Case in point, the booming office real estate landscape of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With 100 million square feet of new builds underway, the market is becoming increasingly competitive to draw in tenants. If competing properties are in the same business district, location is off the board as a selling point for building owners. Potential new tenants may be touring every building on the block and, for some, connectivity will become the deciding factor. A property where the owner or manager has already provided a DAS solution will have an advantage in this market. When prospective tenants see a location that has solved mobile connectivity, they have peace of mind that they can scale IoT technology at a rate that Wi-Fi will not be able to support because it has limited bandwidth.

GlobeSt.com: How does connectivity factor into the increased demand for flexible workspaces?

Willis: In real estate, the layout of flexible workspaces begins as early as the architectural design phase for a potential office building. Regardless of whether it's a new build, tenants are looking for spaces embracing the collaboration and huddle space approaches to drive employee creativity and productivity. CREs can get a leg up on the competition by providing this connectivity, but need to find a cost-effective way to do so. Serving multiple tenants means CREs will have to accommodate a variety of cellular carriers. That's why it's essential to make sure adding or removing carrier support from the in-building network can be done via software updates to be as cost effective as possible.

GlobeSt.com: How has the world of mobility changed in terms of device usage and connectivity?

Willis: The modern smartphone has changed the way people live and work. Phones are no longer used just for calls, but also to communicate via text, video chat and apps. In addition, smartphones and tablets have made access to the Internet easier than ever, with the ability look up information, check personal and work email, and perform other tasks at the tap of a button. Our research shows cell phones are preferred by 63% of respondents for daily communication, coming second to only email. The increase in device usage has untethered the workforce and made reliable wireless connectivity a must.

GlobeSt.com: How have connectivity needs changed because of BYOD, IoT and 5G?

Willis: The bring-your-own-device/BYOD trend accelerated the evolution towards a more highly mobile workplace. As consumers embraced all they could do with their smartphones in their personal lives, they realized the advantages the devices could give them in the office. Therefore, it's in an employer's interest to ensure cellular connectivity that employees are bringing to work.

Internet of Things/IoT has only been around for a short time, but it will continue to evolve and grow. 5G networks will enable connectivity like never before in business applications. These IoT applications will become more advanced, and either create demand for 5G networks or have new opportunities driven by the availability of 5G technology. In either case, the ability to run an IoT network on 5G technology will become a requisite for CRE survival.