ChannelVision Magazine

cellular connectivity technology market and related trends since 2002. It has strategically grown its product and service portfolio to help clients achieve the maximum ROI for their investments in mobile technology by specializing in solutions that improve cellular recep- tion in commercial buildings. The following two case studies showcase how Atlantic Technology Group has expanded its business in the last year by leveraging disruptive technology. Cellular connectivity for law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency was hav- ing cellular coverage issues at several locations after transitioning from one service provider to another. The agency provided employees with cellular phones, but they were un- able to get a signal when inside its buildings. To address these challenges across 10 different sites (ranging in size from 30,000 to 240,000 square feet) in loca- tions from Seattle to Maryland, the agency turned to Atlantic Technol- ogy Group. “There were a multitude of fac- tors at the different locations that were causing the poor indoor signal, from RF blocking and building materials to the environment outside,” says Keegan Har- rington, project lead at Atlantic Technology Group. To solve these coverage challenges for the agency, Atlantic Technology Group installed Cel-Fi QUATRA, an ac- tive DAS hybrid, at all 10 locations. One agency location outside of Washington, D.C. was 240,000 square feet and had experienced cel- lular service issues since it was built. The building had a fire control labora- tory where tests and investigations were done. Equipment to improve cellular coverage could not be in- stalled inside the labs due to the type of testing that was done. “There was terrible service in the laboratories, especially in the base- ment. There were cinder block walls about two feet thick and a lot of win- dows,” says Harrington. Atlantic Technology Group in- stalled five network units (NUs), the head ends of the system, and put 20 coverage units (CUs) – which are the remote internal antennas – in the hallways and office space. It installed five MIMO antennas on the roof, wanting one antenna per NU to fa- cilitate specific management of each individual NU. “We weren’t allowed to put things in the labs, so we put coverage units in the hallways and office space to bleed through signal into the labs,” explains Harrington. “We were able to push through the windows and cinder blocks because system has 100 dB gain, so this strong signal made the bleed- through possible. With a passive DAS, you get only 72 dB gain.” The other law enforcement agency locations had both similar and unique challenges, but according to Dan Connelly, president of Atlantic Tech- nology Group, the active DAS hybrid was an effective solution for each. “We were able to go into 10 different locations, including some pretty big facilities, and within a few months got all these sites done to rapidly assist the client during their transition from one carrier to another.” Nothing stops the news, except poor reception The Atlantic Technology Group also was called in to help a major daily newspaper that relies on its corporate AT&T subscription to ensure staff are connected while working in its Wash- ington D.C. newsroom. However, reporters and other employees on the AT&T network experienced spotty cov- erage and dropped calls when using their cellphones inside the eight-story building that spans a city block and houses the newspaper’s 350,000 sq. ft. headquarters. “Reporters were actually walking out- side the building to take their cell calls or were stuck near their desks waiting for important calls to come in, which hurt produc- tivity,” says Connelly. “They got a great signal outside, but the recep- tion inside the building was really lousy.” A multitude of factors – mainly its location in the heart of Washington D.C. and its building materials (concrete and glass) – were blocking AT&T cellular signals inside the building. The passive DAS that was already in place inside the office build- ing did not improve the poor AT&T signal. To resolve the problem, Atlantic Tech- nology Group proposed Cel-Fi QUATRA, but before installing it throughout all eight floors, it agreed to set up one floor as a proof of concept using one NU and three CUs. Based on the initial results, the newspaper agreed to expand the installation to all eight floors. Since the building is leased, Atlantic Technology Group also reviewed the site survey with the building owner and got its approval for antenna placement on top of the building. “The nice thing about the Nextivity solution is that the antennas are very non-obtrusive. They’re relatively small in size, not these big satellite antennas. Mobile & Wireless Cel-Fi QUATRA Building Diagram Channel Vision | July - August, 2018 34

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