Nextivity, Spry Fox Networks to facilitate in-building 4G coverage for organizations across the U.K.
In preparation for new Emergency Services Network (ESN) in the U.K., Nextivity and Spry Fox Networks are joining forces to facilitate uninterrupted, in-building 4G coverage for public and private sector organizations across the U.K.
The companies have aligned their partnership with a cross-government program to roll out a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) that will replace the current Airwave service used by blue light organizations. The service, which will be reliant on 4G mobile coverage delivered over the EE network, will be used by the fire/police/ambulance services, local authorities, healthcare establishments, utility companies, private enterprises, as well as first responders such as inshore/offshore and mountain rescue.
According to the government site, ESN will deliver “Secure and resilient mission critical communications to emergency services” and “a modern voice and data platform” to enable emergency services to “improve front-line operations.”
Colin Abrey, VP International Sales, EMEA, Nextivity commented, “With 4G poised to replace Airwave for critical communications services, reliable coverage inside buildings will no longer be a nice to have but could mean the difference between life and death.”
Abrey added that because Nextivity’s products are easy and affordable to install, while also providing the necessary coverage to satisfy current health and safety requirements, they lend themselves really well across small and large buildings with poor or no cellular coverage.
Steven Ballantyne, director of technology and innovation, Spry Fox Networks, said, “By combining Spry Fox Networks’ own, innovative QuantumPath advanced service assurance system with Cel-Fi signal boosters, we not only provide our customers the in-building coverage they need but we also pro-actively monitor the availability and quality of voice and data services over the solution, ensuring they are available when needed”.
DAF trucks, the U.K.’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, was one of the first organizations to benefit from the collaboration by commissioning a robust in-building coverage system at its newly built headquarters for commercial and safety reasons.
Other coverage projects have included the brand new TECA Conference Centre in Aberdeen, the vitally important Scottish National Blood Transfusion Centre, and key branches of Metro Bank.
In an October interview with RCR Wireless News, Abrey discussed the current regulatory state around the use of signal booster technology to resolve poor coverage problems in the U.K. He explained that historically, the deployment of such technologies deployment has been both expensive and complex due to restrictions set up by regulatory agencies. However, thanks to a relaxation in licensing laws for the use of mobile signal boosters, introduced by Ofcom in April, repeaters can now be freely deployed in the U.K. as long as they meet certain specifications.
Specifically, installed mobile signal boosters must be network-specific, not create network interference, detect and mitigate downlink and uplink signal variations and control amplification based on location relative to the base station to which it’s connected.
The fact that Cel-Fi by Nextivity signal booster is the only product portfolio that satisfies Ofcom’s mobile repeater license exemption specification, was, according to a press release, a huge factor in Spry Fox Network’s decision to work with the company.
Cel-Fi’s products have been designed with the Intelliboost chipset at their core, and the baseband processors are optimized to process radio frequency signals with incredibly low latency, ensuring seamless operation between mobile networks and handsets for all 3G and 4G/LTE technologies and services.