequency.”

If you are responsible for occupancy, you need permits and approvals, and that means paying attention to public safety radio coverage. It’s about finding a way to understand your local codes and get your coverage compliant. It sounds expensive and hard to do, but with the right solution this process can be easy, repeatable, and affordable. It’s no small matter that reliable public safety communications will also help first responders keep your occupants safe in the unlikely event of an emergency 

Simplified Testing for In-Building Public Safety Wireless Coverage

When it’s time to meet building codes, you need efficient and affordable public safety testing to ensure your coverage is compliant. With PCTEL® testing solutions you’ll receive an instant pass/fail grid-based test that conforms to industry standards such as NFPA (1221) and IFC (510).

And with automatically prepared reports for AHJ submission, documentation becomes effortless.

Expedite occupancy while improving safety with PCTEL® testing solutions.

pctel.com/cre

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

GABE’S PUTS PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERTISE TO WORK

FOR WASHU EXPANSION PROJECT

G

BY JOE DYTON

abe’s has a longstanding history of providing numerous services that commercial real estate owners desire, such as wireless data collection, iDAS, and oDAS design and construction, small cell engineering and construction, system integration, commissioning & optimization, along with fiber engineering, construction, splicing, and maintenance. However, the company recently got an opportunity to put its public safety system experise to work for Washington Univeristy in St. Louis.

The university, which has an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students, was in the midst of a vast, six building expansion on its 346.5 acre campus. As required by code NFPA 1221 these new buildings required a public safety solution for

48 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

first responders. These solutions are critical as they allow for first responders to be able to communicate with each other on their radio systems during emergencies. As nice as it may be for students and faculty to have a reliable wireless network on campus so they can study and work, respectively, that convenience pales in comparison to how important it is for first responders’ network to at all times. A fully functioning public safety system could literally be the difference between life and death in the event of a fire or any other incident that requires first responders’ presence.

WashU engaged an all-star group including an internal project manager, the general contractor on the expansion project, the firm installing the carrier distributed antenna system

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS (DAS) and Gabe’s. This group was responsible for supporting the design, permitting, construction, commissioning, and testing of the public safety system. At the time this project began, Gabe’s was working with the university on benchmark testing across all campus locations in St. Louis, MO. As with any project, one of the priorities is to understand the client’s expectations clearly. However, on a public safety project, it is also crucial to engage the local authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ); on this project, it was the local fire marshal.

With this information representatives from the university as well as Gabe’s met with the fire marshal to review the project and understand his expectations. For this particular project, the fire marshal’s expectations were ensuring his radio system worked in the areas where public safety system was installed.

During his visit, the fire marshal tested those areas by walking around with a radio, making sure he could be heard clearly.

Another interesting challenge the WashU project presented from a public safety standpoint is that the system needed to operate on multiple frequencies—city and county, so the

system Gabe’s engineered had to account for both. To do so, the company tested tower locations and set up separate donor antennas that point at each one. The adjustment displayed another thing building owners need to be aware of when installing a public safety system—whether or not their properties reside in multiple municipalities and thus will have to account for more than frequency.

“We went into this project with an open mind, knowing that every project is dynamic,” Gabe’s Vice President of Wireless Solutions Brad Baumann said. “This allowed us to understand our customers’ needs and learn the requirements with no preconceived expectations.”

“With exceptional data on the new buildings from the University, Gabe’s was able to turnaround a primary design in a short period of time,” Gabe’s Director of Wireless Solutions—Construction Jason Phillips said. “It was important to make sure the design was fully functional from a technical perspective, but also meet the architectural needs asked for by Washington University.”

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS To limit potential issues during the construction phase of the project, members of the University, General Contractor, Engineering Firm, Installation Contractor, and the Electrical Contractor walked the project following every iteration of the design. These site walks allowed all participants to understand the design and construction needs clearly. The walkthroughs were especially beneficial for Gabe’s, as the company had to make sure its work satisfied all parties involved from both an architectural and aesthetics standpoint. As important as it was that Gabe’s work meshed with the construction work while the project was going on, it also had to look good when the project was complete. That meant paying attention to details such as where the open ceiling areas were so wires weren’t visible.

Working under a tight deadline, Gabe’s partnered with a local engineering firm familiar with Washington University to help expedite the permitting process. “Our two companies work together closely to integrate the structural and power requirements into the proposed RF design,” Phillips said. “By utilizing a local engineering firm, the team was able to leverage their knowledge with the local building code, including identifying the need for seismic bracing for the cable pathway on this project. There was no sense of competition amongst any of the vendors—we all just worked to make sure the project was successful.”

50 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

“Upon completion of the installation, Gabe’s RF Engineers successfully commissioned the network and completed the acceptance testing of the system,” Gabe’s Director of Sales Bob Joslin said. “The results provided the Fire Marshall with the proof that the system performed according to the code.”

While Gabe’s demonstrated a number of different capabilities on this project—especially when it came to designing the public safety system, working with the multiple groups to achieve one common goal within the necessary deadline was the most rewarding part of the project. It can be challenging in its own right to design a public safety system on a blank canvas, but the company managed to do so within an already constructed infrastructure. The company contributed to the project in other ways besides the engineering perspective too—from working with the construction and civil engineering teams, the university and the general contractor.

“We had that flexibility to work with multiple companies and accomplish one common task, understand the ground rules and what their expectations were,” Phillips said. “If someone wondered why they should use Gabe’s on a project, I’d say because of our ability to come into a situation that existed and be fluid enough to work with all of the different parties involved, to help accomplish that one goal.” 

IN-BUILDING WIRELESS & DAS NETWORKS

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Tony Schaffer President Tony. Schaffer @HALOdas.com (M) 714.553.0020 www.HALOdas.com

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

THE FEMALE FACTOR:

GENDER DIVERSITY CREATES TRUE VALUE ADD IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY

B

BY URVASHI VERMA

etter team dynamics. Increased innovation. Enhanced performance. These are just a few reasons why placing women in leadership roles is becoming increasingly important to the vitality of large corporations and businesses.

Despite benefits from greater gender diversity many industries, including Telecommunications, often miss the mark when it comes to understanding the value of placing women in leadership positions.

According to a recent study by Harvard University, the percentage of women in telecommunication companies was significantly tied to a company’s market value. A 10% increase in gender diversity related to a roughly 7% increase in market value.

“There’s absolutely no question that this is a male-dominated industry and women in the industry have to prove themselves.

But once you do, the sky is the limit,” said Laurie Caruso, Founder and CEO of Safe-Fi Technologies, a consulting firm for public safety in-building solutions.

Caruso, a telecommunication industry veteran, provides consulting and financing options for building owners dealing with the onerous burden of installing public safety in-building DAS systems.

Caruso says women bring a more innovative approach to the industry. “Women are wired differently, and this brings a different thought process and dimension to a project. We have the ability to multi-task and think outside the box.”

Caruso has spent decades working with enterprise customers and carrier providers managing the cellular infrastructure for high-profile clients and some of the largest accounts in the industry, including working with the NFL, individual stadium and arena owners, and commercial property owners. She says women managers are more willing to take risks and push new ideas.

“With fear comes resistance. Women in the industry are less fearful because they have to prove themselves again and again in order to stand out from their male peers. Over time, this makes us far less concerned about keeping things status quo,” Caruso said.

Caruso talked about a high-profile project that entailed creating a Wi-Fi stadium deployment for a top customer.

52 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

“I had a large arena Wi-Fi deployment. Being a male-dominated industry, there was some resistance. Our willingness to think outside of the box and identify the right players enabled our team to provide a Wi-Fi network while delivering a true fan experience,” said Caruso.

“I help my customers to solve every single pain point along the way. My customer-centric focus has helped me segue into other projects. Venue and building owners are faced with similar challenges and word of mouth is a powerful thing,” Caruso added.

It’s the same passion and tenacity to help customers solve problems that brought Caruso to her most recent call to action: helping building owners solve public safety issues.

“Let’s face it, there’s great risk in public safety. There’s the potential loss of life,” said Caruso. “I want to support and help building owners to build safer buildings for both first responders and building occupants. I want building owners to know that there are affordable and viable solutions which can help them mitigate challenges related to mandated code enforcement and budgeting constraints.”

Caruso has three pieces of advice for women in the telecommunications industry: “Keep learning. With education comes confidence, so never stop learning about this ever-changing industry.

Don’t be afraid to ask your peers questions; these experts will help you to become an expert. Network and meet as many people as you can in the industry. You never know when you will need them or more importantly when they might need you.”

Senior management should encourage more women to take on leadership roles and trust that women can do the job. When women are given an opportunity, they are likely to contribute for an entire lifetime, Caruso said.

“I have had many opportunities to exit this industry throughout my career. While challenges definitely exist, I never gave up and I knew that I could beat the odds. And now that I have proven myself, I have the confidence to not only stay in the industry but also start my own company, Safe-Fi Technologies,” she said. 

Is Your Building

Safety Ready?

Get the most experienced, professional help possible with Safe-Fi Technologies.

Mistakes are costly and can delay occupancy.

We can guide your journey with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), planning officials, equipment manufacturers, and funding choices.

We can even help you finance your system.

#SafeFi Your Building Now

Improving Safety - One Building at a Time

SafeFiTech.com 617-839-6940

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS IN BUILDING & DAS

PUBLIC SAFETY DAS FOR NEW AND EXISTING BUILDINGS How do new codes affect you?

