The Future of DAS in Healthcare

February 15th, 2012

In our series of posts leading up to HIMSS12, we’ve explored the past and present climate for Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in the hospital environment. Today, we’ll take a look at what DAS will look like in the future and what it will mean to the Hospital CIO.

But first, a quick re-cap…

We previously examined the wireless usage trends of medical personnel as well as the needs of patients and their families. These are the factors that are driving the need for DAS in hospitals.

We also showed how a typical DAS works.

Then we showed how DAS has evolved from the inefficient “leaky coax” networks and first-generation, single-carrier active networks that were designed for voice (not data) to a “neutral host” multi-service platform that provides coverage for multiple commercial wireless operators, public safety, private two-way radio and paging – all on a single space and fiber-saving infrastructure.

Next, we discussed the perfect storm of challenges that Hospital CIOs must address which includes off-the-chart usage statistics, construction that prevents the transmission of wireless signals from both outside and inside the building, and the emergence of LTE which is about capacity, not coverage.

Lastly, we listed key considerations a Hospital CIO should explore to ensure her DAS solution addresses current technologies as well as those in the foreseeable future.

Imagine the Possibilities

Imagine a single active infrastructure in the ceiling capable of supporting (and adding) applications and systems such as:

  • Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) for patient monitoring
  • Location-Based Service (LBS) for asset tracking
  • Temperature Sensors for building automation
  • Ethernet Security for surveillance and security
  • Power over Ethernet (PoE) for Wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and other applications
  • Backhaul capabilities for data networks

 

And imagine a DAS with improved scalability and better use of resources as well as greater management, control and reporting of metrics.

Finally, imagine a DAS that delivers real Return on Investment (ROI).

Guess What?

It’s coming.

Let’s Meet at HIMSS12

We’re looking forward to meeting with you in Las Vegas. To schedule a time, please share a comment below, send email to info(at)solidtechusa(dot)com or call 888-409-9997.

Also, please see our gear at our Partner Booths:

 

(Image – Flickr – Fort Belvoir Community Hospital)

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Indoor Public Safety Coverage – It’s Not About Technology

February 14th, 2012

We’ve been invited to present at the “Signal Boosters Roundtable” on Thursday, February 23 from 11:15 am to 12:30 pm during the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

While it might seem odd for a company whose name includes “technologies” to say this, we’re NOT going to be talking about technology at IWCE.

That’s because the technology already exists to make buildings safer by providing universal indoor public safety radio coverage. It’s a non-issue.

(Our multi-service Distributed Antenna System (DAS) – ALLIANCE™, which supports commercial wireless, public safety, private two-way radio and paging on a single platform – has been deployed at numerous high-profile locations including the Bellevue Collection. See our video below.)

 

The Technology Objection Myth

There are technical reasons that Public Safety, Commercial Cellular, and Two-Way Radio should remain separate

This is an outdated argument that has been overcome hundreds of times with quality systems deployed by qualified integrators.

In fact, many wireless industry experts believe a converged system with proper filtering is the preferred method of eliminating potential RF interference when compared to two systems often managed by two parties.

Greg Glenn, a co-panelist at IWCE  and noted Public Safety expert on RF Engineering and DAS infrastructure solutions at TriPower will debunk this myth.

 

The Solution: Stakeholder Alignment

We announced the formation of the Public Safety Shared DAS Coalition which weeks seeks to establish a national policy framework for ensuring universal indoor coverage for public safety radio service.

The Coalition seeks to require DAS networks to accommodate public safety radio frequencies and develop an accredited certification program for technicians responsible for deploying DAS networks that serve Public Safety, Commercial Cellular, and Two-Way Radio.

Most importantly, the Coalition is about aligning multiple interests including Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) and Building Owners as well as Public Safety and Wireless Industry stakeholders.

And, pragmatically, it removes objections such as “technology” from the discussion.

 

Attend the Roundtable

The Signal Boosters Roundtable is  Thursday, February 23 from 11:15 am to 12:30 pm in Room S231.

Zac Champ of the DAS Forum will moderate the discussion.

Other presenting companies during the roundtable include TriPower, Harris Public Safety & Professional Communications, Fiplex Communications and Bird Technologies Group.

 

What’s on Your Mind?

What do you consider to be the key issues and challenges in attaining universal indoor public safety radio coverage for first responders?

  • Liability?
  • Financial?
  • Network Management?

Let us know in the comments below – we’ll discuss during the presentation.

