By Art King
Smartphones have been unprecedented in their impact on a wide range of consumers, from end user individuals to global enterprises. When coupled with mobile networks for ubiquitous global coverage and capacity, smartphones have the ability to enable innovation at scale.
THE JOURNEY TO ENABLING ANYTIME, ANYWHERE ON ANY DEVICE
At-scale innovation relies on the global communications infrastructure. In the enterprise realm, there are a number of factors contributing to wireless connectivity anytime, anywhere. In most corporations, contracted agreements with mobile operators are in place that support the majority of employees; however there can be outliers on other mobile operators’ networks for a number of reasons. For example, BYOD or “bring your own device” policies are becoming more common and enterprise IT staff must be able to support these devices and the spectrum they operate in. In addition, international mobile roamers and their spectrum requirements must be considered. And, finally, “green building” technologies that save energy unfortunately prevent the outdoor cellular network from pushing signals into buildings.
In terms of costs, the legacy network solution to support all of these devices and spectrums – Distributed Antenna System (DAS) – is not a viable option for buildings under 500,000 sq. ft. (50,000m2). Although larger venues still use it, they are slapped with reoccurring overhead expenses.
So, we ask the loaded question:
What cost effective network solutions are there that can meet the multi-operator demands for the 320,000+ buildings that range from 50,000 to 500,000 sq. ft. in the U.S.?
The answer is MulteFire!
MulteFire technology delivers a new way to wireless for enterprise. It meets today’s business needs for mobile connectivity by delivering a shared access method to a common global frequency band. The vision for a business environment with MulteFire would include:
- Excellent coverage and capacity, reaching every part of an equipped facility for all mobile devices.
- Handset families all incorporated with the same MulteFire radio.
- Harmonized, low-power band(s) for unlicensed sharing across the globe so international roamers are supported just as effectively as domestic employees.
- Neutral Host capabilities to connect MulteFire to all the mobile operators in a region.
- Support for both operator PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) and private authentication of LTE devices.
- Use of transport technology and infrastructure that the enterprise has already invested in.
The MulteFire approach, as it evolves, will become a competitive advantage for enterprises that effectively embrace and exploit it to satisfy the anytime, anywhere demands of mobile business customers. I am excited to see how MulteFire’s flexible business models and mobility will lay the groundwork for further innovation.
As the Director of Enterprise Services & Technologies, Mr. King leads the development of enterprise services definitions and business case prepositions for customers and partners. Mr. King is a Small Cell Forum Board member and a Vice Chair of the Services Working Group. Mr.
King was formerly the Mobility/Collaboration lead in Global Architecture for Nike Inc. where he held various global roles over 10 years. Prior to Nike, he led the build out of two multinational engineering and consulting organizations for an IP Services network vendor in the service provider industry. Mr. King holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Portland State University.
