The Renaissance Midtown Hotel in New York City was looking for a solution to provide the best possible cellular experience for its guests.
To achieve this, the hotel selected system integrator Cell Signal Solutions, which partnered with JMA Wireless to deploy the latter’s Teko DAS.
Both JMA Wireless and Cell Signal Solutions knew that as part of the planning process, many obstacles had to be resolved before the wireless network ensured indoor cellular communications. First, the Renaissance Midtown Hotel is a LEED (Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design) certified building. A LEED certified building provides energy efficiencies and reduces the carbon footprint, but it also presents obstacles to cellular coverage. In order to be considered LEED certified, the hotel installed “low-E” (low emissivity) glass, which reduces operating costs and increases the comfort for a guest by transmitting visible light while controlling the amount of solar energy that enters the room. However, this low-E glass also acts as a barrier to cellular signals entering the hotel.
Also, being centrally located in New York City meant that the hotel had to contend with the issue of densification, which is defined as a dense area of mobile subscribers with a high demand for cellular connectivity.
Finally, safety is a major concern of hotels around the world, particularly those located in major metropolitan areas such as New York City. The wireless network must be able to support staff, guests and first responders during times of crisis. Lack of connectivity for first responders, in particular, is critical and can make an emergency situation even worse, JMA Wireless said.
Even with a 40 floor structure, only three 20 watt Remote Units (RU) were deployed to ensure robust cellular coverage throughout. Additional savings were experienced thanks to a single optical fiber being used to connect the RUs, the company added.
The Teko DAS is future-proofed, the company said, since it can leverage existing equipment to add new technologies and/or carriers to the multi-band, multi-operator solution.
The TEKO DAS provides cellular coverage and capacity for indoor and outdoor environments. One of its main components, the rack-mounted MU, combines different high-speed wireless technologies, such as LTE and UMTS, with multiple bands to serve the various needs of the environment. The TEKO DAS can introduce new services or enhance existing technology without any major system upgrades, JMA Wireless said.