As a seasoned RF engineer who’s personally designed, deployed, and optimized hundreds of in-building wireless systems—and been involved in thousands more over a 30-year career—let me be clear:
Neutral Host DAS is not only relevant—it’s irreplaceable.
Carrier Interest in DAS Is Not Diminishing—It’s Evolving
Claims that “carriers are moving away from DAS” are misleading and often stem from parties pushing alternative technologies like CBRS or Wi-Fi offloading. Carriers have not abandoned DAS—they’ve simply raised the bar. They expect carrier-grade engineering, seamless signal integration, and a system that’s transparent to their signal sources. When that standard is met, they want in—because nothing else delivers signal integrity, coverage uniformity, and multi-carrier coexistence like DAS.
Fact: No CBRS system—unless fully virtualized and integrated with the MNO’s core—can substitute the signal transparency of DAS. And that level of integration is rare, complex, and expensive—often exceeding DAS costs.
CBRS Is Not a Neutral Host Solution—Unless Carriers Opt In
CBRS-based private networks do not inherently support carrier signals. They run on shared spectrum, and unless carriers agree to integrate into the system, it’s a private LTE network—period. End users cannot access their regular cell service without a provisioning process that most tenants and visitors will never go through.
That’s not ‘neutral’—that’s isolated.
By contrast, Neutral Host DAS, when properly engineered, allows carrier RF signals to be distributed transparently and directly, requiring no end-user provisioning and no change in device or behavior.
DAS Cost Claims Are Often Cherry-Picked
CBRS advocates claim it’s ‘cheaper and faster’ to deploy. But they fail to mention:
– The cost of provisioning devices
– SIM management or eSIM provisioning across carriers
– Carrier coordination and integration into the MOCN/GWCN
– Ongoing spectrum management and interference mitigation
– A support model for troubleshooting multi-layered network issues
When you factor in Total Cost of Ownership and ongoing complexity, CBRS neutral host networks built to carrier standards are often more expensive than DAS—and far less reliable in dynamic environments.
RF Is Physics—Not Hype
Wireless doesn’t work unless RF is physically distributed throughout a space. Whether in a building, a tunnel, an aircraft carrier, or a spaceship—if there’s no path for RF to travel, there’s no service. DAS solves this problem by doing one thing better than any other solution: distributing signal uniformly, predictably, and with high fidelity.
CBRS may offer spectrum flexibility, but it does not replace the role of RF distribution. Nor does Wi-Fi. Nor do small cells in isolation. Only a properly engineered DAS system solves the fundamental challenge: delivering seamless, high-quality wireless connectivity throughout complex environments.
The Future Is Shared Infrastructure—But Built by Pros
What makes Neutral Host DAS the future isn’t marketing hype. It’s necessity. Venues must serve all users, all carriers, and all devices, without friction. That can only happen when:
– Infrastructure is shared
– Carrier signals are natively transported
– Signal quality is preserved at every antenna
– The RF environment is professionally engineered and optimized
CBRS, small cells, and Wi-Fi will continue to serve their purposes—but they are complementary