BY WAYNE PUFFER, VP OF WIRELESS SOLUTIONS, TELECO, INC. 54 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

“

At Teleco, we recommend including a BDA system in all new development budgets as retrofitting the building will be very costly after construction

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R

eliable wireless communication is essential to first responders when reacting to an emergency inside any structure. Lack of strong cellular and land mobile radio signal equals weak connectivity when it’s needed most.

Firefighters and police officers require the ability to communicate effectively. In the absence of communication, they inadvertently risk the lives of the public, including their own.

To ensure such, NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and IFC (International Fire Code) have established the

framework for regulations nationwide dealing with required in-building safety communications coverage. Below, we cover some of these codes: NFPA Fire Code Changes: BDA system Required in all Buildings by 2022 The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) made changes in 2016 to fire codes for buildings and building owners. Developers and contractors need to know how this affects their properties and projects. By 2022, a two-way radio communication enhancement/ signal booster system will be required in all buildings to obtain or keep a certificate of occupancy if they do not meet required signal strength coverage. Installing a BDA system is not only essential for Public Safety Communications but mandatory.

INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE (IFC): CHAPTER 11, “CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS.” The requirements for in-building emergency radio communication enhancement systems in existing buildings were added to this Chapter in Section 1103.2, clarifying the intent that this was to be mandated, retroactive requirements, unless the fire official waived the requirement based on a determination that the enhanced communication system was not needed.

There have been further modifications to IFC Section 510 in both the 2015 and 2018 editions to address technical issues that arose as more systems were being installed in both new and existing buildings. Other changes were made to embrace new technology and better clarify the intent and understanding of the code for the design, installation, testing, and commissioning of these systems. Additionally, the inspection and maintenance requirements necessary to ensure system reliability were also incorporated in the 2018 IFC. DOES THE CODE CHANGE AFFECT MY BUILDING? If your building has “dead zones” for public safety radio signal, then installing a BDA system is required. The systems are so important that they require ongoing monitoring and annual testing. The new code will require buildings to be verified as in compliance by 2022, so time is of the essence. This applies to many verticals including: • Office buildings • High-rises • Parking structures and storage unit facilities • Hotels and hospitality venues • Malls and retail centers • Campuses CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

• Stadiums and arenas • Airports, train stations, and other transit centers HOW DO THE NEW REQUIREMENTS AFFECT MY BUILDING NOW? At TELECO, we generally recommended to budget for the need to add a BDA system to all new construction and development because retrofitting your building later will be costly. Though you are required to comply with the code change by 2022, a BDA system means the safety of your residents, employees, and for public safety individuals, so the installation of the system should not wait. While meeting the code requirements now could slightly increase construction costs, expenses will be significantly lower than retrofit installations.

Building owners should not aim for minimum compliance, but rather to provide a safe environment for everyone in and around your building.

A reliable public safety communications system meets all the following requirements: • It’s on a different spectrum than your commercial wireless and is strictly for the use of first responders.

• Its signal covers the entire building. This includes at least 99% coverage of critical areas such as fire pump rooms, exit 56 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

stairs, exit passageways and elevator lobbies and in some jurisdictions actually inside the elevator shaft.

• It has a backup power source such as a 12- to 24-hour battery backup unit that keeps the system operational if the building’s power is out.

• It has a monitoring system that alerts you to a number of code-required system malfunctions.

By working with a qualified integrator like TELECO to install a public safety communications system in your building, you can help first responders receive crucial support in the most difficult circumstances.

GETTING A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY Certificates of occupancy that have already been issued for commercial buildings may not be affected by the code change until 2022. Some apartment buildings will also not be affected potentially until 2025. However, a new Certificate of Occupancy will not be issued until the new fire code requirements are met.

TESTING YOUR BUILDING TO DETERMINE IF IT NEEDS A BDA SYSTEM To determine whether your building needs a BDA system, the

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

code requires that the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in your area make the judgment.

At TELECO, our goal is to be your trusted partner for testing, design, installation and maintenance in new construction or retrofit projects while keeping costs within budget. We’ve created designs and performed installations that meet the code and are AHJ approved for both new and retrofit installations.

HOW A BDA SYSTEM CAN BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS A BDA system can be an asset to your building, protecting you from liabilities and increasing a sense of security and innovation that is alluring to potential occupants. Many property developers are investing in BDA and cellular DAS systems for the convenience of their occupants and as a selling point. Not only does installing the DAS for public safety connectivity make the building a safer place should an emergency occur, it makes the building more reliable for future tenants (and even in future sales)—benefitting business owners financially and competitively in the commercial property market.

WHY TELECO PUBLIC SAFETY DAS? TELECO’s FirstNet™ compatible and scalable systems are trusted by the professionals that depend on them when responding to an emergency. Our team of Public Safety DAS engineers will design, install and maintain a system that complies with the first responder radio coverage requirements.

At TELECO, we are registered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). We work closely with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and fire professionals to provide an approved system that meets their requirements. We test a building with industry-calibrated equipment to gain an understanding of the signal strength and we target only areas needing enhancement to keep costs to a minimum. We use manufacturer-trained, certified installation and commissioning technicians to design both Public Safety and Cellular DAS systems. We use tools such as AutoCAD and iBwave. Additionally, we serve as the building owner’s representative to validate systems as a third-party inspector/project manager.

Call TELECO today to evaluate your building at 800.959.0444 or e-mail our DAS division at das@teleco.com.

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COVER STORY

NNECTED REAL STATE | SUMMER 9 CONNECTED REAL E ESTATE SUMMER201 2019 58 CO

EXTENET’S FIBER BACKBONE EXPANDS ROSS TOWER’S CONNECTIVITY CAPABILITIES

BY JOE DYTON

S

ince opening in 1984, Ross Tower, a Dallas high-rise multi-tenant commercial office building, has never stopped seeking to improve its tenant experience. In fact, the management team’s dedication to enhancing building and tenant services and implementing the latest technology is the driving force behind several long-term tenant relationships.

Owners of the 45-story, 1.2 million square foot, Class A Office building that houses numerous law firms, government offices and the Dallas Regional Chamber, among others, have always supported renovations to drive tenant occupancy and improved experience. However, when HPI acquired the building in December 2015, its occupancy hovered around 50 percent. To increase tenancy, the new ownership made a substantial capital and operational commitment towards significant renovations including a drive through porte-cochere with valet parking, Starbucks, fireplaces, and more. HPI also invested in meeting tenants’ increasing demands for fast and reliable fiber broadband connectivity.

“We made these critical and strategic investments not only to improve the physical structure of the building, but to upgrade the technology to offer the highest level of advanced connectivity for our tenants,” said Connie Pruett, HPI Commercial Real Estate and Ross Tower General Manager. “Today, tenants

require state-of-the-art technology. They want fast, reliable and readily available bandwidth that offers turnkey accessibility.”

To deliver on these technological requirements, HPI partnered with ExteNet Systems, which provides neutral-host fiber and wireless communications infrastructure and managed services for real estate owners across the United States. ExteNet installed a much-needed fiber backbone and a meet-me room (MMR) for all carriers that service Ross Tower and its tenants by providing near on-demand Internet connectivity.

“When the new owners came in, we wanted to make sure any kind of upgrades would be simple and streamlined,” HPI Construction Manager Scott Childs said. “When we found [ExteNet], we knew this partnership would save both our tenants and us time, money and management resources. By implementing a common fiber backbone for our building and our tenants, we knew we could leapfrog other buildings in our connectivity capabilities.”

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We made these critical and strategic investments not only to improve the physical structure of the building, but to upgrade the technology to offer the highest level of advanced connectivity for our tenants “Given the rapidly changing technology environment we live in, connectivity and capacity are table-stakes amenity for our tenants,” Pruett said.

Additionally, ExteNet’s position as the single point of contact for all communication needs provided a significant advantage for HPI. Previously, Pruett managed all contracts for communications services including insurance, carriers, tenants’ information technology departments (IT), cable installation companies or repair coordination and even the tenants. But with ExteNet, Pruett can depend upon a single provider for these activities and focus on providing the highest level of service and support to Ross Towers’ tenants.

“ExteNet manages the full implementation from start to finish, including contract negotiations, fiber design and installation alongside tasks like ensuring insurance is current,” Pruett said. “From an owner’s perspective, this saves me an inordinate amount of time, and from a tenant perspective, they get connected quicker, save installation cost and have onsite support to guide them through the process. ExteNet brings great value to the building.”

Another administrative-related task that ExteNet manages for Ross Tower is the building’s new closed riser system. ExteNet controls and monitors access to the building’s MMR and riser 24/7/365 with its Network Operating Center so HPI knows it’s secure and no one is entering the MMR or riser closet performing unauthorized work.

Between the physical renovations and ExteNet’s fiber backbone installation, Ross Tower has seen its occupancy rate increase to 70 percent. The installation has not just been beneficial for the building’s bottom line, but for its tenants as well.

For example, ExteNet ensured law firm Thompson & Horton was up-and-running quickly after moving floors within Ross Tower in 2017. During the move, Stacey Ransleben, 60 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

the firm’s Director of Office Operations, was working with an IT group to manage both the cabling and numerous service providers. However, a lack of communication and coordination between all parties, meant that a week before the move, nothing was working. Ransleben was informed that getting phones and computers online would take three weeks. That was when Ransleben was made aware of ExteNet’s new service offering and capabilities. She contacted ExteNet and it reacted immediately.

