Texas Skyscraper Gets In-Building Wireless Solutions from Cellular Specialties

Cellular Specialties, Inc. (CSI) announced that Texas-based Heritage Plaza and its owner Goddard Investment Group chose CSI solutions to enhance wireless signal strength and call quality throughout the 762-foot commercial plaza. CSI is well recognized in the design and implementation of in-building wireless solutions.

"In today's tough real estate market, offering technology enhancements such as in-building cellular and Wi-Fi reception can become a unique advantage," said Kelley Carr, President, Custom Solutions Group at CSI. "Cellular Specialties understands the real estate market and offers expert in-building wireless installation and services and is the only company certified by all major U.S. carriers."

With over one million square feet and 25 companies employing 3,500 personnel, Heritage Plaza is the 6th largest skyscraper in Houston, Texas. With such a vast array of tenants requiring immediate access to wireless coverage to conduct day-to-day business, Goddard Investment knew that uninterrupted cell coverage was critical. Additionally, the availability of reliable wireless coverage throughout what are typically low coverage areas (inside and around congested buildings), was quickly becoming a key component to attracting and retaining new tenants in this sagging commercial real estate market.

Jason Williams, Senior Project Coordinator for Goddard Investment Group said, "In a building the size of Heritage Plaza, which is 53 stories tall and contains over one million square feet, you're bound to have trouble areas that do not have optimal cell signals. This is particularly true if a company uses multiple carriers, as one carrier may have powerful signal strength on one floor, while another lags behind. As more and more tenants came into Heritage, we noticed there were areas of poor reception that needed to be addressed. We house some of the world's premier corporations and the ability to walk from one end of the building to the other without dropping cell signals is critical. This is especially true on the upper floors where traditional carrier antenna arrays do not provide a strong signal."

CSI implemented a facility-wide voice and data system providing tenants and visitors in Heritage Plaza with uninterrupted service. CSI's system provided the tenants with Wi-Fi connectivity with wireless carriers including AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Verizon and T-Mobile supplementing and expanding the scope of wireless signals in low coverage areas.

"When CSI first came in, they immediately took our ideas and suggestions and spelled out specific, step-by-step instructions to make reliable in-building wireless a reality. Despite the complicated communications process that involved a range of diverse and disparate cellular carriers, CSI provided us with a single point of communication, which really simplified the process," said Williams.

CSI immediately developed and implemented a plan to upgrade the Plaza with a new wireless backbone, ready to enhance any major US carriers' signals -- as well as streaming Wi-Fi for ubiquitous Internet access. Said Williams, "If you have one building that has a strong in-building signal and another that has spotty signals tenants will always go with the former. In today's market, any advantage you come across might be the one thing that puts you over the top in building a tenant base."

Williams says the impact of CSI systems was immediate and undeniable: "Just putting these systems into place was one reason we signed a major, multi-floor tenant right away. In regards to future business, I truly believe having the ability to instantly boost the signals from any major carrier through our wireless backbone, puts our property at a distinct advantage versus a competitive property."

Moving forward, Heritage has the flexibility built into its system to expand coverage and usage as new tenants occupy the space. Since the CSI Distributed Antenna System (DAS) system is so robust, the system can handle the rapid proliferation of both 3G and 4G networks.

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