Freshwave Bring UK 4G and 5G Mobile to Elevators in Two London Towers

Wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave has revealed that they’re working with the One Nine Elms (R&F Properties UK) site in London to deploy in-building mobile connectivity for all four mobile operators in the two towers – including in the lifts, which the company claims is somewhat of a first for a residential development.

Freshwave typically specialises in building multi-operator neutral host and distributed antenna system (DAS) networks (often funded by enterprise rather than the operators), which it then opens up via wholesale for mobile networks operators like Three UK, Vodafone, O2 (VMO2) and EE (BT) to harness. The operators can then sell their own 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) services over the top to businesses and consumers.

In this case, the company has been working with R&F Properties UK to deploy (from basement to rooftop) their network across the two towers – rising 42 and 57 storeys high and linked together by a glazed bridge – of One Nine Elms, which is a luxury residential-led development.

The 57-story River Park Tower features 391 modern flats, while the 42-story Park Hyatt London River Thames Residences houses 103 “branded residences” managed by the UK’s first Park Hyatt Hotel. But in what seems to be a “UK first for residential buildings“, the lifts in both towers will also enjoy dedicated connectivity from all four mobile network operators.

Brendan Hourihane, Senior Director at Freshwave, said:

“We’re thrilled to be working with R&F Properties UK and look forward to marking another UK first with our lift solution. This project has been several years in the making and it’s always great when a developer understands the importance of mobile connectivity and engages with us from the early stages of the project.

Luxury residential deployments are uniquely challenging from a radio frequency perspective as there’s a delicate balance to strike between the most effective tech deployment while also meeting the aesthetic demands of a high spec environment. We’re pleased to be bringing connectivity for all four operators to this prestigious London address.”

We imagine it can’t have been cheap to deploy an in-building mobile network in such an extensive way, but then the residents living in these blocks will undoubtedly have very deep pockets and be expecting only the very best for their money. One catch is that the initial deployment will only support a 4G mobile signal, but there’s talk of an “upgrade path to 5G and beyond for technologies in the future.”