Cellphone signal boosters, like the SureCall Fusion5X 2.0, might become as ubiquitous as home network routers when 5G comes to fruition, says Frankie Smith of SureCall. If integrators think their clients have a rough time getting cell signals now, just wait until 5G comes along. 5G cell signals operate at the high end of the cellular spectrum, which means those signals will not penetrate walls and building exteriors as effectively as 4G signals currently do. It is a simple law of physics.
Now, exacerbate the scenario by the fact that 5G signals may stream directly to each individual device in the home versus running through the home network and it’s a recipe for a customer service disaster…unless integrators start installing cellphone signal boosters on every project.
Indeed, cellphone signal boosters could be the ultimate in futureproofing device for clients.
“As 5G continues to develop and roll out over the next couple of years, it is going to be so important to get those signals inside a building so people can use their devices and bring all the advantages of 5G, such as massive amounts of data throughput,” says Frankie Smith, vice president of sales for SureCall, a St. George, Utah-based manufacturer of cellphone signal boosters for the custom integration market.
“But the problem is that most of the 5G spectrum in which devices are going to be operating are at the very high end of the spectrum. And those signals, due to physics, do not penetrate walls or buildings very well at all.
“You are going to need a cellphone signal booster to ensure that those signals get from the tower to inside the building,” says Smith, who discussed the situation with CE Pro in a video interview at CEDIA Expo 2018.
He notes that the 5G deployment is still 18 months or more away from deployment, but SureCall is working on products now that will handle that change when it occurs.
“There is going to be so much more need for boosters when 5G comes out. Integrators should hone their skills now so they are ready when 5G is here,” he adds.
4G LTE Not Going Away Soon
“It’s good to point out that 4G LTE is going to be around for a long time,” says Smith. “Even when 5G is out and it is mature, the backbone is still going to be 4G and LTE. So all the products we sell today have an extremely long shelf life.
“They operate by bringing that 4G LTE signal in from all carriers to make sure they don’t have dropped calls and have that cellular data throughput as well.”
Some key attributes of SureCall’s line of cellphone signal boosters are design assistance and scalability.
As an added benefit, SureCall’s Fusion5X 2.0 boosters allows integrators to remote access the unit to boost the signal if necessary, saving on service calls but also creating a potential recurring monthly revenue (RMR) service agreement possibility.
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