Empire State Building to Offer Improved Wireless Reception in Spring 2014

Troublesome wireless connections are a common thing in the country, but what about in the middle of Manhattan? Securing wireless coverage is a skyscraper is difficult at best. According to a recent statement from ExteNet Systems, Inc., floors above the 20th often have poor reception.

The Empire State Building, ExteNet promises, will “soon be a notable exception.” In the spring of 2014, lovers who have agreed to meet at the Empire State Building will be able to call each other to tell them that they have been held up. If Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant had had Verizon or Sprint, An Affair to Remember would have played out a lot differently.

Anthony Malkin, the president of Malkin Holdings, LLC, the company that supervises the Empire State Building, says that this is important because “many employees and executives simply don’t use hard-wired phones.” Ross W. Manire, the president and CEO of Extenet, is enthuasistic about providing “seamless mobility and reliable 3G and 4G LTE wireless service throughout the building.” Verizon and Sprint executives echoed his enthusiasm.

High-rise buildings have been attempting to rectify their wireless situation for some time, but it has been a slow process. In 2008, Towerstream announced that it would be powering the first skyscraper in New York City to have building-wide wireless broadband access. Houston skyscraper Heritage Plaza upgraded its wireless coverage in 2010. It is cost-prohibitive to make such upgrades, so there are many skyscrapers that continue to contend with spotty wireless coverage. 

In cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, rectifying wireless coverage is becoming increasingly important for companies that manage tall buildings. Sprint’s regional vice president, Keith Dardis, says it is ready; “With increasing smartphone usage and surging data demand, we are continually finding solutions to provide excellent wireless coverage inside high-rise and iconic buildings like the Empire State Building, in New York City and nationwide.”

Image via Shutterstock