Thanks for reading and following!

 

 

 

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DAS in Healthcare: A Must-Have

February 13th, 2012

In our recent series of posts that focus on the healthcare market in our lead-up to HIMSS12, we have explored the wireless world within the hospital that is driving the need for Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to provide coverage throughout every nook and cranny in the building or buildings.

We have seen how the approach to DAS has evolved from a standalone model in which each wireless operator installed separate infrastructure to solve coverage problems to a single, “neutral host” DAS platform that provides coverage for multiple services including commercial wireless, public safety, private two-way radio and paging.

Next, we dissected the DAS to show how it works and listed key considerations for selecting a solution capable of addressing current and future requirements.

Today, we’ll examine trends that forecast a “perfect storm” of challenges healthcare CIOs will need to rapidly address.

Unbridled Mobile Growth & Demand

In a recent report, Cisco Systems cites staggering statistics:

  • Global mobile data traffic grew 2.6-fold in 2010, nearly tripling for the third year in a row
  • Mobile devices generated three times more traffic last year than the entire Internet in the year 2000
  • Global mobile data traffic will more than double in every year from 2010 to 2014

 

To be sure, healthcare is the most intense mobile environment you can have. This is a wireless and mobile environment where patients and clinicians are moving from one department to another 24 x 7 x 365. Not your typical office environment.

Construction Isn’t Wireless-Friendly

LEED Buildings foster “green” energy savings but wreak havoc on wireless coverage.

The key components of LEED include energy cost savings using reflective glass and materials to keep the cold and heat out of the building to reduce the carbon footprint. In the process, this type of construction acts also as big reflector that keeps the outdoor macro cellular, PCS, and Public Safety Signals from entering the building.

Other new construction methods such as metal pan concrete poured construction prevent the indoor wireless signal from penetrating floor to floor.

On top of that, hospitals have lead-lined walls in radiology and other departments which further block wireless signals on a single floor.

So, when you consider that LEED Buildings currently have a growth rate of 14% year over year and that, by 2020, all new residential and commercial buildings will be built using sustainable design practices equivalent to LEED silver standards, the problem becomes acute.

The Perfect Storm

According to Scott Goodrich at Cellular Specialties (CSI), nearly 80% of voice and data communications occurs inside a building.

Consider that almost all physicians carry 3G and 4G devices. They are truly mobile workers who move from their home, to their car, to their office and to the hospital.

The mobile device is their total communications device that must work, well, everywhere.

But Wait, There’s More

Data – not voice – is now the preferred method of communication. And through the introduction of LTE, the majority of mobile and tablet devices are LTE-ready.

Because LTE is an IP-based network, the in-building challenge is now no longer just about coverage but capacity.

The Case For DAS

An intense mobile environment that operates 24x7x365. LEED construction. Unique hospital construction. LTE.

Put simply, healthcare is the most active industry for deploying DAS networks.

Let’s Meet at HIMSS12

SOLiD and our Partners will be on-hand to discuss DAS solutions and best-practices. Please share a comment below, send email to info(at)solidtechusa(dot)com or call 888-409-9997.

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We’re Exhibiting & Presenting at NTCA – Come See Us!

February 9th, 2012

Please join us at Booth #104 during the NTCA Annual Meeting & EXPO on February 14 & 15 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego. We’ll be showcasing our ClearLight ACCESS™ fiber multiplexing solution, which increases existing fiber plant capacity 16x.

This is no ordinary multiplexor… ClearLight ACCESS features patented tunable laser technology which delivers long-haul high-capacity digital distribution efficiency at middle-mile economics for rural telecom providers.

Service providers struggling with fiber exhaustion are invited to attend our case study presentation on Tuesday, February 14 at 3pm in Room Ford B on Level 3 to hear how Empirical Networks solved its capacity shortage problems.

 

 

Cliff Crowder, CEO of Empirical Networks faced a serious challenge. Demand for bandwidth and capacity from the telecom provider had created a shortage of network capacity and fiber exhaustion – which meant missed revenue opportunities.

Instead of pulling new fiber, Empirical deployed ClearLight ACCESS™ from SOLiD Technologies.

Please join Mr. Crowder at the NTCA Annual Meeting to learn how he increased capacity 16x with Empirical’s existing fiber plant and lowered CAPEX and OPEX costs with ClearLight ACCESS.

