In today’s increasingly digital world, mobile phone connectivity is paramount. This is especially true within buildings where seamless communication, efficient operations, and enhanced user experience are essential for success.
Most of the UK has access to strong mobile signal in their home and local community, yet new research commissioned by Cellnex UK indicates that many buildings are proving a barrier to workers receiving this service in the office.
In fact, the survey of 2,000 UK hybrid workers reveals a lack of reliable mobile connectivity in the office is affecting seven in ten (70%) of those surveyed. This issue has forced the majority of employees to leave their office building simply to make a phone call (60%).
With many of today’s office buildings consisting of thick concrete or stone walls, brick and steel structures and an increased use of metallised‑glass, over half (55%) of those surveyed also report that their mobile connection is actually better at home than the office.
With nearly two‑thirds of those surveyed (61%) calling on their employers to increase investment in office mobile connectivity, Edmund Wilkinson, Head of Sales for In‑Building solutions at Cellnex UK, explores the reasons why facilities managers (FMs) should consider enhanced connectivity solutions to significantly improve building performance and occupant satisfaction.
1. Enhanced User Experience
Employers are seeking to encourage workers back to the office by prioritising well‑being and creating collaborative, personalised environments. Cellnex UK’s latest research also reveals that poor mobile connectivity would deter the majority of hybrid workers from coming into the office at all. So, for FMs, this necessitates exploring ways to improve communications in larger buildings to meet these expectations and provide an elevated user experience. Reliable in‑building mobile connectivity allows for the introduction of new technologies, such as mobile applications that give occupants control over their environment, such as adjusting lighting, temperature, and booking rooms.
In‑building mobile connectivity solutions, such as Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), are designed to handle high data traffic volumes and ensure seamless mobile connectivity for multiple users without compromising performance, which makes implementing new technologies less of a headache. This allows for faster data transfer speeds and reduced latency, minimising issues like lags, buffering, and dropped calls. This ultimately means enhancing workplace productivity and creating a more collaborative and less stressful work environment for occupants.
2. Optimised Building Operations
With the rise of flexible working, there is an increasing expectation for workplaces to offer environments that are superior to home offices. In addition to providing building users with an enhanced experience, FMs can also leverage DAS to manage buildings more effectively. The enhanced bandwidth of DAS enables FMs to implement IoT upgrades over cellular LTE for real‑time monitoring of building systems, such as elevators and escalators, electrical and plumbing systems. By using data insights, FMs can identify inefficiencies, streamline processes and allow for predictive maintenance to optimise a buildings operation.
3. Improving Energy Efficiency
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, also known as The Standard, was launched in 2022 to help the industry demonstrate that their buildings are net zero carbon and aligned with the nation’s climate targets. The framework aims to reduce energy demand and consumption. By remotely monitoring and controlling energy‑consuming devices such as lighting, heating and cooling systems, facilities managers can optimise usage based on occupancy, schedules, and environmental conditions. To enable real‑time monitoring, a robust and reliable connection is required. This can lead to significant energy savings, reduced utility costs, and a smaller carbon footprint to meet the demands of The Standard.
4. Compliance And Safety
Today’s building regulations rely on connected security systems, fire detection systems, and emergency response mechanisms. These safety mechanisms utilise connectivity for real‑time monitoring, remote access control, emergency communication, and incident management. By leveraging mobile connectivity solutions, FMs can enhance their security posture, mitigate risks, and ensure the safety and well‑being of occupants and assets.
5. Future Proofing
Three‑quarters of UK organisations believe that digital transformation is the most important investment they can make. They have also identified data analytics, cloud data centres, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) as the technologies that generate the most value. However, UK organisations are lagging behind their global peers in implementing digital transformation tools, and emerging technologies depend on strong and consistent connectivity. We therefore must ensure that our infrastructure is suitably upgraded to facilitate not only the current needs of a modern workforce, but to lay the groundwork for technological innovation for workplaces of the future.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Censuswide. The total sample size was 2,000 hybrid workers in the UK. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25/04 – 02/05 2024.
