15 September 2020

Working in partnership with CTIL and O2, iWireless Solutions was asked to design and deliver a world leading, free outdoor Wi-Fi network within the Square Mile. The multi-million-pound project is part of one of the largest investments in wireless infrastructure ever seen in the UK, providing workers, residents and visitors with the ability to access digital rich content in a dense urban environment.

This work was inclusive of any column work, such as replacing for suitable height columns, as well as dealing with the power needed to bring the kit live. The existing Wi-Fi solution was insufficient to meet today’s data demands, which required the new system to be radically different. iWireless Solutions designed a Wi-Fi system with a dynamic, self- organising, fully resilient, gigabit capable backhaul.

This meant the introduction of 28GHz Metnet technology from CCS to create the world’s first mesh network of its type and scale. The area, the size of the Square Mile, includes many key London landmarks such as St Pauls, Guildhall and The Gherkin, as well as major transport hubs like Liverpool Street and Cannon Street. 

Early January 2017, iWireless Solutions was instructed to start working on the design of this prestigious project, a series of surveys were conducted to understand and model the Wi-Fi coverage and capacity requirements within the Square Mile. The design was created using our bespoke in-house tools which gave further insights to data demand, increased accuracy and supported process automation. This allows us to provide a quick turn around on design amendments due to the ever-changing environment in the City without compromising quality. Through the iWireless design process 9000+ street assets needed to be reviewed, from which a selection of 130+ suitable street locations were to be included within the design, these included streetlighting and CCTV columns of which 30+ required replacement. To achieve fully resilient connectivity with the required density, it was necessary to include a further 20 locations where it was proposed to install bespoke new street columns.

Following the successful design of this landmark wireless network, iWireless Solutions was awarded the deployment of this project: installing, commissioning and optimising the entire wireless network within the Square Mile.

The successful delivery of the final solution was achieved in collaboration with CTIL, O2, Virgin Media and the City to ensure all stakeholders were onboard. Close collaboration with the incumbent street asset contractors (Tyco and JB Riney) ensured work was carried out to the strict client processes and expectations.