Freshwave Stick All Four UK Mobile Operators on One 4G Small Cell Box

Wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave and CommScope have jointly begun to deploy a new “world first” solution, which can bring 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) connectivity from all four UK mobile network operators (Three UK, EE, Vodafone and O2) indoors via a single combined small cell box.

Small cells are akin to mini shoebox sized mobile base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 80-120 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas and specific sites. As a result, it’s not uncommon to find these sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone boxes etc. But the same sort of approach can also be adapted to help cater for indoor mobile coverage too.

Freshwave itself typically specialises in building indoor multi-operator neutral host and distributed antenna system (DAS) networks, which are mainly funded by enterprise. In this approach, the company deploys the upfront capital expenditure to install the in-building system (sometimes with the customer making an upfront capital contribution), and then charges a monthly managed service fee which provides the bulk of the capital investment recovery.

However, installing this for multiple operators can add costs and complications, which is where Freshwave’s new Omni Network – based on CommScope’s ONECELL solution – comes into play. The system combines services from O2, Vodafone, Three UK and EE into one box, which is then configured and controlled by engineers via Freshwave’s data centre.

The benefits of this are that you need less equipment, cabling and installation. This makes it faster and cheaper to deploy (i.e. it’s up to 65% cheaper than legacy DAS approaches), while also using up to 60% less energy. In addition, each access point can provide up to 25% more coverage compared to a traditional small cell and 32% more than a low power DAS. The system needs a maximum of four units in a rack, freeing up space in the comms room for other uses.

Simon Frumkin, Freshwave’s CEO, said:

“Omni Network extends in-building mobile connectivity to a wider range of organisations than ever before thanks to our team’s technical innovation. As the only company in the UK able to offer Omni Network, we’re looking forward to the benefits it will bring to our customers across the public and private sector. We’re grateful to all the UK mobile operators for their collaboration which made Omni Network possible.”

All four of the UK’s major mobile operators have welcomed the development, which is now being “rolled out” to various Freshwave customer sites across the UK. Freshwave can also provide customers with additional network statistics and visibility of what’s happening on the mobile network in their building (i.e. traffic volume, number of users and calls, data upload and download etc.).

The system is currently best suited for sites from 6,000 sq ft upwards and can scale to buildings of 350,000 sq ft or more.