BTI Lends Expertise to NEDAS Design & Infrastructure Panel

The Northeast DAS & Small Cell Association’s Toronto Workshops & Social: ‘The Art of Development‘ was held in Canada’s largest city on September 29.

BTI’s very own Vice President of Sales & Marketing, and wireless industry expert, Ron Poulin shared his wisdom on the Design & Infrastructure panel.

After the panel launched with a James Carlini sentiment—All the cabling needed to build the network should fit the lifespan of the building, not the lifespan of the technology that is hanging off of it — one of the prevailing panel themes included why property owners should make the investment in a wireless Distributed Antenna System (DAS).

Wireless carriers have typically installed DAS in high-capacity, high-profile venues such as arenas like Air Canada Centre and airports like Toronto Pearson International (more on this later). But what about the mid-tier Enterprise, facilities such as shopping centers, mixed-use skyscrapers and universities— who spearheads the wireless infrastructure for these?

For example, what company would want to establish an office in a high-rise building that has terrible wireless coverage? By investing in a DAS, property owners increase the desirability, and value, of their facilities and the loyalty of their tenants.

“Building owners need to recognize the value that a well-designed DAS infrastructure brings to their core asset,” stated Poulin during the panel.

Of course, a DAS is not without a price tag, one that developers and landlords have yet to consistently include as a budgeted item. Done right, implementing a DAS can be beneficial and affordable … and can be designed to align with existing data and voice communications facilities while enabling future wireless technologies.

From the Toronto Stock Exchange to Hong Kong’s International Finance Centre, mid-tier Enterprise facilities are upgrading their wireless infrastructures with BTI products. In particular, BTI’s new 5W mid-power remotes are delivering breakthroughs in total cost of ownership by reducing costs at each step of the project lifecycle.

In addition to the Design & Infrastructure panel, the Northeast DAS & Small Cell Association’s Toronto Workshops & Social featured with the panel:

●  The Evolution of Airport Communications & the Demand for Technology & Bandwidth: Cellular Capacity in Crisis

Toronto Pearson International airport was used as the case study for this panel discussion as harsh weather conditions crippled the airport for 4 days in January 2014, causing numerous flight delays and cancelations. Stranded travelers had difficulty using their smartphones for anything, including important travel-related updates. It became glaringly apparent that the current, decade-old DAS — operating on only one of four cellular bands and with no LTE capability — was no longer sufficient.

After this weather-travel nightmare, the airport implemented an interim small cell deployment. But with the airport getting busier with each passing year, and with smartphone and data usage increasing by astonishing amounts, Toronto Pearson needed a major DAS upgrade.

BTI DAS products were selected, including 5W quad-band MIMO products, which support all major commercial bands, as well as 5W dual-band for public safety products. The goal of this upgrade was to future-proof the airport’s wireless infrastructure to accommodate 100% more capacity than the current projections.

The workshop was rounded out with the following panels and presentations:

●  Presentation: Cost Issues in In-building DAS Systems

●  Presentation: Stepping Through an In-Building Project Lifecycle

●  Presentation: Passive, Active and Multi-Carrier Architectures and Issues at Each Level

●  Panel: Public Safety Trends

●  Presentation: Cross Border Practice – What to Consider When Expanding Across the Border