Stable and reliable mobile connectivity is crucial for modern day business operations. Poor indoor mobile coverage threatens productivity, revenue, reputational damage and customer satisfaction.
Despite these pitfalls, there are many businesses who neglect to address the demand for consistent and reliable indoor mobile coverage. The unfamiliar terms and technical terminology sound daunting and complex.
They expect the solution to have large-scale disruption to their day-to-day operations, never mind the huge CAPEX cost.
Distribution centres have additional complexities. The sheer size of the buildings combined with the metallised insulation, steel frames and metal cladding create a classic Faraday cage setting which prevents mobile signal to penetrate the building. Often, distribution centres are found on the outskirts of town, far away from the mobile tower.
When Hotel Chocolat acquired the neighbouring warehouse in St Neots in August 2020, they were faced with these complexities. Mobile coverage in the existing warehouse was an issue prior to the extension.
Employees had to step outside to make phone calls, receive texts or download communication. They had previously attempted to resolve the mobile signal issues by installing network-provided boosters. Although it initially provided some marginal improvements in certain areas of the building, much of the warehouse still suffered from no coverage. After the expansion, the extended ‘Alpha’ distribution centre was over 20,000 m² in size and presented an additional challenge that the network-provided boosters could not resolve.
With ever-increasing reliance on mobile devices together with the impact on employees and their productivity meant that the issue of in-building signal could no longer be ignored and had to be resolved.
Hotel Chocolat identified that that mobile connectivity would be imperative for their operational efficiency and contacted Frequency Telecom to provide them with a legal, all network solution which covered the entire warehouse.
Frequency Telecom is the master distributor of Nextivity’s Cel-Fi range of mobile signal boosters. Cel-Fi mobile signal boosters are the best solution on the market to address the universal problem of poor in-building mobile coverage. They are easy to install, cost-effective and provide an exceptional coverage footprint for voice and data. Cel-Fi products are also the only mobile signal boosters that fully comply with the regulatory requirements of OFCOM in the UK and COMREG in Ireland.
The process Frequency apply to determine a solution starts with client consultations, in-depth analysis of the site, building and layout plans. An initial solution is then put forward, subject to a site inspection. Once the site inspection is completed, the client receives a comprehensive proposal detailing the solution and installation.
For Hotel Chocolat, the Cel-Fi QUATRA solution was presented as the solution to deliver the level of mobile coverage required across all networks. ZoneWave, an accredited Cel-Fi installer and Frequency partner, performed the installation in under 2 weeks. The main contractor WSP oversaw the deployment and controlled the strict HSE requirements for the site.
Feedback following the installation has been very positive. Aside from enjoying faster data speeds on their mobile devices and voice calls no longer dropping, Hotel Chocolat employees have particularly mentioned the joy of not being forced to go outside just to make a call. Employees can now connect to team conference calls on their mobile devices which they have never been able to do before.
Cel-Fi products are mobile network approved and fully meet the regulatory requirements in the UK and Ireland. The Cel-Fi commitment is to protect the operator’s network, deliver the best in-building mobile performance, and be the easiest solution to install.
Frequency
t: 0208 397 2222
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