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-- Optimizing
cellular coverage at colleges and universities can attract revenue
and students.
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A common problem on college and university campuses is signal blockage caused by trees and heavy masonry buildings.
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Colleges and universities across the country could increase their
revenues and improve the quality of life for their students by
adopting campus-wide cellular and wireless Internet coverage. “By
providing wireless coverage in every corner of the campus, we create
a ‘Wireless
Umbrella™’ that provides reliable service to every
person at the institution for the first time,” said Massoud
Safaee, Technology Leader at Syska Hennessy Group, a national leader
in consulting, engineering, technology and construction. “Our
Wireless Umbrella™ program puts an end to dropped calls and
assures that high-speed wireless transmission meets the needs of
students, faculty and staff who want 24/7 connection to cell phones,
the campus network, and the Internet.
“Wireless carriers are anxious to put their antennas on college campuses,
but oftentimes there is no coordinated effort by the universities to co-locate
two or more carriers at one site, maximize coverage, and protect the aesthetics
guidelines set by each school,” he explained. As a result, wireless coverage
on most campuses is spotty and inadequate.
Under the Wireless Umbrella™ program the needs of all stakeholders
are identified, a campus wireless strategy is set, radio frequency
testing is analyzed
and lease negotiations with wireless companies are begun. The goal is to
streamline antennae sites and build the kind of smooth, progressive
wireless network increasingly
demanded by students and faculty who want continual access to email and
the Web.
“We act in the school’s best interest by carrying
out the role of program managers -- overseeing the negotiations
for leasing antenna sites on,
and within buildings, setting technology specifications, minimizing the
duplication of infrastructure, and balancing the needs of the carriers
with the needs of
the school,” said Jerry Burkhardt, Vice President of Syska Hennessy
Group. “We’re
focused on reconciling a carrier’s desired locations with the preferences
of all stakeholders such as the campus architect, and the facilities and
technology teams. We work to avoid the fragmented approach that has robbed
campuses of adequate
wireless coverage for today’s technology, as well as tomorrow’s
next generation communication equipment,” he added.
Ideal Coverage: Wireless Umbrella™ provides campus-wide wireless coverage with adaptability for future technologies. |
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A strategic, comprehensive Wireless Umbrella™ program provides
benefits for everyone. It is an attractive selling point to potential
students and staff and opens the door for revenue sharing with the cellular carriers on
top of the six-figure lease agreements for the antenna sites, according
to Burkhardt. “There’s
no need for schools to keep losing money on dormitory landlines that
are increasingly ignored by cell-phone users,” he said. “The
convenience of comprehensive coverage encourages more wireless
use, increasing revenues for colleges and
their wireless providers.”
Safaee also pointed to the security
benefits of a Wireless Umbrella™. “This
approach assures parents they can reach their children’s cell phone
and email at any minute and provides peace of mind,” he added.
Syska Hennessy Group’s Wireless Umbrella™ team is
an integrated group of experts including program managers, real
estate brokers, technology consultants, architects, engineers and construction consultants. Ultimately, the
program will be expanded to hotels, medical centers, airports and
theme parks looking to provide leading-edge services to employees, patients and visitors while maximizing revenue and minimizing the physical impact of telecommunications
infrastructure on their business environment.
Syska Hennessy Group (www.syska.com) is a national leader in consulting, engineering, technology and construction.
The firm's clients include
many of the world's leading
corporations, fast-growing and high tech companies, healthcare,
research and educational institutions, design professionals, real
estate owners and developers, as well as government agencies. In 2003, Syska Hennessy Group celebrated
its 75th year of continuous client service, bringing the world's
most technically sophisticated and energy-efficient buildings
to life.
For more information or to schedule a presentation, please contact:
Jerry Burkhardt (310.312.0200) jburkhardt@syska.com
Massoud Safaee (310.312.0200) msafaee@syska.com
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