Latest news from Real Wireless

Connected stadiums for a better customer experience | New CTO enhances strategic expertise | MoD spectrum auction – business as usual or time for new entrants? | Indefinite spectrum licences: encouraging innovation and investment | Real Wireless gives evidence to BBC Charter Select Committee | Join Real Wireless at the Connected Stadium Summit

Connected stadiums for a better customer experience

Not long ago all stadium owners had to worry about was providing enough mobile coverage for voice calls. Now spectators are far more likely to be checking scores on Twitter or uploading pictures to Instagram. The challenge for stadium and venue owners is to supply enough network capacity for visitors to use their mobile data services and for vital communications between emergency services and crowd safety staff. A comprehensive and reliable wireless infrastructure opens up a whole range of benefits for stadium owners. Used in conjunction with analytics software, it gives venues insight into the number of visitors, where they go and what they do. By working with mobile operators, venue owners can use this data to send visitors targeted promotions by text or email. The business case for the installation of wireless infrastructure has become much more compelling in recent years, with far more opportunities for reducing expense, offsetting cost and recouping investment. Read CEO Mark Keenan's full article here »

New CTO enhances strategic expertise

As reported last month, Real Wireless has expanded its pool of experts and strengthened its management structure to ensure that our clients are always able to stay one step ahead of the competition. As part of our commitment to help businesses meet these increasing demands of wireless, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Fletcher as chief technology officer, who will take overall technical responsibility across the company. Simon joins us from NEC Telecom Modus with expertise in team management and strategic business development and an enviable network of contacts. In recent years his focus has been on future cities, the application of 5G and IoT in industry verticals with an event horizon towards 2030. “Simon is a talented and knowledgeable professional and a perfect fit for the company. His leadership skills, detailed knowledge of sustainability strategy and emerging technology insights will come together to help further build on the strength of the business,” said Real Wireless CEO Mark Keenan. Read more here »

MoD spectrum auction – business as usual or time for new entrants?

The MoD recently announced plans to auction off spectrum in a process that is being closely watched at home and abroad. What’s on offer isn’t going to result in a new mobile network, but we’re likely to see it being used to add capacity to existing networks in busy city centres. Will mobile operators put in bids? Having already invested millions in purchasing 4G licence, investment in further spectrum rather than network rollout may be a challenge. Another potential model might be the ‘small cells as a service’ approach. This would allow providers with existing fibre assets to offer a small cell network over a city centre or business district and charge operators for access. Businesses involved in smart city or vertical applications could also be interested, particularly in the 3.4GHz band given the issues with mobile device compatibility. With no coverage obligations and no focus on encouraging new entrants, it is difficult to predict how this auction will develop. Read more here »

Indefinite spectrum licences: encouraging innovation and investment

Ofcom recently announced proposals to allow operators to hold spectrum licences indefinitely, subject to the payment of fees. This comes as the 28GHz Broadband Fixed Wireless Access (BFWA) licences, previously auctioned off by Ofcom in 2000, come to the end of their initial terms. What does this mean for the industry? The proposal of indefinite licences will allow operators to sweat deployed infrastructure based on their 28GHz licence and means that they don’t have to stop operating or replace their 28GHz infrastructure with costly alternatives. The value of the 28GHz bands is also likely to go up as it is seen as a potential contender to be included in harmonised 5G spectrum. While it still remains to be be seen just how much Ofcom’s proposals will impact the value of spectrum licences, this move will be welcomed by most network operators. Read the full blog post here »

Real Wireless gives evidence to BBC Charter Select Committee

Earlier this month Real Wireless' director of technology gave evidence to the House of Lords' Communications Committee’s inquiry into the renewal of the BBC Charter. One of the core discussions was whether the BBC should continue to have a role in technical development. The BBC has made significant contributions to broadcast technology innovation: at launch, iPlayer was vastly superior to anything competitors could offer. The BBC also facilitated the development of radio wave propagation in the first half of the 20th century and spearheaded DAB rollout in the second. Real Wireless argued the BBC should be prepared to quickly drop projects that look set to fail, such as the failed Digital Media Initiative which cost £98 million of investment in just two years. One of the conclusions was that as a non-commercial, high profile organisation, the BBC is in a unique position to drive future developments – but it needs to make honest appraisals of successes and failures. Real Wireless' role in the enquiry underlines its position as a source of credible, relevant independent advice. Read the full blog here »

Join Real Wireless at Connected Stadium Summit

Real Wireless' Mark Keenan will chair day one of the Connected Stadium Summit 24-25 November. The event will provide a uniquely focused and realistic view on how to ensure ICT investments deliver for large venues, stadiums and sports clubs. It is an opportunity to find inspiration and business partners around best practice ICT strategies, to find how to lure fans away from home big-screen TVs and boost revenues and meet/exceed expectations across the board with the latest technologies.

Meet Real Wireless at these events

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