Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/722829
Wireless World 3 1 Thursday, September 8, 2016 INTEGRON DELIVERS IOT MANAGED CONNECTIVITY SOLUTION FOR ENTERPRISE BUSINESSES Integron, founded in 1985 and located in Rochester, New York, is an independent, global IoT lifecycle management compa- ny. Integron is uniquely positioned in the IoT marketplace, providing a complete, fully managed IoT lifecycle solution that includes consulting, design, sourcing, deployment, asset management and after sale service. Bryan Lubel, Integron's President, says, "Companies underestimate the complexities of wireless IoT and M2M initiatives, as is evidenced in the lagging production deployments implemented cross-industry. They are faced with mov- ing from POC to scaled deployments, where the initial focus is on proof of con- cept and controlled pilot validation." He continues, "Little thought goes into mass deployment into multiple geographies. Even less thought goes into understanding the cost structures of various carriers, connectivity hurdles and unexpected costs, which are a major cause of program derailment. Multi-modal and multi-network deploy- ments present additional challenges. Managing multiple vendors is just the beginning. Network management becomes a major issue; APNs, VPNs and direct access need to include enforcing access permissions across vendor boundaries." Integron's industry penetration is deep and wide in the health IoT segment. Integron is the global leader in remote patient monitoring for major healthcare companies. Integron has earned the trust of world-class companies through significant cre- dentials in health to include ISO 13485 and 9001 Certification, FDA Registration 21 CFR Part 820 Compliant, Medical Device Re-Packaging Facility, and Contract Manufacturer Re-packager/Re- labeler. The health IoT segment of the industry is not the only industry targeted by Integron. It also reaches customers in healthcare, energy, remote monitoring and telematics. The company is launching an enhancement to its connectivity managed service, further addressing customer challenges. It provides a fully managed service that is a simple, predictable and cost-effective way to deliver a company's IoT initiative. Integron's comprehensive offering includes: IoT lifecycle consulting, includ- ing hardware selection and deployment consulting; global, multi-modal connectivi- ty; secure, managed private IP network; unified status portal – a single device man- agement interface for all your devices; analytics based usage optimization; single contact for support; simplified billing; and ongoing operations and post- sale support. Lubel further explained, "For our customers embarking on a wireless or IoT/M2M initiative, deploying and man- aging hundreds or thousands of connect- ed assets across an enterprise and around the world can be a daunting task to say the least. From hardware selection and multiple carrier contracts, to device man- agement, coverage and global rollout – the complexities are numerous. We make this easy for our customers. We handle the details of their global IoT deployment so they can focus on their core business. Our customers think of Integron as their outsourced 'IoT Department'." For more information, visit Integron at booth #5449, call 585.426.6200 or visit www.integron.com. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TOWER ERECTORS ON FRONT LINES OF WIRELESS INNOVATION By Todd Schlekeway, Executive Director of NATE Advances in wireless are changing the landscape and delivery models for indus- tries as diverse as healthcare, financial services, higher education, agriculture, energy, aviation, utilities, public safety, government and the military. Did you know that the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), a national trade organization, is provid- ing the "muscle" behind this mobility revolution? NATE's more than 800 member companies are playing a promi- nent role as wireless infrastructure serv- ice and equipment providers in order to enable this global connectivity. Just how exactly are NATE member companies helping provide this wireless future? Consider the following areas of critical importance to the future of mobil- ity: FCC 600 MHZ Incentive Auction As everyone in the wireless industry is acutely aware, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is conducting a 600 MHZ Incentive Auction in order to free up valuable low band radio waves spectrum currently held by broadcasters. Upon the conclusion of this innova- tive auction, NATE's wireless contractors and equipment supplier members will be called on to "repurpose" the spectrum by deploying the new antennas and wireless equipment on communications structures located across the United States. This important infrastructure work will help pave the way to enable emerging tech- nologies and networks that are capable of meeting the country's connectivity and data needs moving forward. FirstNet Public Safety Broadband Network NATE members will also be playing a critical role in the build-out of FirstNet, the country's first nationwide broadband network devoted exclusively to public safety. When the FirstNet build-out is ready to begin, NATE member companies will be helping provide the wireless infra- structure services and equipment nec- essary to make this network a reality. