Freshwave and Midland Metropolitan University Hospital teaming up to build world class mobile network

• Freshwave chosen to provide mobile network to new hospital – bringing on board all four operators throughout the new hospital
• World class mobile coverage vital as NHS moves to upgrade technology and digitally enabled care

Freshwave are delighted to be working with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust to bring indoor mobile coverage for all four mobile network operators to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. With the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambitions to upgrade technology and digitally enabled care across the health service, having world class mobile coverage for use by patients and medical staff is crucial.

Connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider Freshwave are designing, deploying and managing the network which will provide premium voice and high-speed data for staff, patients and visitors to the hospital. The distributed antenna system will provide 2G, 3G and 4G assured connectivity and have an upgrade path to 5G. As part of the 24/7 managed service, Freshwave will be providing monitoring and engineering support.

Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is currently under construction in Smethwick and will be the Trust’s acute healthcare facility when complete in 2024.

The brand-new state-of-the-art hospital will house the emergency department, maternity suite, and children’s and adult acute inpatient services for more than half a million people and will have around 700 beds. Freshwave’s neutral host network will span 950,000 sq ft and 10 floors across the hospital.

Martin Sadler, Executive Director of IT and Digital at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said: “Because hospitals are complicated buildings, getting a mobile signal when inside them can be difficult. The work we are doing with Freshwave will help staff, patients and visitors stay connected and will support patient care.”

Simon Frumkin, CEO at Freshwave, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing Midland Metropolitan University Hospital the assured connectivity it needs and deserves. Connectivity is key to delivering excellent patient care both today and as technologies develop in the future, especially given the many pressures the health service is facing. We’re pleased to be working closely with the team there to ensure that the connectivity delivers long term value to the hospital and communities it serves.”

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Media enquiries
For further information or interviews please contact:
Amy Murphy: amy.murphy@freshwavegroup.com
Rachel Phillips: rachel.phillips@freshwavegroup.com

Notes to editors

About Freshwave
Freshwave invests expertise and capital in ways that make digital infrastructure remarkably simple. Faster, less costly and in the right places. It’s the connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider bringing mobile operators, central and local government, and real estate providers together to work in new ways. Their managed sites include some of the biggest, most challenging wireless environments in the UK, including several central London boroughs and Docklands. With 6000+ mast site locations, 2000+ buildings connected and 200+ outdoor networks supported; they ensure everyone has network. Backed by DigitalBridge, they too combine technical telecoms and commercial real estate know-how to create long-term market impact. To learn more, visit www.freshwavegroup.com

About Midland Metropolitan University Hospital
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is currently under construction in Smethwick and will form part of Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB).

Once open in 2024, it will be a significant acute NHS hospital within Birmingham and the Black Country. Bringing together acute specialties from all areas of the Trust it will provide a hub for emergency care, acute medical wards, maternity, general and specialist surgery to serve more than half a million people.

All acute clinical teams will come together working in an integrated way with community services and primary care to provide seamless care for patients. The hospital will provide clinical teams with modern purpose-built facilities.

The facility aims to be more than a hospital, acting as a catalyst for regeneration of the surrounding areas, improving the life chances and health outcomes of the population.

For more information, please visit https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/midland-metropolitan-university-hospital or contact the press team on 0121 507 5303.