Building systems & cellular
The systems every tenant depends on.
Telecom entrances and fiber risers every tenant connects to, cell coverage from the roof to the parking levels, the public-safety radio coverage fire codes ask for, and cameras and access at the garage and the doors.
Section: base-building systems, roof to garage
Choose a note to see where it sits. These are the systems the building provides to every tenant, from the street to the roof.
Phase Integration plans, designs and manages the base-building technology in commercial office and mixed-use properties: telecom entrance rooms, fiber risers and floor closets, in-building cellular distributed antenna systems (DAS), emergency responder radio coverage (ERRCS), building networks for cameras, access and building systems, and security at the garage and the perimeter. We run the project the way a general contractor runs a job, in buildings that stay occupied.
Base-building technology is what every tenant inherits. A tenant can choose its own furniture and meeting rooms, but not whether the building has two carrier entrances, room in the risers, cell signal in the garage or a public-safety radio system that passes inspection. Owners who plan these systems well lease faster, keep tenants longer and avoid the expensive fixes that come from adding them under pressure.
The base building, and where the tenant begins
Every lease draws a line between what the building provides and what the tenant brings. When that line isn't clear, cabling gets duplicated, risers fill up, and owners and tenants argue over who pays for coverage in the corridor. We help owners set the line once and design the building's side of it to serve every tenant who will come through.
The building typically provides the telecom entrance and carrier access, the riser backbone to each floor, cellular and public-safety coverage, common-area systems and security. The tenant connects at a defined hand-off point and builds its own network from there.
Telecom entrance
Carrier access through two separate entrances into a telecom room
Its choice of carriers and circuits
Risers and closets
Fiber and pathways from the telecom room to each floor
Cabling from the floor closet into its suite
Cellular coverage
A DAS carrying the major carriers through the building and the garage
Usually nothing; coverage is part of the building
Public-safety radio
An emergency responder radio system tested to the fire code
Nothing; it's a building life-safety system
Access and cameras
Entrances, elevators, the garage and common areas on one platform
Its own suite doors within that platform
Building network
A separate network for building systems, cameras and access
Its own network, kept apart from the building's
What a base-building plan includes
- A survey of today's entrances, risers, closets and signal
- A written split between building and tenant scope
- Riser and closet capacity planned for future tenants
- Carrier coordination for the DAS
- Fire marshal testing planned for public-safety radio
- One support plan for every base-building system
What the base building needs
- Two ways in for carriers
- Separate telecom entrances, so carriers can reach the building by different paths and one cut conduit doesn't take every tenant offline.
- Risers with room to grow
- Fiber and pathway capacity from the telecom room to every floor, planned for the tenants who haven't signed yet.
- Cell coverage tenants can count on
- A distributed antenna system carrying the major carriers from the lobby to the parking levels, one of the first things prospects test.
- Public-safety radio
- An emergency responder radio system with its roof antenna, amplifier and antennas, tested by the fire marshal where the code requires it.
- Coverage in the garage
- Cell coverage, cameras, lighting and emergency call points that make parking levels feel safe.
- A secure perimeter
- Access control at the entrances and the garage, and cameras on the doors and the facade.
- A separate building network
- Cameras, access control and building systems on their own network, kept apart from every tenant's.
- One set of drawings
- As-built documentation for every base-building system, so the next fit-out and the next upgrade start from facts.
Built for an occupied building
- Survey first
- We document what the building has today, from the carrier entrances to the signal in the garage, before anything is designed.
- Scope split up front
- Building and tenant responsibilities are written down early, so every lease and fit-out follows the same rules.
- Approvals in the schedule
- Carrier sign-off for the DAS and fire marshal testing for public-safety radio are planned from day one.
- Work around tenants
- Riser, closet and coverage work is phased around tenants and building hours, with disruptive work done after hours.
The systems we bring
- Structured CablingTelecom entrances, fiber risers and floor closets
- Networking & Wi-FiA separate building network for cameras, access and building systems
- LightingGarage and exterior lighting with controls
- Cellular DASIn-building cellular DAS and public-safety radio coverage
- Security & Access ControlAccess control, cameras and emergency call points at the garage and perimeter
- Technical SupportSupport and maintenance for base-building systems
More on commercial real estate
Frequently asked questions
- What is base-building technology?
- The technology the building provides to every tenant: telecom entrances and carrier access, fiber risers and floor closets, in-building cellular and public-safety radio coverage, common-area systems, and security at the entrances and the garage. Tenants connect to it and build their own systems from there.
- What is the difference between a DAS and an ERRCS?
- A cellular DAS carries the public carriers' signal so tenants and visitors can use their phones indoors. An emergency responder radio coverage system (ERRCS) carries the radios firefighters and police use, and is a life-safety system the fire code can require. Many buildings need both, and they are designed and tested separately.
- Does my building need public-safety radio coverage?
- It depends on the building and the local fire code. The International Fire Code requires coverage where emergency responders' radios don't work reliably inside, and many jurisdictions require it in new buildings and during renovations. A signal survey shows whether the building passes today.
- Who pays for in-building cellular coverage?
- Usually the building owner, sometimes with carrier participation in large venues. Coverage is increasingly treated as base-building infrastructure, like elevators or HVAC, because tenants expect their phones to work and prospects test them on the tour.
- Why should a building have two telecom entrances?
- So carriers can reach the building on separate physical paths. If one conduit is cut during street work, tenants on the other path stay online, and tenants who need redundant internet can get it.
- Should building systems share a network with tenants?
- No. Cameras, access control and building management systems belong on a separate building network, so a problem on a tenant's network can't reach them and tenants can't reach the building's systems.
Planning base-building upgrades?
Tell us about the building, its tenants and where coverage or capacity falls short today, and we’ll come back with a plan for the systems every tenant depends on.