“I didn’t have three weeks. People were moving into the office in a week,” Ransleben said. “ExteNet showed up within an hour, got everyone on my team organized and coordinated, and ensured everything was plugged in and working correctly in less than 24 hours. It was so nice to have a company in the building that could come down here and fix what was going on.”

For Ransleben and the Thompson & Horton firm, ExteNet has been more than a one-time problem solver. Ransleben said that ExteNet is her go-to company whenever she has a technology issue because of its great work during the initial set up. Meanwhile, with its contract with another telecom company coming to an end, Ransleben has expressed interest in ExteNet’s capabilities.

“I would be interested in other buildings that have ExteNet or a company like ExteNet in them when we’re looking to move buildings,” Ransleben said. “I’m doing an expansion in Houston, and it’s always a variable about whether or not we move that office. If I’m looking at two buildings and they are relatively even, and one has a provider like ExteNet, I’d lean towards (that one).

The technical updates in the building have made things much better and working with ExteNet has made our lives easier as our needs continue to evolve.”

ExteNet’s fiber backbone also has made Ross Tower more attractive to prospective tenants. When a business is looking for a building to lease space, it’s most likely going to select somewhere it knows its connectivity needs can be accommodated. With ExteNet’s help, Ross Tower has become that preferred building.

“ExteNet has been a great partner for us and their services have been a critical component in how we market the building.

Our in-building network and services help us differentiate ourselves in a competitive real estate market,” said Hunter Lee, HPI Office Project Partner. “We’ve invested $25 million in capital improvement funds to the project, and with ExteNet’s offering,

ROSS TOWER MARKETING CENTER

we are now confident the Ross Tower’s technology is up to date and keeping up with the demands of an evolving workforce. It was logical for us to align ourselves with ExteNet, who we view as the best in class in what it does.”

Some of the compelling points, besides the fiber backbone, that the ExteNet relationship provides to Ross Towers include: • Every tenant has its own dedicated fiber to the carrier-neutral MMR and within 10 feet of all the carriers in the building • The tenants can keep their server equipment in a shared tenant micro datacenter which is secure, environmentally controlled, professionally NOC monitored and backed up with a generator, saving the tenants improvement dollars • Tenants can bring in their own carrier and access to multiple service providers, as choice is valuable to tenants • Speed to market, given ExteNet’s Infrastructure, which can facilitate the service delivery of internet in hours not months “Previously, there were times where we have had 30 days to get a tenant up and running,” Lee said. “Where we have seen ExteNet shine in our building specifically is getting those peo-

ple that need to get going quickly in business very fast.”

Tenants like to hear that they’ll be able to have connectivity in less than a month, and in some cases within a day, but they also want to know it will work consistently, and with ExteNet, Lee and his team have been able to offer Ross Tower tenants network reliability and capacity in addition to speed.

“Everyone has a story of, ‘We lost connectivity and our phones are down, so we had to send everybody home,’ right?” Lee said.

“With ExteNet, we’re confident that is not going to happen in our building because of the technology, infrastructure and systems we put in place. That is really important.”

While ExteNet’s fiber backbone has built the foundation for Ross Tower from an ownership, marketing, leasing and tenant satisfaction standpoint, ExteNet is focused on how it can satisfy the building’s tenants’ connectivity demands today and into the future. Technology applications and ubiquitous mobile coverage demands are driving an unprecedented opex/capex burden and complexity for Building Owners, Tenants and Carriers. The last 1000 yards of the entire network topology is the riser in CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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the building, which is where these three stakeholders converge to serve the tenant at “The Edge.”

ExteNet’s goal is to design, install and operate a state-of-the-art carrier neutral distribution network and MMR in the building for the Owners and Managers, a fiber backbone that will serve as the foundation for future technology and mobile applications for the future which include 5G, IoT and Private LTE “In looking ahead at the biggest technological changes anticipated in the next five years with any certainty is that the current physical in-building copper infrastructure impedes the ability, along with the timely and cost-effective delivery, of Communications services. Therefore, fiber and wireless infrastructure will be critical to meet the tenant’s expectations and demands. The battleground in the communications industry is happening in your building - “THE Edge.”

Technology services and applications are moving closer to the “point of use” – the tenants – to increase speed-to-market while lowering latency and access cost,” says Ron Scott, SVP of Strategic Relations at ExteNet Systems.

By implementing a common fiber backbone for our building and our tenants, we knew we could leapfrog other buildings in our connectivity capabilities.

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ExteNet serves both the building owner and the building tenants. The building owner’s success depends on a satisfied tenant with ubiquitous communication service being a critical success factor. As a result, ExteNet’s singular focus is on substantially accelerating speed to market of broadband services for the tenants to simplify service delivery and monetize the processes around connectivity implementation for building owners while building the high-capacity fiber backbone to support the new Digital economic and technological boom taking place in their buildings 

BROADSTAFF HELPS TELECOM COMPANIES

WIN THE WAR FOR

TALENT

BY JOE DYTON

www.broadstaffglobal.com 64 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

W

ith the emergence of the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), 5G wireless deployment and “smart” city initiatives, there has never been a more opportune time for digital infrastructure development…. That’s the good news.

The challenge then becomes, the more projects that become available, the more job positions need to be filled. And right now, companies are scrambling to find qualified professionals to take on these roles. The trend does not appear to be slowing down any time soon either—according to professional services company Accenture, the next generation of wireless technology is expected to create three million new jobs. This includes 50,000 new construction jobs every year during a seven-year buildout period to deploy the infrastructure that will be required for 5G. Fortunately, companies are not alone as they try to hire people to fill all these jobs. Tampa-based BROADSTAFF is a full-service staffing firm that specializes in the wireless telecommunications industry and provides contract, contractto-hire and direct hire services.

BROADSTAFF helps companies fill positions for numerous Telecommunications verticals including Small Cell/ DAS, Fiber, Data Centers, Tower, IoT, Network Real Estate and more.

“We are highly specialized in the wireless industry and understand the specific needs of our hiring managers,” BROADSTAFF CEO Carrie Charles said. “We speak ‘Telecom’ and weed out the non-qualified candidates, saving managers time and making the hiring process more efficient.”

BROADSTAFF is unique in the staffing world due to their vast telecom network, formed as a result of being so highly niched and present at industry events. The BROADSTAFF network includes over 30,000 potential Telecom candidates nationwide. The benefit of this network is speed — quality candidates delivered fast.

“Many times, we are a candidate’s first call when they are ready for a new opportunity. Our clients get first pick of top talent before other companies know they are available,” Charles said.

When it comes to matching companies with qualified candidates, BROADSTAFF’s vision is centered on building connections that matter. The company is dedicated to provid-

ing a positive experience for its clients as well as the job candidates it is looking to match them up with.

The company’s vision also entails providing a positive atmosphere for its own employees.

They recently moved their headquarters to a larger space designed to promote employee happiness, productivity and a healthy lifestyle.

In addition, BROADSTAFF takes time to give back to the community. Each quarter, the company takes a percentage of its profits and donates it to employees’ favorite charities.

“We place people first,” Charles said. “Telecom is a small world and we value every single relationship. We do much more than recruit, we advise companies on hiring strategies, we listen, we coach and connect people to new possibilities.

Simply put, we are a people company.”

Currently, BROADSTAFF is helping companies find quality candidates while also growing its own company. Recently, Mike Day was promoted to Executive Vice President of Production and Julie Anderson to Executive Vice President of Training, Development and Talent Acquisition.

BROADSTAFF leadership is currently expanding its recruiting and account management teams, securing its place as one of the leading Telecommunications staffing firms in the US. With 5G expected to create three million job openings, there’s never been more a critical time to enhance recruiting practices. Companies need to fulfill on projects and say “yes” to more work, but they can’t do this without people.

BROADSTAFF is ahead of the curve by investing in artificial intelligence (AI) technology that will supercharge the results for their candidates and clients.

“These innovative AI tools will help us find qualified people even faster and allow us to serve our clients and candidates better in 2019 and beyond,” Charles said.

“Recruiting is usually the least favorite part of a manager’s job. Our goal is to make it easy, make the manager shine and help their team thrive,” she said. As Charles says, “at BROADSTAFF, we got your back.”  CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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GEOVERSE BRINGS MORE CLARITY TO THE 5G PHENOMENON

BY JOE DYTON

66 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

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I

t’s been quite some time since the next generation of HOW 5G DIFFERS FROM OTHER wireless, most commonly known as 5G, elevated from WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES. “if ” it would be deployed to “when.” While no official There are a few functions in 5G that make it new and difdeployment date has been set, commercial real estate ferent according to Nelson. The first is an enhanced mobile owners are anticipating 5G’s arrival and wondering what broadband experience and faster speeds for mobile users. impact it will have on how they provide in-building wireless “That’s the function that’s getting the most attention in terms to their tenants. Meanwhile, the only cloud looming over of the media, Verizon, AT&T and other carriers promoting 5G that’s larger than the anticipation right now is a cloud faster broadband experiences,” Nelson said. “What (5G) also full of questions. It’s well known that 5G will bring faster means is ultra-reliable low latency communication, unlike tonetwork speeds, but what else the network will bring falls day’s cellular wireless technology. If you need real time control, somewhere between speculation and educated guesses. autonomous vehicles, control of robotics or an aircraft, you will Geoverse Co-Founder and CEO Rod Nelson recently have to have millisecond control over machinery on 5G today.” spoke with Connected Real Estate Another differing aspect of 5G is it Magazine to clear up some of the will allow for thousands, possibly milspeculation and questions surroundlions of connected devices operating in ing 5G. Geoverse, which provides a smaller area. There will be a connecwireless networks for commercial tion density of many more sensors and What (5G) also means is real estate owners, has put forth a improved Internet of Things (IOT). ultra-reliable low latency pair of technology platforms that “Those two aspects, the low latency communication, unlike will equip building owners with the and the mass deployment of devices necessary solutions for their private are hard to achieve and are the benefits today’s cellular wireless LTE or 5G networks, making Nelthat make 5G attractive to enterprise technology. If you need real son a good authority to speak on and where we think the real move is what can be expected with the next going to be on the enterprise side,” time control, autonomous generation of wireless.

