Mobile data usage in the UK has grown by 495% between 2018 and 2025, according to the UK Government’s recent Mobile Market Review, while around 80% of mobile usage now takes place indoors.
For Tom Sime, CEO at Exchange Communications, this shift is fundamentally changing how organisations think about connectivity within buildings.
Tom said: “The mobile phone was originally designed for use outside, when people were in the street or in transit.
“Now more than 80 per cent of mobile calls are made inside buildings including offices or even in tunnels.”
As businesses become increasingly reliant on digital services, Tom believes many existing environments are struggling to keep pace with growing demand.
“Buildings today need to support much higher levels of data consumption, more connected devices and increasing expectations around performance and reliability,” he explains.
“That’s driving growing demand for infrastructure that can deliver seamless indoor coverage consistently and securely.”
Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are playing an increasingly important role in helping organisations adapt. It is a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source that distributes wireless and cellular signals helping to eliminate coverage dead zones and improve network capacity inside large buildings, underground areas, or densely populated public venues.
Tom adds: “Mobile networks, such as Vodafone,Three, EE and O2, can connect their external links into our on-site radio equipment, creating a single point of entry that handles calls from any network within a building.
“Such secure Distributed Antenna Systems can be adapted for single floors or multi-storey office blocks and are now a major part of our growing business. We have completed projects across the UK including airports, shopping centres, offices, residential developments, hotels and even The Mersey Tunnels in Liverpool, creating smart infrastructure that supports Mersey Tunnels Police.”
The continued growth of 5G is also accelerating demand for more advanced connectivity infrastructure. Ofcom’s 2025 Connected Nations Report found 5G traffic in the UK increased by 53% year-on-year.
“By 2029, 85% of the global population will have access to 5G networks, with rolled out networks supporting 5.8 billion monthly subscriptions,” says Tom.
“With demand continuing to grow, data consumption will reach unprecedented levels, with networks increasingly using AI to optimise capacity and ensure connectivity is maintained where it is needed most.
“This allows clients to connect smart systems and run buildings more efficiently, monitoring energy usage, lighting and security systems, while ensuring teams can use their own devices with maximum coverage,” he says.