Mr. Crowder will share why he chose ClearLight ACCESS, how his team deployed it within minutes, how it expanded his product line, the ROI benefits and more.

Join us on Tuesday, February 14 at 3pm in Room Ford B on Level 3 in the Hyatt. Or, stop by Booth #104 to say hello.

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Confusion & Opportunity for Small Cells

February 8th, 2012

IWPC’s recent conference on backhaul for small cells was well attended, especially by vendors of non-line of sight (NLOS) sub 6 GHz and LOS millimeter (60 GHz and 80 GHz) technologies. The goal of this meeting was to discuss economic ways to manage backhaul costs for small cells.

As it turned out, small cells are not a well understood concept.

Because of this, there was much confusion at the event – on subjects from capacity and coverage to backhaul.

All vendors agreed that smaller cells bring antennae closer to terminals to provide a much better broadband experience than macro cells. In a presentation, Airspan stated that small cells will displace macro “dinosaurs” for capacity – it’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when.

However, when it came to the backhaul – vendors based their bandwidth on macro cell metrics.

SOLiD believes small cells should be deployed by Mobile Network Operators whenever spectrum resources are limited as a means to increase spectrum re-use.

Historically, this is achieved by more sectors and cell splitting.

Since the best reception is in the center 25% of a macro cell – this area would be equivalent of a well formed small cell when all surrounding cells are closer together and work in a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) manner.

Based on Qualcomm’s Femto cell simulation study presented at IWPC, this small cell would have the capacity of 6 to 7 times that of the average Macro cell.

What this shows is that mobile operators should engineer small cell backhaul for peak rates rather than average rates.

As for the backhaul choice, Mobile Network Operators want the best economic solution. A recent article in Fierce Broadband Wireless noted that NLOS technologies have a much better return on investment when used for access (RAN) rather than backhaul, and LOS unlicensed technology is hard to deploy in congested areas because of over use. The article also shows the relative leased cost of fiber; however, fiber prices continue to fall.

When we consider the amount of fiber available at fiber nodes such as DSLAM nodes, HFC nodes and FTTH nodes, we believe that fiber prices will continue to fall as telecom providers harness revenue opportunity from their network infrastructure.

Let us know what you think are challenges and opportunities for small cell backhaul in the comments section.

If you liked this post or others, please share or subscribe. Thanks!

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DAS in Healthcare: What it is, What CIOs Should Consider & Why

February 6th, 2012

In our previous post, we introduced the business case for Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in the healthcare vertical. Specifically, we explored the business requirements and business models that should be considered to provide in-building coverage.

Today, we’ll take a brief look at how DAS works and highlight the technology considerations a healthcare CIO must weigh.

To review, DAS is used to make the smartphones and tablets used by physicians, clinicians, patients and patient families work inside the hospital.

Anyone who has spent time in a hospital recently knows that wireless is a critical component of healthcare. So much so, that in-building wireless coverage is as expected in a new construction project as, say, installing HVAC service. It is incumbent, then, that healthcare CIOs and IT stakeholders responsible for selecting and deploying DAS networks plan appropriately to provide coverage not just for today’s requirements to provide capacity for LTE services but, also, for future needs.

Unfortunately, that challenge can be daunting. Many decision-makers are not well-versed in DAS. They understand networks and probably the WLAN. But cellular, PCS, LTE – it’s an acronym jungle.

DAS 101: The Main Components

Wireless doesn’t work well indoors because outside wireless signals have a hard time penetrating reflective glass and other building materials. It’s particularly noticeable in the middle of the building, in elevators and stairwells. DAS takes the outside wireless signals and distributes them indoors throughout the building.

The Basic Components of a DAS (Distributed Antenna System) include:

  • The Wireless Based Operator Equipment
  • Head End
  • Remote Units
  • Fiber optic cable
  • Coaxial cable
  • Splitters and Combiners
  • Antennas

To bring the wireless signal into the building, most hospitals will use Wireless Based Operator Equipment to pull the wireless signal from the tower (using a donor antenna) or install a dedicated “base station” on-site.

Aside from the Main DAS Components, Integrators use coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, splitters, combiners and other infrastructure to physically install and connect the network.

The heart of the DAS solution consists of the following:

  • BIU (Base Station Interface Unit) - The BIU is the central point where the operators’s signal is inserted. Typically, this is installed in the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) of the building.

  • ODU (Optical Distribution Unit) - An ODU converts the RF energy coming out of the BIU into light energy and then enables this to be transported vertically and/or horizontally throughout the building to the different floors.