Nelson said. “More than the mobile vehicles, control of robotics or The first platform, GeoCore, broadband, which is in a lot of ways establishes a trusted connection what people have today, but a little an aircraft, you will have to between enterprises and the carrier better. On the industrial enterprise have millisecond control over community. The second, GeoTrade side, there are really critical improveprovides building owners with data machinery on 5G today. ments coming.” to help them better understand the movement of people and devices on NUMEROUS ENTITIES WILL their networks.

BENEFIT FROM 5G. “One of the realities of cellular Nelson sees IOT and enterprise in-building networks today is that the mobile operators applications benefitting the most from 5G’s deployment, as well have this ability to monitor traffic and movement within a as anything having to do with augmented and virtual reality and distributed antenna system (DAS), but the building ownmassive industrial IoT. “That’s where we think the real gains are er and manager does not,” Nelson said. “With GeoTrade, going to come,” Nelson said. “That’s going to drive the adoption we’re changing that up and letting the building owners see of spectrum for 5G that’s actionable by an enterprise.” the data about the movement of their devices and people Previously, large-scale operators controlled the spectrum for as well.” cellular technology and Wi-Fi was the only available technoloGeoverse stands ready to help any commercial real estate gy that was at enterprises’ disposal. With the emergence of the owner who wants to make sure their building is equipped to Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) at 3.5 Gigahertz, accommodate a private LTE network or 5G when the time there is spectrum for enterprises to take action to build high comes. In the meantime, here are five tidbits of information performance and secure networks using LTE, which will be Nelson and the Geoverse team shared regarding 5G. upgraded to 5G in the coming years, will be available.

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5G HAS SOME LIMITATIONS, It gives enterprise the opportunity to take action now with a BUT THEY CAN BE COUNTERACTED. network that’s capable of evolving into the future.”

In the United States, most of the 5G expansion is being built using spectrum known as millimeter wave or very high BUILDING OWNERS SHOULD ASK A FEW QUESfrequencies. AT&T and Verizon have announced this is what TIONS BEFORE INSTALLING A PRIVATE NETWORK. their 5G services are, which have the advantage of having large One of the first things CRE owners should determine bechunks of spectrum to get to these super fast networks. The fore putting in a private network is if their current network down side is the propagation, or line of sight, is short so the provides good coverage for smartphone users from all the receiver has to have a clear path to the base station. This can carriers who work or visit their facility, Nelson says. Secondly, be very challenging in buildings due to obstacles like walls and CRE owns should ask if they can create benefits from a better any equipment that might be in an industrial facility. platform for IoT than Wi-Fi, and if they can use a private However, Geoverse believes with LTE network to replace their two-way enterprises being able to access 3.5 radios or to be able to add new types of GHz spectrum, they can overcome sensors more cost effectively. those challenges. The 3.5 GHz spec“Can I do industrial IoT applicaI think the real important trum does not require the line of sight tions or do I need a better platform that 5G does. Plus, building owners for industrial applications than what I change in the industry is will be able to get large pieces of may have?” Nelson said. “So those are that with CBRS, enterprises spectrum for broad channels for high the two questions that I think if the performing networks. “It’s also aligned answer to one or both of those is yes, will have an actionable with what 5G means in a lot of other then you definitely should invest in a way to take advantage of countries, which more around this 3.5 private LTE solution.” high-performance cellular GHz band in Europe and Asia.”

If and when a CRE owner opts to install a private LTE solution, they networks, whether that’s PRIVATE LTE NETWORKS should look for a service provider that’s LTE advanced pro today ARE THE PATH WAY TO 5G. going to be able to develop a network “If you’re able to build a private to their requirements to be able to or 5G next year or in the LTE network, meaning you have support and evolve that into the future years to come. spectrum you can use for an enterso that this private LTE today can beprise-led private network, that gives come 5G tomorrow. you a platform for 5G in the future,” “You want to look for a service proNelson said. “Starting an enterprise vider that’s going to be able to stand network today, it’s an already adbehind the quality of that network vanced. I think the real important change in the industry and provide the data and analytics on how that network is is that with CBRS, enterprises will have an actionable way performing, and really give the enterprise the insights they to take advantage of high-performance cellular networks, need not only into how their network is performing, but whether that’s LTE advanced pro today or 5G next year or in what are their users doing and how is their user experience,” the years to come.”

Nelson said. “Our business concept provides a network as a Additionally, for building owners who currently have full service on a subscription model that loops in not only the coverage and are wondering if they should wait for 5G or day one costs of the network, but also the ongoing operamake a change now, Nelson said there’s nothing wrong with tions as well as the ongoing updates to keep the network in making the transition to LTE. top form. That really should be a stress-free and worry-free “It’s already a great service,” he said. “At several suppliers way for enterprise to take advantage of private LTE and we know there is a roadmap from LTE advanced pro to 5G. 5G.” 

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68 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

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DON’T WAIT

BY ART KING, CORNING INCORPORATED

W

e’ve all been mulling the meaning of 5G and the move to it. While gathering my thoughts about the what, when, why, and how of 5G in the indoor market, I was trying to put my finger on what smelled different about 5G compared to the more obvious transition movement from 3G to LTE. At the same time, I read a fantastic post

by Ed Gubbins, Principal Analyst at GlobalData, titled We’re Not Entering the 5G Era; This Is the Age of 4G/5G. In

this post, Ed aptly describes the landscape we see emerging in front of us.

Two excerpts speak to the situation very clearly (emphasis added by author): “In fact, as 5G hype pervades the public consciousness, it may be useful in sparking discussions between enterprises and operators (or RAN vendors) that lead to LTE investments, because in many cases, the operator will tell the enterprise that what they want from 5G can be accomplished with LTE, only sooner (and perhaps cheaper).”

70 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

“Going forward, operators are likely to talk less and less about 4G as they try to stir public demand for 5G. But 4G will remain a silent, steady workhorse, enabling the industry to achieve many of its 5G ambitions.”

So, why is this important? In talking with a number of pretty smart people in the industry, it looks like many real estate decision makers are waiting for 5G infrastructure availability before investing in major cellular service improvements.

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While that wait occurs, exasperated tenants in poorly served buildings may depart, and potential tenants may say “No bars, no thank you.”

sition.” The term future-proof does not apply in this situation, as it’s an implied guarantee that the whole investment will carry over.

The wait for 5G could be long due to a number of factors: • The cellular macro-networks (outdoors) are always rolled out first.

This rollout takes years to cover a country the size of the US. • Indoor infrastructure for CRE and enterprises (especially for non-flagship properties and venues) tends to be addressed after the majority of the macro-network rollout is complete.

• There is a lack of clarity, at this time, as to what indoor 5G looks like and its incremental cost above LTE. Oh yes, and multiply that by the four major US mobile operators.

• 5G handsets need to replace existing handsets. Gartner reports that average enterprise handset life is 2.5 years. This translates into 2.8% of handsets refreshed every month until 100% turnover in about 30 months.

POTENTIAL SHAPE OF A FUTURE-READY APPROACH Starting at the bottom of the technology stack, we know that 5G infrastructure will be based on optical transport.

In the vertical telecom riser, optical infrastructure has been the sole solution

This unknown wait time combined with the huge LTE demand pressure for coverage and capacity by enterprise subscribers translates to (1) Don’t wait for 5G, and (2) Don’t wait to invest in your wireless fourth utility.

When taking the position that LTE has a good long life in parallel to 5G and implementing LTE to satisfy the demands of today make sense, we should consider what we can do to be future-ready with the level of information we have available today.

Future-ready is a simple way to state “make the infrastructure investments in a forward-leaning direction such that they may have value in a 5G tran-

“

This unknown wait time combined with the huge LTE demand pressure for coverage and capacity by enterprise subscribers translates to (1) Don’t wait for 5G, and (2) Don’t wait to invest in your wireless fourth utility.

”

since the 90s, so there is nothing new to consider. In greenfield construction, don’t be shy about installing riser cabling that has massive fiber counts, because the construction costs to remediate an undersized cable plant later will hurt. And, when 1,728 fibers come in a 1-inch-diameter package, there are no space issues.

