To provide insight into the networking industry, Westbase.io run a “What Is” blog series. Take a look at the latest edition; What is Pop-Up Networking.

Organisations today are increasingly seeing the need for “pop-up” or temporary locations. These may be for a variety of reasons, from events to pop-up shops and restaurants, to emergency centres for public and mobile health services. A commonality between these types of temporary sites however is that they each require connectivity for basic processes such as Point of Sale or accessing online applications. Pop-up networking provides instant, reliable and secure connectivity to such sites with ease by leveraging 4G/5G networks.

Most of the time connectivity isn’t readily available in temporary locations and if it is, it is usually via a third-party connection which could be deemed insecure or unreliable. Using a fixed line installation isn’t always an option as some locations may be too remote for this, or if it’s only temporary then the investment may be too high. Even in cases where fixed line can be delivered to a site, there’s a good chance that the lead-time will often be too long and can’t provide connectivity from day one as a result. This is where 4G/5G comes in.

4G/5G allows organisations to deliver pop-up networks which:

Connect virtually anywhere – perfect for geographically diverse temporary locations

Can be deployed within hours or days, instead of weeks and months

Connect even the most advanced applications – ideal for connecting multiple site requirements

Can be managed remotely via the cloud, saving on truck rolls

Retail

The retail and hospitality industries are rapidly seeing the added benefits of a cellular pop-up networking solution. With the festive season quickly approaching, retailers often find themselves using temporary store locations to bring their wares to new audiences, such as Christmas markets and events. Retail and hospitality companies also leverage pop-up locations throughout the year in order to extend their reach to new geographical areas, maximising sales and customer experience. A 4G LTE pop-up networking solution enables businesses to deploy secure, instant connectivity for PoS and other applications to any location desired. Once the location is dismantled, the networking solution can be simply be moved and re-used at the next.

Emergency Services

The emergency services often have the need to set up temporary locations such as command centres when dealing with more serious incidents. In such situations, time is of the essence and the deployment of the network needs to be efficient. 4G LTE addresses this requirement easily as the cellular network is ready to be connected to at any given time, from any location – pervasive in its very nature.

Public Sector

Public sector organisations also find themselves in situations where they require a pop-up location, such as temporary town halls. A 4G LTE pop-up networking solution enables public sector organisations to deliver much-needed connectivity to nearly any location within days and with ease, ensuring that these sites are able to operate at full capacity from day one.

It is clear there are many use cases today for pop-up networks as organisations look to use temporary locations more effectively to improve their performance. Enabling businesses to quickly and easily deploy the necessary connectivity for any number of situations, a 4G LTE solution is the perfect answer.