Freshwave claims next evolution of 5G indoor mobile

With reliable mobile connectivity still a major issue inside modern office buildings – particularly as energy-efficient materials block signal and user expectations remain high – connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) provider Freshwave has launched 5G on Omni to offer businesses “assured” indoor 5G connectivity from all the mobile network operators (MNOs).

Freshwave said that its mission is to invest expertise and capital to assure connectivity, bringing mobile operators, central and local government, and real estate providers to work together in new ways. It added that it has connected some of the biggest, most challenging wireless environments in the UK, including several central London boroughs and more than 2,000 buildings.

At launch in June 2024, the company’s Omni Network was described as a world first, offering 4G mobile connectivity indoors from all the UK mobile network operators via a combined small cell unit. It boasts more than six million square feet of real estate live or in-build.

Omni Network was previously only available on Andrew Onecell, but the solution is now multi-supplier, being available using Ericsson Radio Dot technology which is seeing use in the new 5G on Omni offer.

In another claimed first and the next stage in the evolution of the Omni Network, 5G on Omni is designed to deliver 4G/5G connectivity indoors from all the UK MNOs – EE, O2, and VodafoneThree – via the Ericsson’s Radio Dot System, extending the 5G carrier-grade mobile coverage to more spaces than ever before.

Aiming to address the aforementioned issue whereby building materials can potentially block mobile signals from reaching indoors, Freshwave said its dedicated multi-operator in-building mobile system can ensures everyone inside has the mobile connectivity they need, no matter which network they’re on.

Connecting securely to the MNOs’ networks, 5G on Omni is configured and controlled by Freshwave’s engineers via the company’s datacentre as a fully managed service. For organisations whose connectivity needs are met by 4G today, 5G on Omni provides a simple software upgrade path to 5G when required.

In addition, the company said that 5G on Omni uses up to 50% less energy than a traditional distributed antenna system (DAS), is faster and more cost effective to deploy with less cabling, and needs less space in the comms room.

Remarking upon the launch and its objectives, Simon Frumkin, Freshwave’s CEO, said: “After a world-first with Omni Network, I’m delighted we’re now able to offer our customers another first with 5G on Omni. It’s the next stage of assured indoor mobile connectivity, bringing all the operators indoors on 5G via small cells.

“Indoor connectivity is an essential productivity driver, as evidenced by our Mobile connectivity ROI index which found that the UK could gain £70bn of added value by eliminating mobile signal not-spots indoors. 5G on Omni represents an important step forward for indoor connectivity in the UK. We’re grateful to all the UK mobile operators and to our technology partner Ericsson for their collaboration in making this possible.”    

Luca Orsini, head of Ericsson North Europe, added: “We’re thrilled to have collaborated with neutral host provider Freshwave to deliver 5G from all UK mobile operators on the Ericsson Radio Dot for the very first time. It highlights how shared indoor infrastructure can accelerate high-quality 5G coverage and capacity at a lower total cost of ownership than legacy solutions, ensuring organisations and users benefit from seamless connectivity regardless of their mobile provider.”

The service is also available via a pay-as-you-occupy model, which allows landlords to pay to cover shared areas in a building, while giving tenants the ability to contract directly with Freshwave to join the in-building system as and when they move in.

Freshwave claims 5G on Omni is already seeing strong demand and that it is in the process of deploying it at several other customer sites this year across sectors including financial services, luxury goods brands and a global fast moving consumer goods company. One of the early adopters of the service has been flexible office provider Workspace’s Record Hall site in central London, bringing 4G/5G mobile signal from all the MNOs to the offices and workshops there.

“Good connectivity should be something our SME customers don’t have to think about,” said Chris Boultwood, head of technology at Workspace. “With 5G on Omni from Freshwave now live at Record Hall, our customers can rely on seamless mobile coverage throughout the building, whichever network they use.”