NEW YORK CITY- The adoption of 5G in the commercial real estate sector has proved more challenging than expected for developers, landlords and building owners constructing or enhancing the digital infrastructures of their properties, Arie Barendrecht, CEO of WiredScore, a CRE tech firm and creator of a digital connectivity rating system for the sector, tells GlobeSt.com.
"The biggest challenge currently facing 5G in CRE is in-building coverage," he said. "It's a common misconception that widespread adoption of 5G will be as simple as flipping a switch, however, in reality, the transition to 5G workplaces will likely be a bit rockier of an adjustment."
The hiccup lies in the high frequency of the 5G signal, which has difficulty getting through buildings as they exist today. For instance, Low-E glass comparable to the amount of two feet of concrete around a building and is common in many commercial office buildings is impenetrable by the 5G signal, and therefore poses a real challenge for in-building connectivity, according to Barendrecht.
He proposes that real estate stakeholders will need to proactively enhance the digital infrastructures of their buildings with an in-building cellular solution to ensure tenants maintain digital connectivity when they leave a public domain, where carriers are currently focusing on building an infrastructure for 5G, and enter any given building.
"While it's true that many buildings today have in-house solutions already, they will need to be upgraded to accommodate 5G, sometimes requiring a full rip and replace," Barendrecht said.
One of the most common in-building solutions for weak 5G signal connectivity is a Distributed Antenna System. "Making the proactive decision to install a DAS not only for today's requirements, but also for the needs of 5G will enable landlords, owners and developers to enhance the level of digital connectivity available to their tenants, and protect their buildings from obsoletion as new, more advanced technologies emerge," according to Barendrecht.
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Mariah Brown
Mariah Brown is the New York Bureau Chief and Real Estate Reporter for GlobeSt.com, covering the New York Metro area, Northeast region and national real estate trends. She is responsible for producing multi-media content, including articles, podcasts and video. Before joining the GlobeSt team, she served as a New York Times fellow, reported for the Associated Press in New York and Philadelphia and several other New York City-based outlets.
