Eighty Strand: A Case Study

Transforming mobile connectivity in an iconic London office building.

A building rich in modern history

First opened in 1932, Eighty Strand is a Grade II listed art deco commercial property located along the River Thames, and on the doorstep of Covent Garden. Originally designed by architects Messrs Joseph, the iconic building is often referred to as Shell Mex House, since it was the London headquarters of Shell Mex and British Petroleum for many years.

The building has recently undergone a multi-million-pound renovation which purposefully maintained its original features; enhancing them with glazed pavilions that reflect the traditional art deco style.

The connectivity challenge in older buildings

Strong, consistent mobile connectivity is expected as standard in today’s office buildings. However, the way that many buildings are constructed, with the use of steel materials and thick walls – particularly in older buildings – often blocks mobile signals from entering the building. In fact, a recent survey commissioned by Cellnex UK via Censuswide found that 70% of UK hybrid workers experienced poor mobile connectivity in their office, with 60% reporting having to leave the office just to make a phone call.*

As a newly-renovated office building, it was crucial for Eighty Strand to provide high quality mobile connectivity in order to meet the needs of its Occupiers, whilst still maintaining its architectural features and art deco style.

The power of In-Building connectivity solutions

Cellnex UK was engaged to design and deploy a tailored Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for Eighty Strand, a solution that boosts mobile coverage and capacity inside the building. As part of the solution, we deployed a total of 137 radio nodes, strategically placed around the property to maximise connectivity whilst staying in keeping with the building’s aesthetic and complying with the requirements of the listed status of the property.

The solution currently provides high speed 4G connectivity for the three biggest UK Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs) allowing Occupiers to enjoy consistent, fast mobile voice and data services through every corner of the building.

Why Cellnex UK?

With years of industry leadership, we are a trusted provider of in-building solutions. Our established relationships with all UK MNOs reduces the complexity of dealing with multiple parties, and we offer an end-to-end service, including design, installation, management of MNO connections, system monitoring, and maintenance, with payment options to suit your business.

Read our full hybrid worker research report

Access and read the full report in our Resource Centre.

* About the research: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Censuswide. Total sample size was 2,000 hybrid workers in the UK. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25/04 – 02/05 2024.