Superfast 4G at Intu Trafford Centre

Wireless Infrastructure Group, founding partner of Iberia Small Cell Network along with Axión, provides Intu Trafford Centre with a superfast 4G makeover

Wireless Infrastructure Group has launched superfast 4G mobile technology in one of the largest retail centers in the UK – in the Intu Trafford Centre in Manchester, helping to bring the world of online and offline retail together.

Situated west of Manchester city center, Intu Trafford Centre is the second largest shopping venue in the UK and one of the largest ones in Europe. Over 20 km2 of prime retail space, food court and leisure areas, has ensured that Intu Trafford Centre is the most important one in the north of England, so a mobile technology with an extraordinary connectivity and capacity is required as part of the customers everyday shopping experience.

Quick to adopt new technologies, Intu has developed a robust digital strategy which seeks to guarantee that shoppers stay more connected whilst visiting their venues. As part of this strategy, Intu required a reliable wireless solution to deliver comprehensive mobile coverage on a multi-carrier, multi-technology basis to retailers and the 35 million shoppers that visit Intu Trafford Centre each year. WIG was appointed by Intu to design a single and well-invested wireless solution that was sympathetic to the building architecture and supported voice and data services on behalf of all of the UK mobile network operators.

Wireless Infrastructure Group designed and launched a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). The network is capable of supporting new 4G services as well as significantly enhancing 2G and 3G services within Intu Trafford Centre for customers of those mobile network operators that are connected to it.

Based on a fiber optic backbone and utilizing the latest multi-operator equipment components, the DAS extends to cover all areas of Intu Trafford Centre including the malls, anchor retail stores and food court areas and consists of the following key features: 125 Strategically located antenna points; 13 km of coaxial and fiber optic cabling; 22 intelligent, 4G compatible remote Unit nodes; a central equipment room supporting DAS control equipment and individual customer base stations.

As well as providing high speed 4G data to EE customers in Intu Trafford Centre, the DAS will ensure that visitors can make calls and send texts throughout the center. Crucially, the DAS is fully shareable allowing other mobile network operators to readily connect and deliver service without the need to duplicate the equipment deployment.

Visitors to Intu Trafford Centre can now stay better connected as a direct result of the DAS which has been funded and managed by Wireless Infrastructure Group. This innovative technology is revolutionizing the retail environment enabling visitors to keep in touch with friends, share on social media and check online retail sites as part of their experience at the venue.
Wireless Infrastructure Group provides real time network monitoring, robust maintenance and around the clock service level commitments to ensure that the DAS continues to perform at optimum levels with minimal downtime. Additionally, the DAS provides an efficient route to upgrade ensuring its continued suitability for hosting future mobile technologies and services on a cost effective basis.