NEWS

Trogon has been working with a construction industry client with a new mid-sized development of 371 houses on the outskirts of Newcastle.The development is progressing well and will be completed in March/April 2025. Key to keeping the project running smoothly and on-track is access to good quality, reliable and fast broadband to the building site. In July 2024 specialist internet service provider (ISP), Trogon Networks, implemented an innovative, cost effective and resilient connectivity solution for an expanding construction site.

Why does the construction industry need connectivity?

The construction industry like many industries today is highly reliant on high quality, reliable and fast internet connectivity. Poor connectivity can severely impact the efficiency of operations leading to project delays and cost overruns.

The challenge for many construction projects is that they do not have access to the connectivity infrastructure that manufacturing, clerical or retail businesses have today. Without reliable connectivity so many of the things businesses need to operate are difficult, time-consuming or both.

Supply chain and logistics require connectivity for ordering and amending deliveries. Many suppliers can only process orders via the internet rather than fax, phone and mail. Yes, some businesses still use faxes.

Communication between the site office and other company locations requires internet for emails and video calls.

Employees and contractors need to submit timesheets, holiday requests and all of the other administration required to manage a flexible workforce. A construction site with limited or no connectivity will struggle with these tasks.

The ability to access construction diagrams, blueprints and drawings and receive updates or amendments from the architects or head-office is critical. These drawings often require higher bandwidths as they can be large files.

In short, an efficient construction operation requires good connectivity.

Scaling connectivity for a new site office

The client had a connectivity solution appropriate for a small office, but wasn’t able to scale this solution for a larger site office as they ramped up construction.

The client approached Trogon Networks, their incumbent supplier for complex connectivity challenges to provide a temporary solution for a more scalable solution. In the construction industry site offices are temporary and this is typically means six months to two years.

Even once construction is completed the construction companies may retain connectivity to their show homes, particularly as connectivity is needed to demonstrate key smart home features. Providing permanent connectivity to a development is often the very last utility connected to a site.

Trogon providing resilient connectivity

Trogon spoke to the customer, understood their business requirements and designed a bespoke solution that met their needs. They provided the client with a resilient connectivity solution tailored for their specific needs and for the location.

Part of the Trogon ethos is to provide the best connectivity possible using a unique mix of technologies. Typically, connectivity is provided with a primary connectivity method using one technology and a secondary connectivity method using a different technology. In some cases that can be a fixed line, Fibre-to-the-X (FttX) connection with a mobile (4G/5G) back up connection for resilience. For this project Trogon provided a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite connection with mobile as a resilient back up. Part of the Trogon service is to manage these technologies seamless to provide the best possible, “always on” connection.

Many people are surprised that satellite technology is a cost effective connectivity solution for the construction industry. In the past satellite communications using geosynchronous (GEO) satellites had limitations for internet connectivity. It was expensive, the distance of the satellites from the earth meant that the communication had high latency, delays which made conversations of video calls impossible, and limited bandwidth.
However, the introduction of new low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite systems provide much lower latency and higher bandwidth at a more competitive price point.

s you can see, the system implemented by Trogon Networks within a couple of hours, delivers an impressive 117 Mbps downlink and 9 Mbps uplink, very similar to if not better than many commercial residential broadband services delivered by Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) or cable (DOCSIS3.0). To put this into context, a typical video call using Zoom or Teams, requires around 4Mbps to deliver a good quality picture and sound quality. You can see that this connection is more than adequate for the six permanent manager using the site office.

Part of the “secret sauce” you get with Trogon Networks is a connectivity service that matches your businesses needs. To deliver a resilient service requires careful design, technology matching and service management

Ian O’Bryan – Managing Director – Trogon Networks

It would be a mistake to think that the answer to the construction industries needs is simply to drop in a satellite connection. The construction industry, and most enterprises, require resilient connectivity. That is connections without a single point of failure. Part of the Trogon service is to provide and manage that connectivity so that if the primary connection is interrupted connectivity is maintained using a secondary connection.

Delivering what the customer needs

Colin Hardwick, the site manager, explained that all the company really needed was a reliable internet connection that had sufficient capacity for all of their daily tasks and activities. They had no interest in the underlying technologies. They just wanted internet that worked, every time.

Trogon arrived on site and delivered and tested their solution within a few hours.

Brilliant Service, brilliant product

Colin Hardwick – Site Manager

The client team now knew that they had the connectivity they needed and that they could rely on.

Looking to the future

The outlook for the UK construction industry is positive. After COVID, economic instability and restrictive planning regimes the industry is set for a boost. The new government are pushing local councils and boroughs to build an additional 1.5m new homes in the next five years. In Bristol, Southmead Hospital is building a new £49.9m elective surgery centre to increase their annual capacity for operations by 75% to help to alleviate hospital waiting lists. A recent report on orthopaedic surgery has recommended a further 20 such centres across the UK.

What is clear is that the construction companies that are innovative and efficient will profit from this boost to the industry. Poor connectivity reduces efficiency and ultimately increases cost for construction projects.

While high quality, reliable and resilient connectivity will not address all of the challenges facing the industry the good news is that this challenge is simple, easy and cost effective to address.

To find out more go to Trogon Networks.