Although enterprise-savvy Nextel has had its sights on in-building issues for years, AT&T Wireless' deal with InnerWireless to deliver services throughout New York City's Rockefeller Center Concourse marks one of the first times a major operator has made in-building coverage a significant part of its network strategy.

For many wireless carriers, the topic has taken a backseat to sexier issues such as mobile data and 3G rollouts. However, AT&T Wireless seems to have realized that high-minute users of voice and data are easily annoyed by calls that drop as soon as they step indoors.

“In-building coverage — particularly in a congested urban area — makes sense,” said an AT&T Wireless spokeswoman. When building out a wireless network, coverage is attacked in layers. After starting at the street level, subterranean areas had to come next, she said.

Rockefeller Concourse, a multi-level complex that includes more than 40 shops and restaurants that connects the various buildings of Rockefeller Center, hosts an average of 250,000 people per day.

For InnerWireless, the in-building market is the next logical step.

“Carriers in the U.S. are realizing there are many businessmen and -women inside buildings during peak times of the day and that there are a lot of minutes they could be capturing,” said Tim Kinnear, chief technical officer of InnerWireless.

The Richardson, Texas-based company has built an antenna system inside Rockefeller Concourse and has leased access to AT&T Wireless. The InnerMobile system can provide simultaneous coverage for multiple services from 400 MHz to 2.5 GHz using any wireless protocols, Kinnear said. It also can handle up to eight wireless carriers. This deal marks InnerWireless' first deployment and first partnership with a mobile operator, though it claims to be talking to all the national players.

In-building wireless technology may just be gaining traction in the U.S. market, but it is already well established in Asia.

“We are very mindful that our product has global reach, but it is a matter of being in the market in the right way.” said Ed Cantwell, CEO of InnerWireless. Timing is equally critical.

Indeed, in-building may have been an afterthought, but it is now a revenue generator. “All wireless carriers are looking to expand their footprints, and this is a reasonable and realistic way to do it,” said Mark Ricca, executive vice president at InfoTech. “We believe in-building wireless is here to stay.”

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