Horizontally, we do have a technology shift from copper to fiber. At the targeted data rates that will be delivered

to 5G devices, a 5G indoor cell will easily require optical transport. Beyond data rates, the other 5G driver that creates system capacity is densification. This is an engineering way to say there are many smaller cells. The benefit is the devices perform better on smaller cells because there are less devices contending for each cell’s finite resources. Densification implies that estimated coverage areas have to be assumed during design and cabling installed in the overhead plenum to feed them. As recommended for the risers, installing higher fiber counts is recommended. Additionally, to power a coverage area’s network infrastructure, use composite cabling that has copper conductors for power along with the optical fibers for network traffic. This strategy reduces implementation costs and long-term operations expenses by centralizing all the floor’s horizontal infrastructure power and network to its IDF closet(s).

Now, that we have an approach to future-ready cabling, let’s explore the attached active electronic infrastructure. For the majority of buildings today, there is a desire to support two or more mobile operators. The two major US operators are important to enterprises due to their network coverage and focus on the enterprise market.

Depending on building size, there are multiple options to deliver signal, but let’s assume that we want to make a DAS decision for a building. What does future ready look like?

First, we have multiple generations in the DAS market competing against each other, and many may not be future-ready. To simplify the discussion, let’s compare this to cars. Let’s say BMW was still building 2009 models today, along with 2019 models, and you CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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were a buyer. Would you really buy a 2009 model if you had a 2019 option available? This is the state of the available DAS solutions; ranging from coax cables with very lengthy hand-crafted installations to software driven modular optical platforms that are driven by software and keyboards. The 2019 DAS model is going to be far more future ready than the 2009 model.

Why? The 5G concepts of mmWave, 5G-NSA, and densification were influencing factors of the architectures during their design. For example, the 2019 DAS system designers knew the first wave of 5G in the US, called 5G-NSA, uses installed LTE for control and sends user data over 5G. At this time, the 5G spectrum is in very high frequencies called millimeter wave or mmWave in 24 GHz and higher spectrum. The deployment of densified LTE cells complements the short ranges of

“

When evaluating DAS today, to be future-ready, you should expect that 5G-NR re-farming will happen and ask your candidate vendor for test results from their labs.

”

5G mmWave signals as the first 5G radios will be adjacent to the existing LTE cells.

The other emergent factor that favors 2019 DAS designs is that within their useful life, it is possible that they will experience spectrum re-farming.

Re-farming means that the LTE signal

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source on DAS headend will be replaced with a 5G signal source. At Corning Israel, our teams have already tested and successfully passed 5G-NR over our optical DAS. When evaluating DAS today, to be future-ready, you should expect that 5G-NR re-farming will happen and ask your candidate vendor for test results from their labs.

Finally, to circle back on the opening and “The Age of 4G/5G,” many enterprises may be suited to operate on LTE long term and will not require the additional 5G features. This does not mean that LTE won’t be replaced by 5G eventually, what it does mean is that the convergence onto a single network will happen more slowly because LTE is not collapsing under the load like 3G was when smartphones emerged. LTE will quietly co-exist alongside 5G and support our needs for some time into the future.

The message is clear: Don’t wait. 

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VENUE OWNERS:

“YOU ARE THE EDGE!”

T

he increasing emphasis on “The Edge” is driven by the global acceptance that connectivity has become an essential utility rather than simply a commodity. With the proliferation of emerging technologies such as 5G NR, along with the densification of existing LTE networks and grouping together of a plethora of technologies under the “5G” marketing banner, there is a growing significance to “The Edge.”

But what is the “Network Edge?” And more importantly, what implications

BY JASON SUPLITA

does the Edge have for CRE owners?

How does this relate to determining such items as net present values (NPV) or calculating future cash flow?

Simply put, “The Edge” is the closest point of contact with the end user where the logic, storage and processing power required to provide connectivity can be suitably located.

The quality of connectivity is some-

74 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

times referred to as “coverage health”.

Healthy coverage, or lack thereof, can have a significant impact on the perception of the quality and suitability of a venue or property. In turn, this may increase or decrease a venue or

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“With the proliferation of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and the re-use of a spectrum to provide capacity and coverage for emerging use cases, RF designs scenarios can no longer be planned without assessing the mutual impact between other network layers such as adjacent in-building, outdoor small cells, ODAS and macro sectors.”

—Jonathan Rowney, Principal Engineer, Ranplan Americas

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property’s perceived value accordingly.

The CRE owner’s “Connectivity Ecosystem” is made up of carriers, net-neutrals, system integrators, regulators and Manufacturers. These providers understand the importance of the network edge and how imperative it is to shape the owner’s understanding of different connectivity solutions and offerings, especially since the carrier’s subscribers are often the owner’s patrons and tenants.

Fundamental changes introduced in 5G NR and other evolving connectivity technologies are important because they help better serve the ever-increasing number and variety of devices present on modern connectivity systems. CRE owners should consider their patrons’ needs when evaluating various solutions. Ultra-High throughputs and low latencies required by different applications may have a cost-effective price point when compared to traditional fibre based or wired solutions.

However, these new technologies are not without problems. There are several distinct challenges which must be overcome: 1. Hotspots and not spots. While the majority of patrons will be relying on in-building hotspots, there is an expectation from subscribers of seamless connectivity when transitioning between buildings.

Depending on your property’s footprint, you may currently have pain points in areas such as your lobby, stairwells, and in the outdoor spaces between buildings.

2. Understand the options and risks. Any connectivity solution commissioned should be relative to the needs of your tenant, patron

LTE RSRP BLEED INTO COMMERCIAL OFFICE BUILDING FROM EXTERNAL MACRO SOURCE

Radio One is a turnkey systems integrator and one of the largest authorized Motorola channel partners in the United States. They are responsible for aiding the deployment and maintenance of the public safety system for one of the largest and most visited theme parks in the United States.

CHALLENGES Complex built environment – identification of non-compliant buildings on campus is costly. Additionally, modelling the build environment accurately is challenging with many non-traditional aspects, especially when taking into consideration the nature of rides and exhibits which need to be served.

Scale - visualisation – large complex project over several physical parks containing both indoor and outdoor designs.

High capacity/footfall – increases the potential impacts of risks with small delays/inaccuracies becoming extremely costly over the lifecycle of a project.

Large number of internal and external stakeholders to manage – stakeholders have a diverse range of interests and backgrounds meaning reporting must be

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standardized and concise to avoid approval delays, carrier acceptance (for wider connectivity system) and proper commissioning of the final system.

Mission critical – errors and delay will have not only a large monetary cost over the lifecycle of the projects but will also have the potential to put patrons at risk if the public safety systems fails or underperforms.

RISKS Errors in communication – multiple and diverse range of internal and external stakeholders involved during the lifecycle of a project for design, commissioning and maintenance. If the correct information isn’t shared in standardized formats, significant delay can be introduced to project delivery and the system may not be maintained sufficiently to match growing complexity of the demands on campus.

Design inaccuracies – small inaccuracies compound, increasing the risk “As a company, Radio One that the public safety system will either is at the forefront of design, not be compliant or underperform, always pushing the creative putting employees and visitors alike in boundaries for the comfort jeopardy should there be an emergency. and safety of its customers. The Data loss/data control – backup, reresult of this is a high-capacity, covery and control of sensitive data.

complex campus which requires mission critical coverage in a combination of non-traditional indoor and outdoor venues.

Due to the mixed indoor/ outdoor nature of the campus and niche complexity of the in-building designs, Ranplan solutions provide the only viable uniform solution.

Other options will require vendors to submit in multiple design file formats created and maintained by several different tools. This will add unnecessary complexity and cost to the design process and project management.” – Joseph C. Rohlic, Director of Construction Services, Radio One

OPPORTUNITY: HOW COLLABORATION HUB HELPED Site identification – effectively guide walk test and design resources to confirm identification of non-compliant buildings inside the campus using visualization of wider campus in the context of high-quality geo-data, combining both detailed in-building models and outdoor areas present on campus.

Enforce and manage best practices methodology – controlling inputs and standardising reporting for all stakeholders, reducing risk of delay and potentially costly errors which can be caused by “grey areas” inherently introduced when a diverse range of stakeholders is collaborating.

Data protection and security – user access control of files and related assets protects against data loss and ensures smooth transition of data in standardised formats between all stakeholders.

Design and deliver high quality, compliant, public safety systems to one of the largest, most complex theme parks in the USA which have been approved by all stakeholders required in the process on time and to cost.

or customer base and there are now many options for connectivity outside of traditional cellular solutions providing bars on a phone. With a growing focus on connectivity as an essential utility, even the smallest inaccuracies in proposed preliminary RF designs can have large costs over the life cycle of a system if introduced into the final deployment.

3. Monetary and time costs must be controlled to realize maximum return on investment. This can include exploring non-traditional connectivity options such as fixed wireless access as opposed to fiber.

Additionally, internal stakeholders responsible for approvals and delivery require the ability to effectively manage the connectivity ecosystem with relatable flows of communication to ensure transparency and efficient delivery, avoiding delays.

Obtaining an accurate representation of coverage, interference and throughput when deploying modern connectivity networks is not simple, and this complexity can be exacerbated by the narrow view of legacy, indoor-only planning tools. Owners, along with their connectivity ecosystem, must consider the impact to, or of, the targeted structure with outdoor small cells, O-DAS and macro sectors.

