Remaining challenges and plans for the future

Whilst the solution has improved connectivity across the hospitals and addressed a number of the trust's connectivity challenges, some still remain. Estates and IT staff at the sites continue to look for opportunities to address these in future.

These include:

1. Expanding and infilling the Distributed Antenna System (DAS) to older buildings remains a challenge, particularly those with issues such as asbestos. Whilst the DAS requires less physical infrastructure and cabling than the Wi-Fi network it still requires some installation.
2. The DAS as a resilient solution. Whilst the trust uses resilient and diverse routing for its public network connectivity for telephony and internet, the mobile network operators connected to the DAS only use one of these routes for the data ‘backhauls’. There is continuing engagement with the network operators to discuss how to increase the level of resilience.

5G provision remains an option under review at the trust, with the connectivity capabilities and requirements periodically reviewed to identify any emerging needs for 5G connectivity. Adding 5G connectivity to the DAS solution would require replacement and upgrade of some of the network equipment. At present the trust have no plans to upgrade to 5G.

The existing network offers consistent download speeds of 35-100mbps, which have been capable of meeting user needs to date. No challenges have been raised by staff at the hospital on speed or access to mobile connectivity, so the estates and IT teams remain confident that the existing 4G connectivity is sufficient.

The trust continues to engage with Astra Zeneca, as another organisation working from the campus and user of the DAS, who have already implemented 5G capabilities on their DAS equipment. This relationship and collaboration will be useful in understanding the capabilities of 5G DAS connectivity and informing any future decision on the solution.

Any decision will also take into account future technical innovations from equipment suppliers and mobile network operators (MNOs), which may mean that it is more cost effective to provide 5G connectivity, possibly over existing equipment.

Thanks to the design of the DAS solution, if 5G were introduced it could be introduced in stages and prioritised for areas or buildings with an identified need it. This flexibility is beneficial as it allows staging of both upgrades and retirement of end-of-life equipment.

A replacement programme is currently under way at the trust for some of the older Zinwave DAS equipment. This equipment is being upgraded to newer models to ensure that it remains in support and offers greater energy efficiency.

When the original equipment was deployed it had an estimated 10-year life span. Long term planning identified the benefits of a more proactive refresh programme and has led to starting the replacement process earlier, with some equipment already replaced after roughly 7 years in use.

Rather than dispose of the older equipment, it has been retained and, in some instances, has been used to economically expand the DAS connectivity, using this older but still functional equipment to extend connectivity to lower criticality areas.