FCC Part 20 & Part 90NFPA 72 / IFC 510 ERRCSLicensed low-voltage & insured
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Design · Campus and 500,000+ sq ft scale
Active & Hybrid Fiber DAS
When a single coax topology can no longer hold the link budget — or when a carrier signal source and added capacity are required — the answer is an active or hybrid DAS with fiber-fed remote units.
Building size
200,000 – multi-million sq ft
Installed cost
$4.00 – $9.00 / sq ft
Timeline
4–9 months typical
Capacity
Yes, with carrier signal source
Straight answers
What it is, what it costs, whether you need it.
IT and facilities teams comparing 'DAS vs booster vs small cell' for large or signal-starved properties.
No gated pricing, no “contact us for a quote” on the basics. Every number below is the range we actually quote in commercial buildings; your survey replaces it with a fixed figure.
What is an active / fiber DAS?
Instead of amplifying off-air signal over coax, an active DAS carries a carrier signal source over fiber to remote radio units placed throughout the property. It scales to campuses and very large footprints, and — unlike a booster — it can add real network capacity, not just coverage.
What does it cost?
Active and hybrid systems typically run $4.00–$9.00 per sq ft installed, with a four- to nine-month timeline driven mostly by carrier engagement rather than construction. Ongoing maintenance is usually contracted.
When is it worth it over a passive system?
When the building exceeds roughly 500,000 sq ft, when there is no usable donor signal on the roof, when multiple buildings share one donor location, or when the venue is dense enough that users would saturate a coverage-only system.
This is the right scope if
- 500,000+ sq ft, campuses or multi-building sites
- Below-grade levels and parking decks in scope
- Capacity, not just coverage, is the problem
- Weak or unusable rooftop donor signal
We’ll point you elsewhere if
- A single mid-size building with good rooftop signal — passive is far cheaper
- You need it live in under two months
What this covers
How the scope actually runs.
Active DAS converts the signal to optical at the head-end and distributes it over single-mode fiber to remote units placed throughout the building or campus. That removes coax loss from the equation and makes very long horizontal and vertical runs practical.
Hybrid topologies pair fiber transport to each building or riser with passive coax distribution on the floor, which keeps cost down while still reaching parking decks, below-grade levels and detached structures from a shared donor location.
We design on Corning, ADRF, Comba and JMA platforms and manage carrier engagement where an operator signal source is part of the scope.
Deliverables
- Fiber transport design and remote unit placement
- Per-operator RU configuration
- Carrier signal source coordination
- Campus donor sharing across buildings
- Commissioning and per-sector optimization
Best fit for
- Corporate and medical campuses
- Stadiums and large venues
- Multi-building industrial sites
- Parking decks and tunnels
How we deliver it
Four stages, documented at every hand-off.
01
Capacity study
Determine whether coverage-only will hold or a carrier signal source is required.
02
Head-end & fiber design
Remote unit placement, fiber pathway, power budget and MDF/IDF layout.
03
Build & integrate
Fiber pulls, remote units, sector planning and carrier signal source integration.
04
Optimization
Per-operator balancing, KPI capture and acceptance testing with the carrier.
Scope of work
Exactly what's in — and what isn't.
Included
- Fiber-fed remote unit topology
- Multi-operator head-end design
- Carrier signal source coordination
- Sector planning for capacity zones
- Acceptance test package per operator
Not included
- Carrier spectrum leases
- Building fiber backbone construction outside scope
- Small cell agreements
Codes & standards
Executed against published standards.
FCC Part 20
Consumer/industrial signal booster certification and carrier consent.
FCC Part 90
Part 90 Class A/B signal boosters for public safety spectrum.
NFPA 72 / 1225
Emergency responder communication enhancement system requirements.
IFC 510
In-building emergency responder radio coverage, adopted by your AHJ.
NEC / NFPA 70
Low-voltage pathway, plenum cabling and grounding requirements.
Investment
Budget ranges, stated openly.
Typical installed cost
$4.00 – $9.00 / sq ft
Varies with operator count and remote density
Program timeline
4–9 months
Carrier integration drives the schedule
Ongoing
Maintenance contract
Monitoring and firmware lifecycle
Ranges reflect turnkey commercial work in our markets. Your survey returns a fixed-price number, not a range.
Platforms
- WilsonPro Enterprise 1300R / 4300R
- Nextivity Cel-Fi QUATRA 4000e
- SureCall Force8 / Guardian4
- ADRF SOLID public safety BDA
- Comba CriticalPoint ERRCS
- Corning Everon fiber DAS
Platform-neutral — we spec whatever the RF budget calls for.
Where we deliver it
Active & Hybrid Fiber DAS — available in these markets
Engineered and dispatched from our Houston office. Multi-site portfolios handled nationwide.
Answers
Asked about this service
How is this different from a passive DAS?+
Passive amplifies existing off-air signal over coax and adds coverage only. Active DAS uses fiber transport and can carry a carrier signal source, which adds capacity as well as coverage — at several times the cost and timeline.
Do we have to choose one or the other?+
Often not. Hybrid designs use fiber where distance demands it and passive coax on the floor, which is usually the lowest total cost for campuses.
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Active & Hybrid Fiber DAS — scoped this week
Send the building details and we return a scoped estimate in two business days.