Case study 1 - Wireless Infrastructure Group

Case Study
intu Trafford Centre Manchester
Wireless
Infrastructure
Group
Contact:
Head Office
Avondale House
Phoenix Crescent
Strathclyde Business Park
Bellshill ML4 3NJ
Contact.
provides intu
Trafford Centre
with a superfast
4G makeover
Wireless Infrastructure Group has launched superfast 4G mobile
technology at one of the UK’s largest retail centres – intu Trafford
Centre in Manchester, helping to bring the world of online and
offline retail together.
Craig Birchenough
Telepone.
01698 842426
Email.
CBirchenough@wirelessinfrastructure.co.uk
“ WIG was our first choice when it
came to launching superfast 4G
technology at intu Trafford Centre.
We needed a partner who could
help bring the world of online
and offline retail together. WIG
ticked this box by providing a
single solution and comprehensive
mobile coverage on a multi-carrier,
multi-technology basis across our
shopping centre. Our customers
can now stay more connected
while visiting intu Trafford Centre.”
Gordon McKinnon,
Regional Centre Director, Intu Properties plc
wirelessinfrastructure.co.uk
THE VENUE
THE CHALLENGE
Situated west of Manchester city centre,
intu Trafford Centre is the second largest
shopping venue in the UK. Over 1.8
million square feet of prime retail space,
it accommodates top high street shopping
brands, Europe’s largest food court and
the UK’s busiest cinema.
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.
The combination of stunning architecture,
quality of shopping and leisure facilities
together with the constant drive to
improve the customer experience, has
ensured that intu Trafford Centre remains
a commercial success and continues to
dominate retailing and leisure in the north
west of England.
Ten per cent of the UK population lives
within a 45-minutes drive of intu Trafford
Centre – all with a growing appetite for
faster mobile technology as part of their
everyday shopping experience.
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.
Installing this kind of network
infrastructure whilst minimising visible
disruption can be challenging. Wireless
Infrastructure Group 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.
Case Study
intu Trafford Centre Manchester
THE SOLUTION
Working with Everything Everywhere (EE) as network launch
partner and the technical team at Intu, 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 fibre optic backbone and utilising the latest multi-operator equipment
components, the DAS extends to cover all areas of intu Trafford Centre including
the malls, anchor retail stores and foodcourt areas and consists of the following
key features:
• 125 strategically located antenna points
• 13km of coaxial and fibre optic cabling
• 22 intelligent, 4G compatible remote
• A central equipment room supporting
DAS control equipment and
individual customer base stations
unit nodes
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 centre.
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.
THE BENEFIT
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 revolutionising 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.
intu Trafford Centre, Manchester
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.
The launch of DAS at intu Trafford Centre follows quickly on the heels of the state
of the art network deployed by Wireless Infrastructure Group at MediaCityUK in
Salford. The company is currently investing heavily in communication infrastructure
across the UK and has plans to deploy the technology across the remainder of the
Intu portfolio of shopping centres over the next two years.
wirelessinfrastructure.co.uk