DISTIE’S VIEW IN-BUILDING WIRELESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE VAR CHANNEL CROSSOVER DISTRIBUTION.COM’S DARIN GIBBONS ON A FIELD THAT IS GROWING AS CELLULAR COMPETITION IN THE CANADIAN MARKET INCREASES by DARIN GIBBONS he wireless industry continues to venues where their return on investment is greater. They offer experience significant growth as these types of solutions to certain enterprise customers that meet the enterprise and consumer worlds their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) metrics but unfortunately want the flexibility of always being they are just not able to address all in-building coverage gaps due Tconnected but not necessarily connected by a to budget constraints. wired infrastructure. The ever growing need The VAR can play a significant role in addressing these wireless for mobility, coupled with exploding sales of Smart Phones and in-building coverage issues for their enterprise customers by their countless new applications, are they key reasons for this educating them on their options and ultimately providing them unprecedented growth. with a solution. Mobility Service Providers are working diligently to expand Simple solutions known as adaptive repeaters extend the their macro and back office networks to meet these demands. 3G outdoor cellular network into the building without requiring Networks, 4G Networks, High Speed Packet Access ( HSPA ) and changes to the service providers’ macro network. They often Long-Term Evolution ( LTE ) are some of the terms that the general consist of a rooftop mounted antenna with coaxial cable feeding public often reads about on the internet and through various into the building which is then connected to indoor coverage service provider media campaigns that will facilitate this wireless units or antennas to distribute the cellular signals. Repeaters are mobility freedom that we are all seeking. a cost-effective solution that are best suited to enhance coverage In Canada, Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility in buildings less than 100,000 square feet and often only support have invested heavily over the past twenty-four months to one service provider per system. If multiple service provider upgrade their networks to support these high-bandwidth, always enhancement is required (GSM, CDMA, TETRA, 3G, Passport, iDEN), connected demands from both the enterprise user and the then parallel systems will have to be deployed. consumer. Wireless coverage problems in large buildings such as hospitals, In addition to delivering more bits per second to the user device universities, government buildings, high rise towers and for typical data applications such as email and web browsing, condominiums, sporting venues and recreational centres are best they have also developed back office platforms to support specific resolved by using Active Wideband Distributed Antenna Systems applications for hydro electric, fresh water and waste water (DAS). Active wideband DAS systems support a wide range of utilities, transportation, healthcare and educational institutions. frequencies on a single common infrastructure using HUBs, active The Canadian mobility landscape is also changing in another Remote Units and antennas connected together by fiber optics way. New players are now entering the marketplace due to the and coaxial cables. True wideband DAS systems offer a future- recent AWS spectrum auctions granting them permission to build proof design to allow the customer to add new services at a regional and national networks to compete with the incumbents. later date with minimal disruption and hardware changes to the Companies such as WIND Mobile, Public Mobile and Mobilicity network. are at various stages of launching their new networks and Recent trends in the industry have many facilities managers services. Cable TV operators are also entering the fray with (FM) and IT managers looking for Neutral Host DAS solutions. A Eastlink Communications in Atlantic Canada, Videotron in Neutral Host solution is defined as an in-building solution that is Quebec and Shaw Cable in Western Canada looking for a piece owned and operated by the enterprise customer, which supports of the mobility action as well. These new entrants will rattle multiple service providers on a single network. They can support the industry with their flat rate voice and data, all-you-can-eat some or all of the existing service providers like Bell, Rogers packages that will be targeted at specific demographics and target and Telus, they can also support public safety (police, fire and enterprise accounts. ambulance agencies), paging, wireless DECT phones, Wi-Fi, and While service providers strive to achieve reliable and ubiquitous the new cellular entrants as well. coverage levels across their networks, the reality is that this The enterprise customer is just beginning to recognize that by coverage criteria is measured and based on outdoor coverage. deploying a Neutral Host solution they can take full control of Recent studies indicate that 70% of all mobility traffic is initiated what services are offered within their building. from within buildings and this is where the real challenge lies for What is needed now is certified integrators and VARs to deliver any service provider. This is also where great opportunities exist these solutions. The opportunities are huge, are you up to the for the Value-Added Reseller (VAR). challenge? Yes, it is true that service providers do offer in-building Darin Gibbons is vice president of sales and marketing at Mississauga, ON-based solutions today to enhance coverage but usually these funds are Crossover Distribution.com. reserved for public venues such as shopping malls and sporting april 2010 | 26 | crncanada.ca.