Understanding an accurate, holistic view of the targeted structure and the surrounding areas provides the ability for the owners to accurately assess and measure the “coverage health” of the structure. In doing so it is important to consider each in-building connectivity option along with external connectivity CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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“Understanding risk, cost and delivery timelines when deploying emerging connectivity technologies requires the property owner’s ecosystem to have access to: • An advanced network design solution capable of collectively generating prediction layers and analytics with all existing and emerging technologies, • Transparent, easily manageable designed delivery process using simplified reports and leveraging industry standard formatting (CAD) to help property owners guide their CAPEX investments in connectivity systems, • A trusted partner with a certified network of trained engineers, capable of providing next generation connectivity designs via an innovative heterogenous design tool, • An agile and responsive tool vendor who can evolve and adapt with the growing complexities of delivering high-quality connectivity systems” - Jason Suplita

“

“Using Ranplan’s products enables all parties that are part of the wider connectivity ecosystem to improve consistency and transparency of the preliminary design process. Using this collaborative approach improves how these parties can impact the wireless property portfolios gains, based on their proposed connectivity solution.” —Jason Suplita, Regional Executive, Ranplan Americas

”

networks that could have a detrimental effect on achieving the desired service level for the structure within the environment it resides.

“With the proliferation of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and the re-use of a spectrum to provide capacity and coverage for emerging use cases, RF designs scenarios can no longer be planned without assessing the mutual impact between other network layers such as adjacent in-building, outdoor small cells, ODAS and macro sectors.” Jonathan Rowney, Principal Engineer, Ranplan Americas Accurate simulations for planning modern, multi-layer systems require continued collaboration between the owner connectivity network ecosystem, their IT group and construction and maintenance teams, especially as traditional in-building designs can no longer be planned accurately without considering the impact to, and of, outdoor small cells, O-DAS and macro sectors.

Network design engineers addressing both traditional in-building and modern heterogenous networks require confidence that device specifications used with advanced 3D propagation models and material databases for

78 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

simulation meet a more advanced level of accuracy. Ranplan addresses this by leveraging its extensive R&D pedigree to extend industry standard formats such as CAD with RF and OEM specific parameters to help accurately model the built environment and OEM devices, enabling more informed decisions when selecting and correctly dimensioning what type of connectivity system is most appropriate to meet CRE owners’ requirements.

“Using Ranplan’s products enables all parties that are part of the wider connectivity ecosystem to improve consistency and transparency of the preliminary design process. Using this collaborative approach improves how these parties can impact the wireless property portfolios gains, based on their proposed connectivity solution.” - Jason Suplita, Regional Executive, Ranplan Americas Based on a live deployment, this short case study outlines the challenges and risks associated with deploying a public safety, and other connectivity systems, in to a very complex environment and the opportunity Ranplan Collaboration Hub provided to manage and mitigate these. 

Property Owners: Y

Property owners are the closest point of contact Understanding the full RF coverage topology of both the target structure and surrounding area, enables owners to mitigate risk and cost of the design delivery process.

The ability to manage and visualize the entire plan, including the existing Macro/Micro and ODAS networks, enables accurate and efficient decision making across all of the stakeholders. Streamlining the process and time frames to offer appropriate connectivity solutions for patrons and clients.

Ranplan unique heterogenous planning solutions offer unprecedented clarity for Owners to the design process and project management with Collaboration Hub and Ranplan Professional With our global network of Certified System Integrators, Carrier Approved Design Process and Relationships with Net-Neutral providers globally. Ranplan provides owners a complete solution for managing their network ecosystem.

http://www.ranplanwireless.com

Im

You Are The Edge

t with end-users requiring connectivity.

mage created using Ranplan Professional showing a “Connected Community”

IN BUILDING & DAS

NEW DIVISION FROM APEX BRINGS CLARITY TO THE WORLD OF CRE CONNECTIVITY The company’s new division, Pulse Signal Solutions will help building owners navigate the increasingly complex wireless ecosystem

BY JOE DYTON

“I

’ll put it in some real simple and lighthearted terms: over the next few years, today’s analog buildings will need to undergo a process like Wolverine did in the X-Men,” said Kenny Blakeslee, President of Pulse Signal Solutions. “While their exterior will remain the same, their interior – their wireless infrastructure – will completely change, creating an all-new, more powerful smart building.”

The next 5-10 years will bring on some of the biggest technological advancements our society has ever seen.

While that presents a tremendous amount of excitement, it also brings a lot of unknowns. In the CRE world especially, these unknowns create a lot of stress and anxiety. Deciding

82 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

where to invest today’s dollars for tomorrow’s possibilities is a difficult challenge.

Apex Site Solutions, which has been providing wireless infrastructure construction services for the past decade, is now launching Pulse Signal Solutions, a new division poised to serve the in-building wireless industry.

“For commercial real estate owners to have to navigate the wireless space, and figure out where it’s going from here, is really too much to ask,” said Blakeslee, President of Apex Site Solutions and Pulse Signal Solutions. “The ones who are going to win this race and have smart buildings first are going to be the ones that work with the right partners who help them navigate this, ask the right questions, and find the right answers.”

IN BUILDING & DAS

“

“We see the future of connectivity and public safety as two vital components of the future of building occupancy. People want to be connected and they want to be safe. Plain and simple.

“

Pulse partners with stakeholders throughout the industry ecosystem, including architects and designers, contractors, developers, and property owners and provides end-to-end services to ensure every aspect of a project is thought through completely, from initial design to commissioning.

The team at Pulse states their mission to “make the connections that matter most.” This points to not only the obvious mission of connectivity, but also to a desire to bring a more personal connection to such a confusing and convoluted industry. “We see so much hype and jargon in this industry and know how hard it is for folks to navigate that,” said Blakeslee. “It’s a lot of crystal ball reading right now.

We see an opportunity to cut through all the noise and act

as a trusted advisor to those we work with.”

Blakeslee and his team also have a strong sense of purpose to serve the public safety aspect of the industry as well. “5G and IoT, those conversations are exciting and new,” he said. “At Pulse, we’re all about preparing you for the unexpected. While the future of connectivity is a huge part of that, so is the unexpectedness of an emergency taking place in your building.” Pulse is an active member of the Safer Buildings Coalition, which was founded in 2012 to lead the way in fire code development, education, and advocacy around the importance of quality in-building wireless signals to keep occupants and First Responders safe.

“We see the future of connectivity and public safety as two vital components of the future of building occupancy. People CONNECTEDREMAG.COM

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IN BUILDING & DAS

want to be connected and they want to be safe. Plain and simple,” said Blakeslee.

With a decade of wireless industry experience from their Apex team, combined with working with public safety officials and the Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC), Pulse brings a unique viewpoint to the industry – it understands what carriers are looking for, has worked with builders, and can navigate code requirements for First Responders. Blakeslee referred to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) as an example. “The FirstNet contract has blended public safety networks and commercial cellular, leading to many questions that could have a big impact on costs for building owners. It has been made clear that FirstNet will need to be deployed into buildings per Fire Code, but that means deploying AT&T commercial cellular. Who will foot that bill, the building owner or the carrier? As members of the SBC, we have representatives who are working hard to find answers and influence policy for the future.”

Working throughout the entire in-building process, Pulse sees a major need to improve how stakeholders are advised and worked with. According to Blakeslee, “To get this right, you need a partner who’s considering all stakeholders and multiple steps down the road.”

That said, Mr. Blakeslee and the team at Pulse have put together the four key items to consider in a new Commercial Cellular or Public Safety connectivity project.

FOUR KEY ITEMS IN ANY COMMERCIAL CELLULAR OR PUBLIC SAFETY CONNECTIVITY PROJECT Be clear about your objectives.

The right partner will utilize a very in-depth consultation process to ensure a custom solution fits current needs as well as future considerations. What you need today is easy.

What you need 5 – 10 years down the road might need some clarification. Be sure that you and your partner have explored the future utilization of your properties. Trends in the commercial real estate market are moving toward flexible workspaces, so your connectivity options should be just as flexible. What works for one tenant might not work for another. Ensure your system is properly designed to meet the changing needs of future tenants.

Bring in your partners early.

You wouldn’t build a high-rise and then decide where to 84 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

put the toilets. It needs to be planned ahead of time. Otherwise, you’d end up having to cram restrooms into areas that weren’t designed for them, sacrificing space and ultimately disrupting the overall design. With wireless connectivity now looked at as the “4th Utility” it should be addressed in a timeline similar to water, gas, and others. Often, connectivity is addressed at the end of a project. At that point, there can be serious obstacles to installing the infrastructure required, leading to compromises in design and functionality.

When this element is properly planned, it can be marketed as a highlight of a property, increasing value significantly.

The earlier your connectivity partner joins the discussions, the lower the cost of the installation and the higher the return on investment.

Don’t create a patchwork quilt of sub-contractors.

Tenants aren’t going to be tolerant of wireless service that was treated as an afterthought, so a turnkey wireless connectivity partner shouldn’t be added as an afterthought either. The scope of wireless connectivity in a building is spread across multiple trades. It’s often left to the general contractor to manage all those trades. Having one dedicated wireless partner can ensure that the coordination of efforts and ultimate responsibility of your system is being looked after. In many construction projects, multiple trades are handling various elements of wireless connectivity. Certain elements of public safety and commercial cellular systems can be synergistic while others must be separated. One partner should advise how to maximize the possible synergies. Optimization of all these elements cannot be achieved when multiple trades are working on these elements separately.

