Comcast Center Deploys MobileAccess for Advanced, Seamless Wireless Communications

MobileAccess, announced that Comcast Center, developed, owned and operated by Liberty Property Trust, has deployed the MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network to enable comprehensive wireless communications throughout Comcast’s headquarters. Standing at nearly 1,000 feet high, the 58-story, 1.2 million square foot Comcast Center is the tallest building in Philadelphia and among the world’s most technologically advanced skyscrapers. The MobileAccess solution ensures an advanced communications experience inside the building, delivering robust signal coverage for Philadelphia’s major wireless operators while simultaneously providing pervasive support for Cisco Wireless LAN.

The eco-friendly Comcast Center is a showcase of innovative technology with Comcast Corporation serving as its lead tenant. The facility features a sustainable building design with the goal of achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It incorporates an advanced, energy-efficient lighting system based on color-programmable LEDs, and boasts the world’s largest Tuned Liquid Column Damper for stability and vibration control. The MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network supports cutting-edge wireless technology with an adaptable and future-proof fiber-optic infrastructure.

“Constant and instantaneous communication is now a must-have in the workplace,” said Charlie Cerino, vice president of new services technology, Comcast Corporation. “As a leading communications company, we felt it was essential to provide our mobile workforce with excellent wireless coverage throughout our corporate headquarters. For a sophisticated facility like Comcast Center, where space efficiency and aesthetics are paramount, the MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network was an ideal fit – just a single infrastructure supports all of our wireless services and applications. Plus, with the expandability of the MobileAccess solution, we can easily add emerging wireless technologies without disrupting the building’s environment.”

The MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network ensures robust indoor coverage for multiple wireless carriers, devices and applications in Comcast Center and overcomes any barriers from the building’s energy-efficient exterior glass, which is known to impede radio signals and limit wireless coverage within a facility. With reliable cellular and wireless coverage, Comcast Center management staff, tenant occupants and visitors can now utilize their mobile phones, PDAs and other mobile devices anywhere throughout the property.

In addition, Comcast utilized the MobileAccess network to activate a public and private Wi-Fi network from Cisco, enabling employees and guests to use their laptops and Wi-Fi devices anywhere throughout the Comcast office spaces. By deploying the Cisco Unified Wireless LAN solution over the MobileAccess WLAN infrastructure, Comcast was able to cluster the Cisco access points in secure, accessible wiring closets, rather than placing them within ceiling cavities, which increases reliability and reduces operational costs.

“In buildings of this size and height, cellular coverage from external carrier facilities tends to be spotty and unreliable once you get above the 15 floor; but with the MobileAccess solution, we’ve eliminated all dead spots and conflicting signal areas,” said Fred Dougherty, vice president, portfolio technology at Liberty Property Trust. “The in-building wireless infrastructure complements and reinforces our commitment to maintain a technologically advanced, high performance building. With more than 3,000 employees and guests working in Comcast Center on a daily basis, excellent and consistent wireless signal coverage is essential for our customers’ business and for managing the facility’s daily operations.”

“Liberty Property Trust’s Comcast Center is one of the most high-tech, eco-friendly skyscrapers on the east coast,” said Cathy Zatloukal, president and CEO of MobileAccess. “The MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network is a perfect match for this sort of environment – it delivers a full range of wireless services over an unobtrusive infrastructure that has minimal impact on building resources and is aesthetically pleasing at the same time. The efficiency and flexibility of the solution is why MobileAccess has become the standard for this new generation of advanced, intelligent buildings.”