  • ROU (Remote Optical Unit) - The Indoor ROU receives the signals from the BIU through the ODU and simply converts the optical energy back to RF energy of which then allows this to be distributed throughout a coaxial cable infrastructure.

What To Look For

So, what things should healthcare decision-makers look for?

Here’s a checklist of questions to explore:

  • Will the technology solve the current requirements?
  • Will the technology provide the capability to meet future requirements?
  • What is the capital equipment expenditures needed for the implementation?
  • What are the operational expenditures?
  • What is the total cost of ownership?

 

In addition, we believe that the “age” of the technology is an important consideration. New technology advances in DAS will save CAPEX, OPEX and significantly lower risk.

All of these factors should be carefully looked at when evaluating DAS for healthcare deployments for 2012 and beyond.

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A Modest Proposal: The Public Safety Shared DAS Coalition

February 3rd, 2012

SOLiD is proposing the formation of a Public Safety Shared DAS Coalition to ensure that public radio service coverage is as universal indoors as it is outside of the building for first responders. Simply put, it is the right thing to do.

We believe that Public Safety is viewed as a “hitchhiker” when it comes to Distributed Antenna System (DAS) deployments. That’s because Public Safety is typically unfunded and the local agencies – fire, police and EMS – generally are unable to fully fund the project on their own. SOLiD, through the Coalition initiative, is urging a shift whereby Public Safety becomes a “carpooler” that shares the DAS with other commercial cellular providers. In other words, Public Safety pays its share for being on the DAS.

This is akin to the early days of cellular when each carrier erected its own tower. Over time, carriers learned that it was more effective to share towers to deliver coverage.

We’ve seen a similar transformation in DAS in which single-carrier, standalone DAS deployments have increasingly become neutral-host, multi-carrier DAS platforms.

It’s now time for indoor coverage for Public Safety to similarly evolve. Technology is not the obstacle. Instead, it is alignment of the stakeholders as in the above examples.

The Coalition calls upon the public safety organizations, building owners and wireless industry to create a national policy framework that would require DAS networks to accommodate public safety radio frequencies and develop an accredited certification program for technicians responsible for deploying DAS networks that serve Public Safety, Commercial Cellular, and Two-Way Radio.

Seth Buechley, SOLiD’s president, presented this proposal at an FCC DAS panel event earlier this week:

 

To be sure, the Public Safety Shared DAS Coalition is in the nascent planning stages and we’re sorting through the dynamics of bringing together the public safety, wireless and building owner stakeholders. So let us ask a simple question whose answer is likely not simple:

How can the Coalition best effect change to achieve the outcome of universal indoor public safety radio coverage?

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What are the Business Models for In-Building Coverage for Healthcare & Why Look at Them Now?

February 1st, 2012

As a prelude to the HIMSS12 Annual Conference, we are sharing a series of posts that focus on using Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to provide indoor wireless coverage at hospitals. We’ll explore the trends that are driving the need for in-building wireless coverage, the problems inherent to ensuring pervasive coverage within buildings, the single-carrier model versus the multi-carrier model, and the business and technology considerations that healthcare decision-makers should examine. We’ll also look at how current wireless technologies impact DAS and explore how we believe DAS will evolve in the near future.

Today’s post will focus on some of the basic business requirements and business models that should be looked at when providing in-building coverage. It will also provide some basic questions to look at when evaluating the technology solutions from a capital and operational expenditure viewpoint.

Current Communications Paradigm for Healthcare Systems

Providing the ability for smartphones and tablets to work in the healthcare environment is no longer a nice to have…but a must have. Healthcare applications are driving this requirement as well as the end customer experience vis-a-vis the patient, patient families and physicians. These new mobile applications are providing clinicians increased efficiencies and productivity. And having adequate signal coverage provides a patient and the patient family an increased satisfaction of care.

The issue however is that hospital construction does not lend itself very well for the cellular signals from the outside environment to penetrate every nook and cranny of the facility. The present need for this in-hospital coverage has spurred the growth of DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems).

The Business Models for In-Building Coverage Solution

What has been the traditional business model? It all starts with complaints emerging that the smartphone the physician uses simply does not work, or has spotty coverage and communications with their office and patients and their families is compromised. Hospitals also have now recently recognized the importance of enhancing the care process so providing adequate signal coverage for the patient and their families becomes a marketing quality differentiator.