Ensure your connectivity partner is in tune with wireless evolution.

Is your partner designing to yesterday’s standards or are they in tune with and helping to influence the future of wireless? Your partner should be active and focused in the wireless world to ensure they stay abreast of the newest product evolutions, government regulations, and industry trends. New products and technologies are being released monthly in this rush to 5G, but the lifecycle of a construction project is often years long. If your partner isn’t actively engaged in this evolution, your systems can easily be out-of-date before they are even installed and commissioned. 

Real.

Clear.

Connections.

SIGNAL SOLUTIONS

Make The Connections That Matter Most The world of in-building connectivity comes with a lot of unknowns.

Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emerging technology or emergency situations, you need a partner who can prepare you for the unexpected. At Pulse, we make the connections that matter most. Because even though the ways we connect have changed, the need to connect never will.

DAS | Wireless | Fiber

Learn more at PowerOfPulse.com

IN BUILDING & DAS

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IN BUILDING & DAS

TOP 10 US MALLS

OPERATOR BENCHMARKING

A

lmost 80 percent of wireless traffic is generated indoors, and wireless operators are always struggling to penetrate better and provide connectivity to the end customer. Shopping malls are key locations for operators due to their heavy foot traffic. Coverage at public venues is critical for cellular networks

BY TELEWORLD SOLUTIONS

and the quality of service has a significant impact on the wireless operator’s brand perception. For example, imagine you are in a big mall with hundreds of shops and you send a “Which shop are you in?” message to your spouse, only for it to fail - and now you have no idea where to go. Your first thought might be, “I need to change my wireless carrier!”

TeleWorld Solutions (TWS) wanted to assess which wireless operator can ensure their customers are connected and best served in the ten largest malls in the United States. With that in mind, TeleWorld Solutions created the TWS Top 10 US Malls Challenge. The company teamed up with M2 Catalyst, which gathers real user data through a

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crowdsourced data collection process.

The user data is collected anonymously in the background through the various M2 Catalyst apps, throughout the day.

TWS performed in-depth research to see what operator provided the best 4G coverage in these challenging indoor locations. It compared T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and AT&T’s 4G coverage in the ten largest malls in the country, including Mall of American in Bloomington, MN, King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, PA, and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA. After looking at the carriers’ signal strength, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and “No Coverage” sample points, TWS conclud-

ed that T-Mobile provided the best 4G coverage to its users and had the best 4G coverage across five of the top ten malls the study covered. The carrier ranked first in five malls, while Verizon and Sprint both finished first in two malls apiece.

“If you look at how our lifestyle has evolved with wireless technologies, we need to be connected to the world everywhere,” TWS Senior VP Bhupinderjit Mann said. “We believe it’s important to assess the operators’ performance in the public venues, outdoors or indoors, just like shopping malls, which are an important part of our lifestyle where people are hanging out, going to the gym, and doing everything they want.” Bhupinderjit

88 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

mentioned that TeleWorld will create more such studies targeting additional public venues which are critical to today’s generation and lifestyle.

In summary if you are a T-Mobile customer you should expect to have the best experience when visiting these shopping malls closely followed by Verizon customers. However, Sprint and AT&T fall a little short in providing the best connectivity to their customers.

These results are based on over 6Million samples across 5Thousand unique devices covering 28Million square feet across these shopping malls. To Download this report go to http://www.teleworldsolutions.com/Top10_US_Mall_Study/ TWS_study.pdf 

Do you NEDAS?

Join us for our Annual Events in Boston, New York and Washington D.C. and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be sure to NEDAS! NEDAS Boston Symposium

The 6th Annual NEDAS Boston Symposium returns on July 17, 2019. Nearly 200 attendees from the wireline and wireless solutions industry, including Real Estate Owners/ Operators, Venue Managers and Municipalities, will gather to learn about trends and opportunities and to forge new business relationships.

NEDAS New York Summit

The Annual NEDAS Summit is set for September 5, 2019, and will host 400+ people for top-rated discussions and debates about the future of the communications infrastructure industry. With a keen focus on the ecosystem that supports wireline and wireless convergence, the NY Summit will bring together industry leaders, cutting-edge topics and emerging companies that will keep you inspired.

NEDAS D.C. Symposium

NEDAS returns to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital on November 21, 2019 for a spirited day of conversations and challenges facing the in-building wireless community. Topics include public safety, regulatory updates, hiring challenges, technology advancements and a special preview of what to expect for 2020.

Annual Sponsors

Use Promo Code: FifthGen20 to receive a 20% discount.

Register here: https://www.nedas.com/events/

Platinum Annual Sponsor Gold Annual Sponsors

Contact us at info@nedas.com for more information

DENSE NETWORKS THE CONNECTED CITIES TOUR

T

BY PETER MURRAY

he word “Smart” is very popular, particularly when referring to cities and communities. It is used to show that a city has applied technology and innovation to solve current problems (traffic, crime, pollution, digital divide) and prepare for the future in key areas such as: transportation, utilities, public safety, health care, real estate and education.

Over the past three years, Dense Networks has been studying and working with Cities, Carriers, Utilities and Technology firms to better understand the business models, technology architectures and action plans that are proving to be successful.

As part of that effort, Dense Networks has traveled to over 30 cities for one to two days of collaborative “Social Think Tank” events where leaders from Government, Academia, Enterprise, and Tech share their experience and knowledge.

Some of the Cities that Dense has visited include: Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa, Baltimore, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Denver and Orlando.

In every city we visited, two key capabilities are part of the description of what is “Smart.” First, Connectivity is essential to almost every solution. Second, capturing data is not enough. The ability to analyze it and use it to improve decision making and functionality is crucial and very difficult. City leaders seek solutions and are technology agnostic. Connectivity + Analytics is the foundation of Smart.

Earlier this year, Jean Duncan, Director of Transportation, Tampa, outlined how their Connected Car pilot program that uses a wireless technology called Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) (5.9GHz ) operates. Tampa deployed 40 Roadside Units (RSUs) to cover a few square miles of roadway with

90 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

a dedicated wireless network. Cars are tracked for driving habits and also, more importantly, they communicate with some of the traffic lights, stop signs and other infrastructure. This is called vehicle to infrastructure communications (V2I) and is projected to have a significant impact on traffic accidents and life safety.

In October 2018 at Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, CIO Frank Johnson outlined a vision that focused on three main themes: Video and Public Safety, getting Broadband to the underserved populations and using technology as a unifying theme to bring the city’s different constituencies together. That effort apparently paid off as Balti-

more was just awarded a Smart City Readiness Grant from the Smart City Council in recognition of its efforts.

5G and Small Cells have been a topic that both carriers and cities are very interested in. In Boston, Mike Lynch, Director of Broadband and President of NATOA, outlined why he thought the new FCC guidelines were actually creating a slowdown in small cell deployment.

He outlined a long-standing cooperative program that he has with the six carriers deploying small cells in the city. He was joined on the panel with representatives of American Tower and Verizon who agreed that the Boston program was working very well.

In Denver, Jon Reynolds, Supervisor Public Works, and Ed Beiging, Mgr. Small Cells, Xcel, shared a panel discussion with Jim Lockwood, CEO, Aero Wireless/CityPole, and Alda Licis, Director, Landmark Dividend. They discussed how Denver has built a model program for Small Cell and Smart Pole deployment that satisfies the citizens and the carriers.

One major observation is that Cities cannot afford to provide ubiquitous innovation throughout their jurisdictions all at once and cannot go it alone. We are headed on June 12 and 13 to Las Vegas (www.densenetworks.com/events), which has been a leader of using technology and connectivity to innovate. It has created an Innovation District and partnered with leading tech firms including: Dell, Hitachi, and NTT as well as regional partners: UNLV, Nevada DOT, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Clark County and the adjacent cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas.

Hitachi has created a number of “Smart Spaces” throughout the United States. In Las Vegas, they have deployed their SSVI platform (https://youtu.be/ oPEIYZ7LHzM).

Smart Spaces Video Intelligence (SSVI) uses video cameras at the edge to gather audio and video information to assist with situational awareness, people and vehicle counting, traffic flow, abandoned packages, trash collection, parking and public safety through the use of AI and Data Analytics. The use of the platform provides tremendous amounts of data for Las Vegas and is allowing the city to better manage the city.

On June 12, Dense Networks will be leading a tour of the Innovation District and the Control Center at City Hall.

The next day, from 9 am to 2 pm at Del Frisco’s, The City of Las Vegas’ Director of Innovation and Technology, Michael Sherwood, will keynote and share how they developed their strategy and how they are implementing it.

One of the most fun events we held in 2018 was at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of Super Bowl 52.

Otto Doll, CIO, Minneapolis, was our keynote. He discussed the impact of the Super Bowl on the city’s infrastructure, particularly networks. He noted that OOKLA ranked Minneapolis as the city with the fastest mobile internet speeds.

He said this was the result of the carriers starting to plan and build new network to satisfy the demand for bandwidth that comes with the surge of fans who saturate the city for Super Bowl Week.

US Bank’s network infrastructure was upgraded to include a JMA TEKO DAS to ensure that both capacity and coverage would be available throughout the stadium. The amount of Cellular and Wi Fi traffic hit a record for a Super Bowl. Kurt Jacobs, Director at JMA Wireless, provided this graph of the actual traffic.

