NZ's Commercial Bay embraces 5G

One of New Zealand’s latest commercial building addresses has looked to Kordia Solutions for the deployment of a 5G-ready, in-building solution as a core component of its ‘ready for work’ design.

The NZ$1 billion Commercial Bay development incorporates the PwC Tower, HSBC Tower, Jarden House, AMP Centre and 1 Queen Street, which is still under development. It also straddles the two newly constructed tunnels that will form part of the City Rail Link (CRL).

Standing 180 metres tall, the new PwC Tower at Commercial Bay offers approximately 130,000 square metres of premium office space for up to 10,000 people. The Commercial Bay retail precinct is home to more than 120 local and international retailers, health and beauty amenities as well as bars, restaurants and eateries. New buildings, such the PwC Tower, require the installation of a distributed antenna system (DAS) to transport cellular signals so users get an unimpeded experience of the mobile network’s capabilities.

As owner, developer and now manager for Commercial Bay, Precinct Properties was encouraged from the outset to include Kordia’s distributed antenna system in the build. Precinct’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott Pritchard, said: “Enabling future ways of working rely on excellent technology, which is only as good as its connectivity. It was important we provide our clients with the best connectivity. Even though 5G is not yet widely adopted, we have futureproofed this development and our clients will have the ability to utilise 5G without complication.”

With a capability delivering in-building coverage solutions across Australia, New Zealand and the wider Pacific, Kordia Solutions was the natural choice for the introduction of the DAS.

Project delivery included solution design, installation, commissioning and subsequent management of the system of spatially separated antenna nodes. These nodes connect to a common source to provide uninhibited wireless service throughout the Commercial Bay precinct.

The project rollout became somewhat challenging owing to timing and the COVID pandemic, White explained. “We did the first walkthrough the day before the first COVID lockdown and dictated deployment for the duration of the project.”

Furthermore, global supply chain disruptions affected the delivery of key equipment required to meet a tight schedule. “Fortunately, suppliers went the extra mile to manufacture and ship the equipment and Kordia had excellent support from a local logistics company which fast-tracked the gear through customs. Overall, we were able to go from design to completion in just 50 days, which, given the circumstances, was incredible.”

The significant number of businesses moving into the PwC Tower created further challenges. “As each business had a different architect, this required consulting with each one to obtain approval for the antenna locations, so we weren’t impacting the overall design of the interior office space,” White said.

“In addition to occasionally walking up and down 36 flights of stairs, we also had to take care working around architectural ceilings, furnishings and tradesmen delivering other aspects of the building.”

As 5G networks are already operational in parts of New Zealand including Auckland, the work done by Kordia Solutions has an immediate impact as PwC and other businesses move into the PwC Tower.

“Whether inside or outside, the result of this project is your devices will work to the best of their capabilities. The entire installation of around nine kilometres of cabling is all but invisible,” White said.