Impact of in-building renovation on existing DAS, and how to approach it

In recent months we did maintenance work on existing DAS at different venues - both before and after renovations (upgrading interior, adding walls, or various other activities). Depending on the extent of these renovations, if not properly coordinated, it is quite possible to fall into different kind of service impacting problems. We were asked by one of our clients to put together a generic process to address issues related to renovation at any generic site where there is currently a DAS.

Overall this process is simple:

1. Assess impact of the proposed renovation
2. Develop "Solution" to address the impact ("Solution" may include removing salvageable items, and re-install, installing new coaxial and fiber line, relocating electronics - especially if head-end gears are involved, etc.)
3. Analyze timeline
4. Develop budget
5. Submit proposal to customer. If budget and timeline is approved, then may have to revise the proposal incorporating customer's internal change management process. Internal Change Management Process may include, developing specific Project Plan and get them approved from some kind of internal board (quite common in health care sector), communicate impending impact and changes to stakeholders (i.e., users, facilities and IT groups, management, etc.), cost approval process, etc.
6. Execute plan.

Now, if we start drilling into the process components we find various factors and/or nuances that can influence the overall process. I'll discuss them in detail below:

Extent of impact cause by the renovation:

1. Impact on users (i.e., coverage)
2. Impact on DAS materials and electronics   

Impact on Users can be:

• Only in the area of renovations: that means, most likely only antennas, cable, and may be some electronics involved
• Beyond the area of renovations: this happens mainly when the renovation will effect electronics which are serving antennas in areas more than what is included in renovation SOW

Impact on DAS materials and electronics:
This impact can be of 2 kinds.

• Materials will have to be discarded when extracted: Most of the time existing Coaxial cable fall into this category. Once they are extracted in preparation for the renovation, you will have to sweep each and every line and make sure they are okay. Quite often extraction process can create kinks in the cable and render them unusable. It's actually less hassle and less expensive to plan for running new lines.
• Salvageable and reusable: Antennas, couplers / splitters, electronics, patch panels, etc. fall into this category. Plan to remove them before renovation, and install them afterwards.

Additionally, as a DAS integrator you may have to check for the following impact or answer some additional questions:

1. Once the renovation is complete, will the old engineering design suffice (i.e., link budget, propagation)? For example, previously the impacted area was open. After the renovation, we will have quite a few new walls, which will change the propagation characteristics of RF.
2. The existing phone service may be mission critical for the organization. This may need the planners to change the renovation plan itself to accommodate to the need of the phone service.
3. Is it a good time to, may be, upgrade the current system? This kind of initiative may fall within the budget, and work out very well. For example, customer may want to upgrade its system to include Public Safety to comply with newer regulation, or customer may decide to have robust LTE service indoors. Old system may also had been discontinued by OEM, or OEM is no longer supporting the product platform.

Timeline to prepare for renovation:

1. Solution can be implemented before renovation starts. If this is the case, start putting together the cost for the proposed solution.
2. Solution cannot be implemented before renovation starts. If you are in this predicament, you have to ask, do we even need to implement the "pre-renovation" solution? Please discuss this with your customer. This may look like an impossible situation, unfortunately, this happens more often than expected. Quite often, renovation planning happens independently, and DAS discussion comes more as an after-thought. Also, DAS is still a newer technology, so a lot of facilities planner do not comprehend the extent of impact a DAS can suffer due to renovation activities. Bottom line is, sooner we plan for it, better off we are.  

Cost to implement Solution:

1. If the cost of implementing the solution is outrageous, or greater than intended budget - initiate discussion with the customer as early as possible.
2. If the cost is within the realm of feasibility, proceed with putting together the proposal. 

When you are developing a proposal to address a planned renovation, incorporate the items mentioned above in your plan, and maintain an open channel of communication with the customer.

Now quickly... what about an unplanned renovation; i.e., renovation has already been executed. Well, if you are not out of luck, lot of the above mentioned points and factors will still apply. However, time will most likely become the most critical factor. Vendors should always encourage their customers to consider the DAS before undertaking the renovation and make it a critical component of planning.