Mobile connectivity: How can a vital technology layer be improved?
We’ve all experienced the frustration of having a great signal on our phone when outside, only for it to start dropping calls or take much longer than usual for applications to work when we go inside.
So, what’s causing this problem and how can it be fixed?
Over the last 20 years, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have invested very large amounts in providing strong 2G, 3G and 4G networks for the outdoor environment and they’re starting to do the same with 5G coverage. This process takes time and a lot of capital, requiring new 5G networks to be built initially on top of existing 4G networks and then shifted to their own standalone cores. The provision of 5G standalone is when users will finally see the incredible speeds we’ve all been anticipating.
There is logic to this approach. By deploying one rooftop site an MNO can cover large external areas and therefore provide service to many customers; this works from both a physics and economic point of view.
The indoor environment, however, provides different challenges. Buildings block mobile signals and new energy efficient building materials like glass, concrete and steel create ‘faraday cages’ that stop signals penetrating inside buildings. As such, the only solution is to design, install and deploy dedicated ‘In-building Systems’ that will specifically address the coverage problem in each building. These systems can either deliver guaranteed, dedicated capacity or repeater systems that take outdoor signal and ‘repeat’ it inside the building.
And herein lies the problem – there are a lot of buildings that need improved coverage, which means a lot of systems, which means a lot of cost. And this cost isn’t something that MNOs are able to fund given their poor returns of capital already. We saw a wave of telecom consolidation across many European markets in 2023 (that will undoubtedly continue into 2024), all of which were aimed at improving return on investment in a sector that hasn’t yet figured out how to truly monetise the incredible mobile networks they have built and run (who could have survived COVID without their networks?)
As such, another party will need to be responsible for funding the provision of improved networks inside buildings – landlord and tenants.
So what can be done to improve connectivity in buildings?
While the outdoor networks being improved will have some impact on improving the indoor coverage through the ‘network bleed’ effect (some level of coverage seeping into buildings), the overall strategy needs to focus on two main approaches:
- Landlords and tenants demanding that coverage needs to be deployed inside buildings and, crucially, accepting that the cost for this deployment will need to be in some way covered by themselves - in much the same way that power, water and Wi-Fi are all necessities and paid for in this way.
- Development of technical solutions that can leverage and combine multiple pieces of technology to help lower the cost of deploying and running the systems to deliver improved mobile connectivity inside buildings. This will make it more affordable and help increase the rate at which landlords and tenants will invest.
Both points need to be addressed at the same time, however feedback from landlords and tenants as to the reasons why such an approach has failed in the past, firmly leads to innovation around the technical solution being the key starting point.
Firstly, landlords and tenants need all MNOs to be present inside a building, not just one or two. In most European countries there are three or four different MNOs. Fixing the problem for only 30% or 50% of the building won’t help landlords and tenants justify an investment in a solution as it simply won’t improve the experience for enough people inside the building.
Secondly, landlords and tenants don’t have the expertise or the interest in negotiating with multiple parties to design, install and then run a system, let alone negotiate contracts with all the different MNOs to have them join and allow their networks to be live on the system. Expertise is needed to deliver this process as a one-stop shop.
Thirdly, technologies that can be combined to deliver the services needed to a building will help reduce complexity while offering innovative models to help landlords and tenants move ahead. For instance, using one partner to install and run a mobile connectivity system as well as a fibre service will not only reduce the amount of equipment installed within a building, but also result in less admin (a single supplier) and less physical equipment installed with the consequent reduction in CO2 emissions.
Finally, another approach is to focus outside of the building – this can be done by locating the majority of the equipment offsite and connecting to one or more buildings via what is known as ‘dark fibre’. In major cities this could speed up the deployment by three months. This addresses a major frustration for landlords and tenants – because unlike other services that have contracts signed and begin work the next day, traditional approaches to improving mobile signal in buildings have needed 6-9 months of work before going live. Reducing this timeframe will help decision makers justify making an investment and mean that results are more quickly linked to budgets in the minds of those footing the bill.
What does the future hold for mobile connectivity?
As user demand for flawless, always on mobile connectivity pushes landlords and tenants to fund systems for in-building connectivity, mobile will more and more be seen as a fundamental technology layer inside a building, just like the other core services, such as Wi-Fi, power and water.
Aside from the benefits of being contactable and connected at a personal level, this connectivity layer will then produce other benefits for landlords and tenants. For instance, connectivity can support a host of other services, including IoT, sensors, video calls, security systems and private networks. These other services will create new revenue opportunities and, crucially, will focus on automation and sensors to help streamline services and reduce CO2. Commercial offices are one of the largest polluters worldwide - by changing how existing services are delivered, buildings can become more efficient and less polluting. An example of this would be office cleaning services being connected through networks so that personnel are only sent to buildings when they are needed, thus reducing travel and electricity usage.
It's taken a while, but mobile connectivity is now being viewed more as a commodity than as a specialist service provided by mobile network operators. The speed of this change will only increase as more and more decision makers understand the benefits of investing in connectivity.
