Last edited 07 Sep 2018

In-building wireless communication solutions

The term 'in-building wireless' refers to communication solutions that maintain connectivity inside a building where signals from the core infrastructure are not reachable. In-building wireless solutions are often used by network providers that seeking enhanced delivery of services to their core clients in demanding signal environments.

Conventional distributed antenna systems (DAS) based in-building wireless has shifted its focus from providing good signal coverage inside a building to increasing the capacity for bandwidth-consuming services such as data-centric services. To keep up with the pace of technology, customers want to communicate wirelessly without any drops in the connectivity.

It is expected that, over the coming years, in-building wireless connections will become readily available in airports, stations and other public places.

The growing demand for smartphones and increasing data usage by the consumers are the major factors contributing to the growth of the in-building wireless market. Companies in the market are expected to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks and develop small cells that run on 4G or LTE networks. However, the issues regarding interference, designing and installation are expected to pose challenges to the growth of the market. Additionally, the major problem with such systems is the isolation and authentic use of the services.

The in-building wireless market can be categorised baser on; system components, business models, type of building and its size, end-users and geography:

Components include antennas, cables, distributed antennas such as active and passive DAS, repeaters, amplifiers and small cells such as micro cells, pico cells and femtocells.
There are three types of business models available, namely, the carrier model, enterprise model and host model.
Buildings are classified as large buildings, medium buildings and small buildings. Additionally, the installation process is different for new buildings and for existing buildings. The main application of the wireless in-building market is found in commercial sector, government sector, hospitals, hospitality, industrial sector, educational institutes and retail stores among others.