Ensure Your Wireless Infrastructure is Ready to Ride the Next Technology Wave
Over the last few years enterprises have been radically transforming. Buildings are becoming smarter and how people work is evolving. These changes can be attributed to several factors, including the changing face of today’s workforce with Millennials representing the largest portion at 56 million strong.1 Not only Millennials, but those employees representing other generations are mainly using smartphones for business communication too. And, smartphone usage is occurring primarily inside with over 80 percent of all cellular minutes taking place in-building.2 However, today’s wireless networks not only connect people, but also things as IoT becomes increasingly entrenched in today’s enterprise. There are many applications that optimize facility management, improve employee productivity, and combat today’s threats with enhanced security.
5G will be the enabler, but to take full advantage of its many capabilities CIOs must have a digital strategy in place starting today. Below are six considerations CIOs should address in their strategy.
- Lay the Proper Foundation
To unlock the level of intelligence and connectivity 5G promises, it is critical that wireless connectivity is considered the fourth utility. Similar to gas, electric and water, it must be a foundational element that is taken into account at the time a building is being architected.
- Take a 360-Degree Approach
After wireless connectivity has been incorporated into a building’s plan, it is critical that the technology vendor provides a 360-degree approach regarding its utilization. This approach starts with the basic level of connectivity and access and deals with several stages in between, ending with a level that involves the end users or employees who will directly experience new enhanced ways to conduct business.
- Guarantee Wireless Success
With pervasive IoT, edge RAN technology will enable new applications with mobile edge computing (MEC). It is critical that enterprises know how future in-building technology will migrate to this new edge topology and ensure today proper antenna placement to support it while still maintaining aesthetics.
- Support New Spectrum
With 5G, new spectrum (i.e. Citizens Broadband Radio Service) will become available to enterprises; therefore, the fiber plan, conduit, and powering for wireless equipment must be reviewed to ensure it can provide the necessary support.
- Add More Sensors and Layers
Smart enterprises must plan for the different service layers required to support the many new sensors for 5G applications. Again, the fiber plan, conduit and powering for wireless equipment must be reviewed.
- Evolve to Software-Based Wireless Access
Wireless infrastructure is evolving to software access networks to combat 5G challenges. CIOs must ensure newer enterprise systems are being designed with a natural migration path to software-based systems, significantly reducing footprint, power, and cooling requirements while operating more like data center software.
To learn more about how to prepare your enterprise today for 5G, please download our white paper, “Smart Enterprises: Navigating 5G Technology”
1.“Millennials are the largest generation in the U.S. labor force” Richard Fry, April 11, 2018, Pew Research Center
2.“In-Building Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2016”, ABI Research
