The Background
Worcestershire County Council operates from a modern, open-plan Wildwood office conveniently situated near County Hall. The building includes a spacious lobby, co-working hot desks, and a variety of meeting rooms. The Council makes efficient use of the space to deliver community services, ensuring both staff and visitors benefit fully from the functional office space.
The Challenge
County Council staff rely heavily on mobile phones for internal and external communication. The staff contact each other via mobile phones. In addition, residents of Worcester frequently contact the Council throughout the day via mobile to make enquiries or lodge complaints. As a result, reliable mobile coverage is essential to the Council’s daily operations and service delivery.
Mobile signal inside the building was extremely poor. Staff were unable to make or receive phone calls indoors and often had to step outside to avail mobile coverage. Such poor mobile coverage disrupted internal communication and led to frequent missed calls from Worcester residents. The lack of reliable mobile connectivity had a direct negative impact on Council services and staff productivity.
The Council reached out to DLP Connex, a trusted Stella Doradus integrator, for a professional mobile signal solution. The Wildwood office served as a showcase site for other Worcestershire County Council (WCC) buildings and River Severn Partnership (RSP) offices, demonstrating best practices in mobile signal solutions
The objective
The Council leadership outlined the following key requirements:
- Reliable mobile coverage in the co-working area, enabling staff to make and receive calls directly from their desks.
- Strong mobile signal at the reception area, ensuring seamless connectivity for all visitors.
- Amplified mobile signal from all operators
- No logins or credentials required, allowing both staff and visitors to access strong mobile coverage indoors without the need for passwords or registration
The Solution
As a first step, DLP Connex conducted an on-site survey to assess indoor mobile signal coverage and signal strength from each mobile operator. Based on the survey findings and the Council’s key requirements, DLP Connex recommended the SOHO iR5 repeater system.
The SOHO iR5 amplifies signal from all mobile operators and for all services (5G, 4G and 2G), ensuring robust mobile coverage for all users. No logins or passwords are required. The SOHO iR5 system enables crystal clear phone calls throughout the entire building. Additionally, the SOHO iR5 is cloud-connected, allowing installers or Stella engineers to continuously monitor system performance and remotely troubleshoot any potential issues.
Multiple Laser antennas were installed on the rooftop to capture the strongest mobile signal from nearby cell towers. Inside the building, a combination of omni and panel antennas were strategically deployed to distribute the amplified mobile signal throughout the co-working area and the reception, ensuring seamless coverage in these critical zones.
The Result
Following the installation of the SOHO iR5 system, strong and reliable mobile signal was available throughout the entire building, including the co-working area and the reception. Staff immediately noticed a significant improvement in signal strength and were able to make and receive crystal-clear phone calls directly from their desks. The Council were delighted with the reliable mobile coverage and the signal strength.
We have definitely benefitted from the signal improvement as my team are responsible for setting up mobile phones for end users. The team are able to fully test and make sure the phone and SIM are working without having to go to an area of the building that has phone signal.
ICT Manager, Worcestershire County Council
“I am able to receive and make calls without going outside which is a God send especially when it is about something important. Best thing that has been put in place.”
Member of staff, Worcestershire County Council