The Challenge
As St Georges Hospital’s new buildings were constructed following the Christchurch earthquakes, staff, patients, and visitors found themselves with little to no mobile signal inside. The modern construction materials — steel, concrete, and glass — created a near-impenetrable barrier for mobile signals from all three major carriers, making it difficult for staff to do their jobs and for patients to stay connected with their loved ones.
Teltrac conducted a thorough site audit, measuring signal strength levels throughout the new buildings. The results confirmed what users were experiencing — coverage was critically weak across all target areas. A purpose-designed in-building mobile coverage solution was needed, one capable of boosting all three carriers simultaneously without interference.
The Solution
Teltrac designed and installed an in-building mobile coverage solution that boosted signal for all three major New Zealand carriers within the same space — a first for a major site in New Zealand. Considerable engineering effort went into the system design to ensure complete coverage across all target areas while eliminating the risk of inter-carrier interference.
Key Elements
- Full site audit measuring mobile signal strength levels throughout all new hospital buildings
- Custom-designed in-building distributed antenna system (DAS) supporting all three major NZ carriers
- Careful RF engineering to eliminate interference between carriers while ensuring full coverage across all spaces
- First major New Zealand site to deploy this multi-carrier solution within a single installation
Why This Solution
- A distributed antenna system is the most effective way to deliver reliable in-building mobile coverage in structures where external signals cannot penetrate
- Supporting all three carriers within a single system ensures no staff member, patient, or visitor is excluded regardless of their mobile provider
- Hospitals are safety-critical environments where reliable mobile connectivity is essential for both clinical staff and patient wellbeing
- The solution was engineered from the ground up for this specific site, ensuring optimal coverage with no compromise on signal quality
Installation
Following the site audit and system design, Teltrac installed the in-building coverage solution across all target areas of the new St Georges Hospital buildings. The installation was carefully managed to minimise disruption in an active hospital environment, with all works coordinated around the needs of clinical operations.
Outcome
The improvement was immediate. From the moment the system went live, St Georges Hospital saw a dramatic uplift in mobile coverage across all three carriers throughout the building. Patients and visitors could once again communicate with loved ones and use their devices during their stay, while clinical staff regained the reliable mobile connectivity they needed to carry out their roles safely and effectively.