A new and growing opportunity in the Hybrid DAS and BDA (Bi-Directional Amplifier) space is the growing requirement for LMR (Land Mobile Radio) 700 & 800 MHz signal availability inside commercial buildings.
The boosting solutions addressing this requirement differ from Cellular LTE boosting solutions in that they are not for the direct benefit of the consumer or inhabitant of the building. Rather, these systems are becoming a firm requirement in many jurisdictions across the United States for commercial buildings to support public safety operations within the building in case of an emergency (e.g., fire, EMT, active shooter, etc.)
In these jurisdictions, the commercial building owner or management company is required to install a signal boosting solution to ensure that there is a minimum level of LMR 700 & 800 MHz signal inside the building (e.g., -95 dBm minimum strength throughout 95% of the building.) And in many cases, compliance with this requirement is directly tied to the issuance or renewal of the Certificate of Occupancy for the building. This means that the owner or building manager is not able to lease the building unless they comply with the defined signal requirement by the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) for the location of the building. The AHJ is typically the Fire Marshall at the City or County level.
In jurisdictions with this requirement, building owners and managers are in desperate need of an LMR 700 & 800 MHz boosting solution that will bring them into compliance with local jurisdiction requirements. This is a growing opportunity for resellers and installers to partner with existing Fire Alarm and Safety Equipment installers to offer LMR 700 & 800 MHz boosting solutions such as the Cel-Fi QUATRA RED and Cel-Fi SOLO RED.
The QUATRA RED is a scalable hybrid DAS solution that can easily provide boosted coverage for 700 & 800 MHz LMR signal in buildings over 1 million square feet in size. It offers all components including battery backup (12 or 24 hours), remote alarm panel annunciator, and remote system shutoff to comply with most jurisdiction requirements in the US.
The challenge that many existing Ce-Fi QUATRA resellers and installers (currently installing QUATRA 1000, 2000, and 4000 cellular boosting solutions) may have been connecting with the building owners and managers that are in need of a Public Safety Booster System.
One approach that GetWireless is finding effective is to research the companies in your area that are already selling and installing Fire Safety equipment (e.g., alarm panels, sprinkler systems). This is an easy Google search to locate these companies. We have found that in many cases, these companies are receiving requests for quotes from their existing customers that include a Public Safety boosting component, and they are “no-bidding” that component because it is a relatively new requirement and they have not had the bandwidth to research solutions in that space.
An introductory phone call to those Fire Safety Equipment installers in your area very well may lead to an invitation to present and demonstrate what you have to offer that could complement their existing Fire Safety offering.
You may find some Fire Safety Equipment Resellers/Installers that already have a Public Safety solution in their offering, but we are in the early stages of this requirement rolling out across the U.S., and there are many Fire Safety Equipment Installers who will be very interested in what you have to offer. We expect these parties to be partnering with you on future bid requests that require a Public Safety 700 & 800 MHz LMR booster solution.
Please feel free to reach out to GetWireless for more information regarding Cel-Fi Public Safety Boosting Solutions such as the QUATRA RED and SOLO RED.