en.Wedoany.com Reported - Sixteen iconic venues in North America have deployed Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) built by vendors such as JMA Wireless and ANDREW (formerly part of CommScope) to serve millions of FIFA fans. However, analysts point out that the demand for indoor connectivity in the broader commercial building market—such as hotels, hospitals, and office buildings—is driving DAS vendors to transition from an operator-funded model to a "neutral host" service model.
EJL Wireless analyst Earl Lum describes these large stadium DAS deployments as the "gold ring" projects in the industry, but beyond these, there are thousands of small and medium-sized buildings where property owners want to provide multi-operator connectivity for tenants. In the past, vendors primarily pursued operator-funded contracts, but now the goal has shifted to building business models applicable to a variety of venues. Lum says that vendors capable of growth need substantial capital to transition from integrators to providers of DAS-as-a-service—purchasing radio equipment and leasing it to enterprises, which requires long-term upfront investment.
Vendors also need to maintain strong relationships with operators, as DAS cannot function without signal sources. Ericsson's Radio Dot System is seen by Lum as a multi-operator solution for enterprises. Some system integrators have already achieved breakthroughs. Communication Technology Services (CTS) recently deployed its 100th neutral host signal source, named Forté. Dean Fresonke, Vice President of Channel Sales at CTS, explains that CTS partners with operators, leasing signal sources from them as the record owner, thereby providing a single point of contact for enterprise customers and selling Forté as a service without transferring ownership to the client. CTS maintains a Network Operations Center and serves as the customer's point of contact for network issues.
CTS owns active equipment and internet connectivity; a single internet connection from a local provider can meet the needs of three operators. Customers can choose to lease or own other DAS equipment (head-end, antennas, amplifiers, etc.), which may come from CTS or other integrators. Fresonke notes that CTS's largest Forté customer venue spans 4 million square feet, while the smallest is 40,000 square feet. The company has provided neutral host DAS solutions in sectors such as transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing, with clients including Oracle, UPS, Cleveland Clinic, and Boeing. Another integrator, Engineering Wireless, is also adopting a similar business model, working directly with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile to sell connectivity services to enterprise customers.
