When it comes to in-building wireless, enterprises can shift connectivity from a capital investment to an operational expense
The perennial problem for enterprises in need of in-building wireless connectivity to support cellular uses is that carriers limit investment and are selective in spending on buildings, while building owners know they need solutions, but largely aren’t familiar with the technology or deployment process.
What has become clear is that building owners, outside of stadiums, transit hubs, convention centers and other marquee venues that attract carrier investment, need to foot the bill for in-building wireless whether that’s a full-blown DAS, a small cell or cells, a signal booster, or some type of hybrid solution like a small cell feeding a DAS. While the vendor community is working to simplify and reduce the cost of these systems to make them more attractive to enterprise buyers, cost is still a primary concern and roadblock.
In a recent column published in Commercial Property Executive, Zinwave VP of Marketing and Product Management John Spindler suggests a potential answer: a “pay as you go” model “that shifts spending from capital expenditures to operating expenditures, thus enabling a lower cost of entry.” He calls is cellular-as-a-service, or CaaS.
This approach, Spindler writes, “works through a monthly charge for the wireless system, and removes concerns regarding high upfront costs as well as recurring downstream costs incurred by system changes and additions.” In terms of pricing, he considers a monthly fee that’s calculated based square footage covered.
This is a good fit for the enterprise in-building wireless space, he wrote, because it streamlines the process by simplifying decision making and “it removes the risks of large capital outlays and investing in a solution which could undergo technology changes in a few years.”
Zinwave sells small cell, DAS and the CaaS solution Spindler is writing about. The company targets enterprise verticals including health care, commercial real estate and hospitality.