As the result of these complaints, the IT department or facilities department – if they have a contract for coverage –  typically calls the carrier. Carriers will then evaluate their contract relationship – if there is one – and they will technically assess the coverage area or non coverage in the facility. From either contract side, they may look at the ARPU (Average Revenue per Unit) and that will justify the investment in providing adequate coverage. Or they may simply look at providing the required coverage for a marketing value. At the end of the day, whatever technology they implement for enhancing coverage will be limited to pretty much to this single carrier approach and at the lowest cost to do the job.

A new enterprise business model, however, has changed things… With the advent of the smartphone, physicians want to carry their device of choice, versus accepting what the IT department may give them. Every patient and/or their family member is now carrying some sort of cellular device and/or smartphone as well.

As a result of this new business model, enterprise in-building coverage needs to be multi-carrier. That’s because now, the customer is the physicians, clinicians, and patient families. And this presents a unique issue as in the aforementioned previous single carrier model…a single carrier is highly reluctant to provide coverage for the other carrier, i.e. their competition.

Healthcare systems now have the opportunity to create a business and technical model to satisfy these new business requirements. This new business model will allow the hospital to own the “technology”, whereby having an integrator implement this, all the while providing the carrier’s the opportunity to participate in the potential funding of the implemented in-building coverage solution.

Another alternative business model has surfaced whereby some integrators are suggesting the healthcare system simply “lease” the proposed technology/or solution from an outside entity. This is something like a landlord and tenant agreement. We call this a Shared DAS Model.

Why a Shared DAS Model Works

The Shared DAS Model has several advantages:

  1. This will allow the healthcare system look to the carriers for participation in the funding of the system.
  2. The healthcare system now has the ability to actually look to the best technology out in this space, versus settling for either what the carrier proposes, and/or outside leasing company.
  3. The cellular technology evolution is not static…it is constantly moving forward. For example two years ago 4G or LTE was not even being discussed. If a carrier or an outside entity that “owned” the DAS implemented the proposed in-building coverage solution, how could the healthcare system be ensured that the proposed DAS solution would meet their future requirements?

When the healthcare system actually “owns” the in-building coverage system, the overall total cost of ownership over the life of the system is actually much lower and there is protection of the technology investment.

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SOLiD Technologies to Present Public Safety DAS Framework at FCC Event

January 27th, 2012

Here’s a scenario… First Responders including police, fire and EMS enter a large, forty-two floor tower. The teams are well-trained and well-equipped with gear to handle the emergency call. Problem is, they struggle to communicate with one another inside the building.

No, it’s not 2001. It’s 2012. And the communications problem is real.

The good news is that we already have the tools to solve this problem efficiently.

We’ve been invited to present on the topic of in-building coverage and public safety radio using distributed antenna systems (DAS) during an informational forum offered by the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.

The presentation will explore state and municipal public safety codes and trends, introduce the stakeholders (including Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), Building Owners, Wireless Service Providers, and First Responders), identify key challenges, and propose a framework to remove the obstacles to advance public safety initiatives.

We will be inviting these stakeholders to join us in formation of a Shared DAS Coalition to bring focus on solving this issue for the benefit of the public.

The event begins at 9:30 AM in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters in Washington, DC and will also be webcast live. Please visit the event website to learn more.

We’ll be sharing more after the presentation.

(Image: aherro)

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2012 Carrier Gigabit Ethernet Market Predictions

December 31st, 2011

2011 saw the launch of SOLiD’s ClearLight ACCESS™ high-capacity distribution product which unlocks network capacity within an existing fiber plant for rural telecom providers. Since its launch, ClearLight ACCESS has been well-received at both industry events and by customers. We expect to duplicate and expand upon these successes in 2012.

And, now, on to our market predictions…

Enterprises will upgrade their WAN Edge to GbE from 10/100

 

Continued migration of Access transport to Ethernet over DWDM technology

With advantages that include extremely low latency, distance reach and secure connections, we expect strong growth of DWDM.

Also, the emergence of Ethernet has revived the wavelength services market as a number of service providers use waves to provision Ethernet circuits, and most 1 GigE and 10 GigE Ethernet circuits provisioned today are over dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)
Frost and Sullivan – U.S. Data Transport Services Market Overview

Enterprises will demand high availability/ lower downtime, very low cost per bit and extremely low latency service standards

Carrier Ethernet Service Differentiation – 2011 survey results 

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