Today, a building designed with a well-insulated metal-based roof and walls and fitted with insulating coated glass stops radio waves. Only 0,1% of the waves used for mobile telecommunications (in the 0.4 to 6 GHz frequency range) penetrate the building envelope, compared to around 50% in a poorly insulated space. That translates to a signal loss of 30dB: in other words, no signal!
WAVETHRUTM is a surface treatment applied to glazing that enables external telecommunication signals to better penetrate into and circulate within buildings. A laser process is used on the existing glazing that is totally invisible to the naked eye. WAVETHRUTM cannot be seen from inside or outside.
As a result, WAVETHRUTM helps boost signal gain by up to 25 dB, while having a negligible impact on the primary functions of the coated glass (insulation, solar control, light transmission). Another benefit is that WAVETHRUTM avoids the alternative, in large buildings, of addressing connectivity issues by installing active systems directly connected by fibre optic cable to the operator that transmit signals to and from the building interior. The cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining such systems is significant. WAVETHRUTM is a maintenance-free and energy-free alternative to these systems. A simple, non-invasive solution.
WAVETHRUTM delivers better phone reception for occupants. In turn, their occupants' phones will put less strain on their antennas when connecting to the base station, which means they will use less power to connect. Less power means lower quantities of waves emitted. These are the findings of a study carried out by IMEC and the University of Ghent which showed that in a room where the glazing has been treated by WAVETHRUTM the quantity of waves emitted by a phone is reduced by a factor of four. The result is that phone users' exposure to radio frequencies is slashed by 76%.
Due to global warming, energy efficiency (and therefore insulation) is a key part of the legislation applicable to the construction and transport sectors. This benefits WAVETHRUTM, as it helps to convince decision-makers that it is better to anticipate the problem by deploying a solution like WAVETHRUTM rather than taking action afterwards by installing base stations or signal repeaters, which are subject to very stringent conditions of use. The potential market is huge, both for new builds and even more so for renovation projects.
