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Commercial Office Building Broadband Infrastructure

Nov. 5, 2001
Broadband Implementation Special Report - Part 2 of 8
Commercial Office Building Broadband Infrastructure

The communications needs of a modern business are numerous and complex. Most can be provided over a single network or multiple networks accessed directly from an individual workstation area on a tenant floor. Figure 1. shows the typical configuration of a "broadband building" and the services that business tenants are increasingly demanding from the building owner.

Services that tenants require regularly and the ways in which these services can be delivered are shown in Table 1. As more tenants require these services, it becomes increasingly important to provide an available and robust infrastructure in the building to discourage tenants from installing their own infrastructure. Independent installation of fiber optic cable, satellite dishes, towers and in-building wireless LAN solutions can interfere with neighboring tenants unless properly coordinated and managed by the building owner. In addition, FCC and OSHA safety and radiation regulations must be met and the building owner is always responsible for compliance with these regulations.

Colliers International recently performed a survey of corporate real estate directors and senior portfolio managers to determine how Corporate America defines the elements of "smart building" for the next decade. There were eleven categories, including one for "other," with each category being rated in importance on a scale from 1 to 10. The majority of companies responding are in the top five tier of their respective industry. Table 2 shows the results of the survey.

Figure 1. The Broadband Building (Courtesy NAIOP)Communications ServicesDelivery MethodsVoice ServicesCopper, fiber, fixed wirelessHigh Speed Internet AccessCopper, fiber, fixed wireless, satelliteVideo ConferencingFiber, fixed wireless, satelliteData ServicesCopper, fiber, fixed wireless, vsatE-commerceISP over broadband connectionWeb HostingISP over broadband connectionCable TVCable (coax, fiber)Satellite TVSatelliteSatellite BroadcastingSatelliteTable 1. Broadband ServicesElectrified FloorFiber OpticsCat 5 Wiring Digital Cell AntennasRooftop AntennaProvision for DeregulationAbove Standard Telecomm. CapacityElectrical Capacity to 7-10 wattsGreen (environmental) CapabilityDirect Digital ControlInsurance 7 10101010XX1010XBanking 31078416529Gas & Oil 10996677878Consumer Products 69333331088Health Care89966810988Finance31071097101076Computer Hardware510107558775Transportation7101086810766Energy37958106124Table 2. Smart Building Elements (Courtesy Colliers International)

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