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"In the same way that sprinkler systems, ADA, and energy efficient lighting came with financial incentives, the IBWA hopes to demonstrate the public and safety benefits associated with coverage in office buildings."
Darlene Pope
Managing Partner, Realcomm

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Washington, DC— (June 26, 2006) — A group of leading organizations has formed the In-Building Wireless Alliance (IBWA), www.i-bw.org to advance the adoption of wireless-enabled solutions inside buildings for increased coverage, productivity, and safety. Founding members include Akridge, ADC, Sprint, LGC Wireless, Motorola and management consulting firm PRTM. Additional members include companies that represent the commercial real estate, communications infrastructure and services, and the public safety sectors.

The IBWA estimates that the aggregate value of In-Building Wireless (IBW) can exceed $5 per square foot, per building, per year. The Alliance’s research shows that if a building owner was to invest in an IBW solution, which could typically cost from $0.55 to $1.25 per square foot (depending on the complexity of the solution and the feature set provided), the business value to the building owner could be greater than five times the original investment made.

“The IBWA’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of in-building wireless as a means of unlocking value to all stakeholders of communication and information within a building. To do so, the IBWA will focus on increasing public awareness, preparing a set of standard product and service configurations and requirements, and evangelizing the real estate and public safety advantages of wireless communications in buildings,” said Dr. Anand K. Iyer, Director in PRTM’s Communications Industry Group, and key advocate for the Alliance.

According to a recent IBWA survey of more than 70 participants from the real estate and public safety communities, the areas designated as having the greatest need for coverage improvements include parking garages, elevators, and open areas. In addition, building owners rated the ability to coordinate with local emergency responders as the most important public safety feature.

“Our analysis shows that there is untapped value for both public safety and commercial stakeholders of buildings. This collaborative alliance is a necessary requirement to educate the market and make IBW a standard part of society in the future,” said Ian Sugarbroad, President and CEO, LGC Wireless.

IBW refers to the complete set of applications, products, services, and networks that collectively enable people and critical assets within a building to reliably communicate with one another. IBW also reduces the incidence of dropped calls and improves reception in building “dead zones” such as elevators and garages created by newer building materials and architectures.

Public Safety

In the public safety realm, IBW can reduce the costs associated with loss of property and improve the ability to save lives by enabling immediate communications for emergency personnel within buildings. The IBWA estimates potential public safety cost savings at $59-$103 million annually for fire emergencies alone.

The respondents to the IBWA survey report that the most important applications for public safety were the ability to communicate from within the building to the command and control post outside the building, and the ability to integrate with building automation systems. According to the survey, less than one-third of fire departments have such capabilities. Location-based services were also highlighted as a “must-have” in buildings.

• By pinpointing the exact location of a fire or injured firefighter, IBW will bring time-to-response improvements that will result not only in cost savings but also in increased number of lives saved.
• In addition, stakeholders such as local EMS organizations, state authorities and the Department of Homeland Security would be able to provide early-warning systems for emergencies as well as chemical or biological hazard detection.

“Emergency responders inside a building cannot always talk to their counterparts outside,” said James Schwartz, Chief of Fire & Rescue, Arlington County, VA. “IBW provides the basis to ensure that operability of communication systems is met. This can save lives, reduce injuries and otherwise minimize the impact of disasters.”

Real Estate

For building owners, IBW not only increases the total asset value per square foot, but also enables other operational cost savings and efficiencies:

• Real estate managers and building engineers will be able to wirelessly monitor and manage building operating systems such as HVAC, lighting, elevators, and security.
• With rising energy costs, wireless integration of building automation systems — both within individual buildings and among a campus of buildings — can create an attractive energy savings value proposition.

One of the tasks of the IBWA is to research and encourage tax credits or other funding options for IBW installation.

“In the same way that sprinkler systems, ADA, and energy efficient lighting came with financial incentives, the IBWA hopes to demonstrate the public and safety benefits associated with coverage in office buildings.” said Darlene Pope, Managing Partner, Realcomm. “The benefits to public safety, as well as the reduction in loss of life or property, should effectively be able to reduce taxes, payment of proffers, or insurance premiums.”

Benefits to Tenants

With IBW systems considered “standard equipment” inside buildings, building tenants and their visitors will realize improvements in staff productivity and reduce overhead.

• Enterprise tenants can access their applications and data regardless of where they are in the building, gaining productivity improvements in excess of 30%, as employees have increased mobility and managers have greater information visibility
• Corporate tenants will save money by reducing overall overhead and telecommunications expenses. The IBWA is developing standard business models that will include different configurations for cost-reduced telecom services

“In major Asian cities, it is common to find in-building wireless technology. The U.S. is quickly following the Asian lead with one difference — in Asia, most of the systems are funded by the carriers or their governments,” said Tommy Russo, CTO, Akridge. “There’s no doubt that wireless is the next major amenity that will be demanded from tenants over the next few years.”

About IBWA:

The In-Building Wireless Alliance (www.i-bw.org) is a cross-industry forum comprised of pre-eminent commercial real estate companies, wireless carriers, infrastructure providers, public safety providers and others, to help realize the value proposition of reliable wireless coverage in office buildings.

For information about joining IBWA: Please contact Dr. Anand K. Iyer, Acting Chair, IBWA at aiyer@prtm.com.

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