Published by Property Council of Australia, June 2024
In today’s connected world, having top-notch communication infrastructure in your building is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.
To put it simply, poor cell coverage in your building just won’t cut it with occupants. Poor coverage can plague any building, from towering office complexes to underground car parks.
It is a story Larry O’Toole, General Manager at Madison Connectivity (MC) knows well having worked on key projects including Westfield Knox, 1 Sydney Harbour, Mater Health Hub Springfield and Westmead Children’s Hospital.
As a leading provider of in-building communication solutions, MCS offers Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and cellular repeaters designed to solve poor coverage in various types of premises.
These are the unseen systems that underpin our ability to communicate in the modern world and often a major pain point for developers, operators and clients alike.
DASs are a network of separated antennas that boost mobile coverage. Imagine a large stadium with tens of thousands of spectators all trying to use their phones at once. With DAS, multiple antennas are placed around the stadium to handle the capacity and ensure signal for everyone.
Cellular repeaters operate similarly, they boost weak signals and are commonly used to help signals reach a basement.
By implementing DAS and cellular repeaters, you can guarantee enhanced connectivity, ensuring no corner of a building is left as a dead zone.
“We are moving towards a mobile-only existence,” Mr O’Toole said.
“As we move to a wireless world, all connectivity for a computer and phone is going to be dependent upon the health of the signal from your carrier.”
The Westfield Knox redevelopment was a significant multi-phase project aimed at enhancing a major shopping centre in Melbourne’s south. And connection was of paramount importance, not just for continuing construction with precise scheduling, but maintaining the ability for retailers to continue accepting payments.
The solution involved installing a high-power active DAS with 130 antennas in the initial stages, with stage 3 now complete. Temporary repeaters were used to maintain coverage until the DAS was fully operational, and some repeaters remained as permanent solutions in older areas with poor coverage.
The result was a seamless connectivity experience throughout the centre, meeting client needs during and after the installation.
These solutions are applicable to new and existing buildings and cover all property types like retail to ensure seamless customer transactions, offices for tenant connectivity and warehouses for supporting IoT devices.
Determining the best solution—DAS or cellular repeaters—depends on several factors such as desired coverage, existing service and building materials, Mr O’Toole said.
Understanding that each building presents unique challenges, MC works closely with developers, landlords and building managers to tailor solutions that meet specific needs.
“It’s an area where clients need advice, and they need to understand their tenant and then the occupant, and they also need to understand what each level of spend buys them,” Mr O’Toole said.
“Our interest is in matching the criticality of the end-users’ needs with the system we supply and neither over nor under prescribing.”
Mr O’Toole said MC conducts thorough walk testing and collaborates closely with clients to understand their space and specific requirements, ensuring optimal coverage and performance.
MC’s solutions are designed to support the latest technological advancements. From keycard access systems and two-factor authentication to connected vehicle surveillance and seamless mobile transactions, enhanced cellular coverage lays the groundwork for a host of modern conveniences and security features.
