Proptivity, Telehouse team for reliable indoor 4G, 5G in London workplaces | Computer Weekly

Even as advanced mobile networks are being rapidly rolled out across the UK in towns and cities, reliable mobile connectivity is still a major blind spot inside modern office buildings – particularly as energy-efficient materials block signal and hybrid working raises expectations for coverage. To solve these issues, Telehouse Europe is partnering with Proptivity to enable high-performance indoor 4G and 5G connectivity across London workplaces.

The coming together of the global datacentre service firm and provider of shared mobile infrastructure for commercial buildings hopes to enable scalable indoor 4G and 5G across London workplaces via a neutral host model.

The firms said that at the heart of their mission is the drive for commercial buildings to become more energy-efficient, which has seen mobile signals often struggle to penetrate internal spaces, leading to inconsistent coverage. The result can be dropped calls, patchy data and the familiar experience of having to move around a building to find signal.

Proptivity said that it can address this by building and operating shared in-building mobile infrastructure under a neutral host model, enabling multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) to deliver coverage through a single deployment.

The partnership will see Proptivity using Telehouse’s London Docklands campus as its UK interconnection hub, enabling direct connectivity with UK mobile network operators and supporting the scalable deployment of indoor mobile infrastructure across commercial properties. This is said to already be helping building owners and occupiers across the capital deliver the reliable mobile connectivity that shared office tenants and visitors expect inside modern workplaces.

By establishing its UK hub at Telehouse’s London Docklands campus, Proptivity said that it has been able to interconnect with UK MNOs and extend services to enterprise buildings across the city in a consistent and scalable way, which it said is increasingly important as organisations balance hybrid working and as property owners look to make workplaces more connected, productive and attractive to tenants.

In addition to interconnection, Telehouse is offering Proptivity fibre-delivered, highly accurate timing sourced from the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to ensure precise synchronisation for indoor 5G deployments where accurate timing is essential to high-performance connectivity. In commercial buildings, where rooftop satellite antenna installations can be complex or impractical, fibre-based timing provides a resilient and scalable alternative.

“NPL maintains the UK national timescale and makes highly accurate, traceable time available to industry,” said Elena Parsons, commercial manager for timing services at NPL. “For indoor 5G sites where rooftop GNSS is difficult, fibre-delivered timing provides a practical alternative and an additional layer of resilience, helping networks to remain stable even if satellite timing is disrupted.”

Commenting on the partnership, Proptivity director Magnus Kelly said: “With Telehouse’s support, we are delivering highly accurate timing to our indoor 5G systems in London. This precision is critical to ensuring consistent, high-quality mobile performance inside buildings, allowing people to use their phones seamlessly when they are in the office.”

Will Scott, vice-president of sales for Telehouse Europe, added: “Telehouse’s London Docklands campus sits at the heart of the UK connectivity ecosystem, and we are pleased to support Proptivity’s roll-out. By providing a resilient interconnection environment with secure facilities and on-site support, we are helping deliver reliable mobile service across commercial buildings for the people who use them every day. That matters because businesses now see dependable mobile coverage as a basic requirement of office space.”