Cellular traffic almost doubled from 25.8 terabytes during Super Bowl 51 to 50.2 terabytes in Super Bowl 52.

Upcoming Dense Networks events in 2019 include: Chicago, Seattle, St. Louis, LA, San Diego, New York and Columbus, Ohio. Mike Stevens, CIO, City of Columbus, will be representing the City that won the Smart City Challenge in 2016.

They were awarded $40 million from the US Department of Transportation and received matching funds from Paul Allen’s Vulcan fund to use technology to improve transportation.

Join us in 2019. www.densenetworks. com/events 

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NLVCA

National Low Voltage Contractors Association

The Mission of the National Low Voltage Contractors Association is to Promote Safety, Code Compliance, Licensing, Professionalism, and Prosperity in the Low Voltage Industry.

The NLVCA is a not-for-proďŹ t association dedicated to supporting its members, protecting public safety, and developing and instituting programs for the betterment of the low voltage industry. Members of the NLVCA are recognized as Licensed Professional Low Voltage Electrical Contractors. Their client's can be reassured the service they are provided is being done by a licensed professional that is properly educated, trained, experienced and performing the work legally.

Website: www.NLVCA.org

Licensed Professional

Contact #: 407- 801- 8553 Email: License@NLVCA.org

HIRING AN UNLICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

COULD COST YOU BIG!

A

BY CECILIA PRIAS, NLVCA DIRECTOR OF LICENSING SERVICES

ccording to Mr. Steve Dale, the Executive Director of the National Low Voltage Contractors Association, unlicensed electrical contracting is on the rise, and building owners and managers are vulnerable.Unlicensed contracting is a crime in most states, counties, and cities. There are statutes, laws, and rules to protect the public against unlicensed contracting. Mr. Dale: “I’ve spoken to many building owners and managers who have indicated they have unknowingly hired an unlicensed, illegal contractor, and it had become their worst nightmare. Unlicensed contractors in many cases are slick talkers, good communicators, and what we hear most from their victims is; ‘I really liked the guy and the price, until…”

Electrical contracting requires a license in most states, which includes high and low voltage wiring, raceways, and devices installed in residents and businesses. These electrical systems consist of 120 volt line voltage work, such as indoor and outdoor lighting and receptacles, and low voltage work (typically under 90 volts) encompassing solar systems, network and phone systems, security and fire alarm systems, camera, CCTV, access control systems, business and home automation systems, gate control systems, landscape lighting and more.

A common scam of the unlicensed contractor is to show the potential client a local tax or business occupational license number, which is not a regulatory license or certificate of competency as it only covers the privilege of engaging in or managing a business.

Unlicensed contractor’s agreements and contracts are not binding in most states, meaning if a person performing the work is unlicensed, they have no recourse against the client if they are 94 CONNECTED REAL ESTATE | SUMMER 2019

not paid because they have conducted the work illegally. The customer is not legally obligated to pay an unlicensed contractor, as an unlicensed contractor or subcontractor shall have no liens in their favor. That might sound great to the client, however it can also be a double-edged sword as the unlicensed contractor is not under the jurisdiction of a licensing board, so the client has less recourse against them if the work is not being properly performed, inspected, or they walk off the job. Unlicensed contractors are often poorly trained, the work they do can be shoddy, and they may use inferior materials and violate federal, state, or local building codes. This can result in the customer having to hire a licensed contractor to complete the repairs correctly and pay more money for the job than if they originally hired a licensed contractor. If the unlicensed contractor fails to pay his or her subcontractors or suppliers, the client may be legally forced to pay them, even though they have already paid the contractor. If, on the other hand, you have an issue with a legally qualified and educated licensed contractor, an infraction puts their license at risk. These contractors work hard to obtain licensure compliance and worry about an infraction issued by the licensing board. The client has legal recourse against the licensed contractor’s license for nonperformance, poor workmanship, breaking the contract, et cetera. The licensing board has jurisdiction and can take action to remedy the infraction in the client’s favor. They also may impose sanctions, probation, fines, and board-ordered restitution against the licensed contractor. Licensed contractors are aware of this, and the last thing they want to do is face the licensing board for harming a customer.

A few other important items to know are: it is illegal in most jurisdictions for an unlicensed company to simply hire a licensed company to perform the contracting work. For example, a company with a contract outside a state must also hold an electrical contractors license in the state they are conducting business, even if they hire a licensed installing company to perform the work inside the state. It comes down to who has the contract with the customer and who the customer is paying for the work. For example, if the customer is doing business with ABC Group, then ABC Group must hold an electrical contractors license in the

state, county, or city in which the work is taking place. If not, then the licensed company who takes on the work from the out-ofstate unlicensed company is aiding and abetting the out-of-state company. The licensed company is risking their license if they perform the work. Additionally, it is illegal in most states for a licensed company to hire another company or subcontractors/ independent contractors who are unlicensed. W2 employees are the only individuals covered under a licensed company. Licensed contractors cannot hire subcontractors to perform electrical work unless they also have a qualifying license.

Mr. Dale advises building managers to have the contractor complete a prequalification Contractor Check List and then do due diligence on what is being presented by the contractor. “Do not believe all you are told without verification.” states Mr. Dale.

Here are a few tips that should help building owners and managers avoid falling victim: 1. Verify the contractor holds the required professional license for the scope of work under the company name they have on the contract you are signing. This can easily be verified via the state, county, or city building department’s website or with a phone call.

2. Verify to see if an installation permit is required for the work being performed. In most cases, electrical work requires a permit. The permit inspection helps protect you from shoddy work and improper installation of wiring and devices.

Unlicensed contractors will not be able to pull a permit under the company named on the contract if their company is not licensed. So, what they may do if they are unlicensed is either attempt to convince you that a permit is not required, say it is too costly, or they may pay a licensed contractor to pull the permit for them. This is known as aiding and abetting an unlicensed contractor and is illegal and could put the building NOTES: A state licensed contractor can conduct electrical contracting throughout the entire state. Some county and city building departments may also have local licensing available in their jurisdiction, which covers only to the county or city border. Permitting is processed at the county and city building department when a permit is required on a job. The county or city requires the license

owner in a legal bind. So, if they are required to pull a permit, you can verify this by contacting the local building department in the county or city where the work is being performed.

3. Verify all required insurance and bonds. Don’t just trust the contractor if they say they are insured or bonded. Ask for a copy of the current policies in force. Some required insurances and bonds may include; workers compensation coverage, commercial general liability, umbrella liability, errors & omissions, builder’s risk insurance, professional liability, and contractor’s pollution coverage as well as performance, payment, and surety bonds.

The hiring of an unlicensed contractor could cost a building owner thousands of dollars in legal fines and liability. The purpose of licensing requirements is to protect the public against those who have not fulfilled the requirements set forth by the licensing boards, thus reducing unprofessional conduct and ensuring the safety of your building and occupants. Licensed individuals are required to meet educational standards which involves understanding laws, regulations, and safety codes. Additional requirements include passing criminal background and credit checks, having documented work experience in the trade, fingerprinting, and more. The mission of the National Low Voltage Contractors Association is to Promote Safety, Code Compliance, Licensing, Professionalism, and Prosperity in the Low Voltage Electrical Industry. The NLVCA is a not-for-profit association dedicated to supporting its members, protecting public safety, and developing and instituting programs for the betterment of the electrical industry. Members of the NLVCA are recognized as Licensed Professional Low Voltage Electrical Contractors. Their clients can be reassured the service they are provided is being done by a licensed professional who is properly educated, trained, experienced, and performing the work legally.  The NLVCA can refer professional, legally licensed electrical contractors in all 50 states. For specifics, send your request via email to License@NLVCA.org or give us a call at 407-801-8553.

Steve Dale - Executive Director SteveDale@NLVCA.org Visit www.nlvca.org/licensing/index.php for electrical contractor license requirements by State.

Visit www.nlvca.org/file_complaint.php to anonymously report unlicensed activity.

holder to register at the building department before being issued a work permit.

There are state, county, and city enforcement code officers that issue citations to the contractor for unlicensed activity. There are county and city enforcement officers who inspect permitted work and issue citations for violations of work not properly performed.

During and at completion of the work be-

ing performed, the contractor schedules inspection(s) of the work with the building department and an enforcement officer is dispatched to verify that the work meets the electrical safety and fire codes. Enforcement officers can be electrical inspectors, code officers, or fire marshals and all may inspect and enforce state and local licensing and permitting requirements.

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ADVERTISER INDEX American Tower.............................. 31 ANS Advanced Network Services.... 11 BroadStaff........................................ 64 Cel-Fi by Nextivity.............................. 3 Comba............................................. 17 Connectivity Wireless...................... 35 Corning............................................ 73 CTS ................................................... 43 Dense Networks.............................. 92 ExteNet Systems.............................. 63 Gabeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s....................Inside Front Cover Geoverse................ Inside Back Cover HALO by Mobile RF.......................... 51 In-Building Wireless Ecosystem Report........................... 21

NEDAS............................................. 89 New York State Wireless Assoc....... 69 NLVCA............................................... 93 PCTEL............................................... 47 Pulse by Apex.................................. 85 Ranplan Americas........................... 80 Repeater Communications Group............................................... 79 Safe-Fi Technologies....................... 53 SOLiD............................................... 25 TELECO............... Outside Back Cover T-Mobile............................................. 7 TruAccess Networks........................ 20

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