As we increasingly rely on 24×7 mobile communications anytime and anywhere, wireless technologies are integral to our daily lives. From 5G phones and ‘smart’ networks to emergency radio communications, we depend on mobile devices. Yet all wireless technologies require wires at some point, and the closer you bring those wired connections to the edge of the network, the faster and more reliable the mobile connections become.

Today, fiber optic cables are the preferred method to send wired data to the wireless radio access network (RAN) portion of the 5G mobile network. Fiber also provides the fastest and most efficient technology for in-building communications provided by indoor distributed antenna systems (DAS) equipment. With fiber-to-the-edge technology, fiber connections carry voice and data all the way to the edge of the network, allowing each DAS endpoint to provide improved quality of service for a seamless indoor mobile experience throughout your building or campus.

Fiber for Today and Tomorrow

Traditionally, the communications infrastructure installed throughout most buildings or campuses has been a hodge-podge of various types of wiring deployed over the years as the state-of-the-art in communications technology evolved. Materials within any one building can include a mixture of twisted-pair copper wires, coaxial cables, CAT Ethernet, and fiber optic cables.

In recent years, a convergence in communications technologies has been driving more and more fiber throughout the entire communications network, from the core to the edge of the network, to enable the latest technology innovations. Extending a common fiber infrastructure from end to end in the network offers greater opportunity for improved speed and capacity, as well as increased deployment flexibility, security, and efficiency.

The benefits of fiber-to-the-edge are particularly evident with in-building DAS equipment, delivering seamless service all the way to the access endpoints. Fiber enables multi-carrier frequency band aggregation from day one, including the maximum available bandwidth in every band. As a result, a fiber-to-the-edge DAS system like the SOLiD ALLIANCE edgeROU provides faster speed, higher bandwidth, and lower latency while optimizing your investment.

In-building fiber-to-the-edge also helps reduce deployment time, cost, and disruption. The small size, low weight, and low-voltage cabling make installing the edgeROU as simple as Wi-Fi using the same labor skills. Furthermore, DAS fiber-to-the-edge technology provides a scalable evolution path to support new frequency bands, technology upgrades, and future capacity expansion while reducing expensive rip and replace scenarios.

Find Common Purpose

Fiber-to-the-edge enables flexibility and scalability for a variety of property sizes and configurations. With a common fiber infrastructure throughout your building or campus, tenants and employees can access ubiquitous mobile communications from the top floor to the underground parking garage and every floor in between. This connectivity over common infrastructure enables several key use cases for mobile connectivity.

• Adoption of next-generation mobile 5G continues to escalate, with 5G network connections already exceeding 520 million worldwide. As the number of subscribers grows, expectations for high service quality also grow. The extremely high bandwidth and data speeds made possible with fiber-to-the-edge allow faster 5G connections and outstanding quality of experience inside buildings.
• While traditional coaxial cabling was once sufficient for wired local area networks (LANs), today’s demanding data processing, video conferencing, and cloud-native applications require higher speeds and lower latency. With a common fiber infrastructure, enterprises can easily upgrade to take advantage of the latest optical networking capabilities for maximum performance and minimum latency.
• The evolution of smart devices, the internet of things (IoT), and machine-to-machine controls has revolutionized business as we know it. A common fiber infrastructure throughout your building, campus, or warehouse facilitates the ability to take advantage of these revenue-generating technologies and enables a smaller footprint for space-saving efficiency.
• As building owners automate systems such as energy management or personnel access, they can expose unsecured networks to greater cybersecurity threats. Fiber optic data transmission offers an inherent capability for improved data security throughout the network from end to end, allowing more efficient building management systems with less risk.

Competitive Edge

Constant connectivity is no longer a perk for your employees, tenants, and visitors — it’s an absolute necessity — across all markets and industries, including commercial properties, healthcare, higher education, and hospitality. Building out fiber-to-the-edge is the most affordable and flexible path to ensure a high quality of experience with reduced complexity, a small footprint, scalability for the future, and cost-efficient deployment and management.

The ALLIANCE edgeROU platform is the smallest, most attractive, highest power, and lowest cost active DAS remote available for reliable fiber-to-the-edge mobile communications. With this dedicated solution in a scalable platform, you enable a variety of desirable fiber use cases while eliminating weak signals and dropped calls to deliver affordable connectivity for today and tomorrow. To learn more, visit https://solid.com/us/products/alliance-das/.