Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) rely on their cell phones as much or more than their large fortune 500 counterparts. Current statistics show over 83% of all cellular calls happen indoor and much of the data usage shows it’s trending the same way. Many SMBs are virtualized to the point that they have limited office space and keep it cost reduced while many of its members work from home and get together with co-workers as needed for a lunch meeting at somewhere convenient in between.
Cellular coverage in many buildings can be nearly non-existent. As a tenant in a multi-tenant business environment, SMBs may have seen employees, visitors and other staff huddled around an area in the lobby, just outside or near windows/door so they can get messages, emails, text or call on their phone(s) or other mobile devices. These newer “LEED” certified buildings can cause at least an 11 fold (33dBm) loss of cellular signal because while the beautiful glass exterior blocks UV light from damaging the carpets, furniture and raising heating/cooling bills, it also blocks the RF frequencies necessary to use cellular phones, cellular modems, and many IoT devices.
When leasing space, SMBs are wise to have us come and test the cellular coverage before they sign the lease. Then they can require having good coverage as part of their lease. Real Estate companies are becoming more aware of this issue and can add coverage for a few cents a sq ft. per month. This will make sure these services are there from day 1, ensuring that nothing stops them from successfully using this new, leased space, once you point it out the issues and made it a priority.
In both cases, this coverage can be added to any existing or new building space by VentusRF. Recent advances in these technologies provide pre-approved (Cellular Providers (AT&T, T-Mobile (Sprint), Verizon)) solutions that solve these issues without the high cost of previous solutions.