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Technology NATE is also playing a proactive role in monitoring the trends and regulatory environment associated with rapidly evolving Unmanned Aerial Systems (drone) technologies and making recom- mendations to the wireless infrastructure community on best practices when it comes to UAS integration. UAS tech- nologies, if integrated appropriately, can play a supplemental role in enhancing safety and quality in the industry as well as contribute to the vital economic, pub- lic safety and national security benefits associated with broadband net- work deployments in the United States. The Future: 5G Networks According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it is widely anticipated that 5G (5th Generation) commercial net- works will be in the marketplace by 2020. The ITU states that 5G networks will have a peak speed of 20 Gbps (bil- lions of bits per second), or 20 times the peak speed specification of today's 4G LTE networks, which stands at 1 Gps. NATE member companies have developed and maintained every gener- ation of communications networks and will help make 5G networks a reality in the future. The next time you utilize your smartphone to watch a YouTube video or stream a movie on Netflix, remember that NATE is on the fore- front of making these next generation technologies and modern day conven- iences possible. For more information, stop by booth #4056 or visit www.natehome.com. THE DRIVE FOR ENTERPRISE CELLULAR AND PUBLIC SAFETY DAS As discussions rage over the next gener- ation of communications standards for both commercial wireless and public safety communications, there is one con- stant experts can agree on – additional capacity and coverage is needed every- where for consumers and public safety personnel alike. Over the past several years, much attention and capital has been spent on the arduous challenge of meeting the ava- lanche of wireless capacity demand from sports fans at stadiums watching their favorite sports team. Now these and other Tier 1 venues have been largely built out by the wireless operators and neutral host providers using a combination of Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and WiFi deployments. So until these venues need to be upgraded to support 5G, the natural question is where the focus (and spending) moves next? Typically decided by number of customers and volume of data usage, it would appear that the next types of venues to be targeted for improved coverage and capacity would be those such as hotels and conference centers, high rise offices and hospitals. However, the efforts to cover this next group of venues are complicated by the fact that the effort and capital invest- ment to cover these venues needs to be spread far, far thinner than it was among the comparable handful of stadiums and other high profile venues. The number of venues to be covered quickly grows into the millions even when prioritized by number of customers and data usage. Unfortunately, at the same time, the capi- tal available to make these improvements has been scaled back as wireless operators look for other fund- ing models. This leaves more of the cost burden on the enterprise venue owners themselves. At the same time on the public safety communications side of the fence, in recent years national building codes such as NFPA and IFC have added radio cov- erage requirements for emergency responders in all new buildings. In some cases the codes are even adopted retroac- tively to apply to existing buildings in addition to new construction. As these codes are adopted by municipalities across the U.S., an unfunded mandate is created for the enterprise building owners who must find a way to provide this cov- erage without becoming unprofitable or passing too much cost onto their tenants. The best chance of facing these chal- lenges (both commercial wireless and public safety communications) comes in viewing them together. While commer- cial wireless and public safety communications have many different requirements, from cov- erage areas to required signal levels and battery backup requirements, there are many benefits to looking at solving both needs at the same time. Not the least of these benefits is avoiding interference, as well as saving on duplicated engineering and installation costs, even in cases where largely parallel systems may be needed. With careful thought and RF expertise, a solution can be engineered to minimize the cost compared to two com- pletely separate deployments, while ensuring that there will be minimal inter- ference between the two different types of systems. Bird's end to end complete DAS product portfolio and professional RF services provide the ideal solution. For more information, visit Bird Technologies at booth #4352 or visit www.birdrf.com.