SOLiD targets Australian market with next-gen DAS for indoor mobile connectivity

COMMUNICATIONS DAY 7 July 2025 Page 3 by Grahame Lynch

South Korea-headquartered distributed antenna system vendor SOLiD has entered the Australian market, offering a digital DAS platform aimed at reducing the high

costs and infrastructure duplication associated with indoor mobile connectivity. According to Australian country manager Robert Engelshus, SOLiD’s solution directly addresses the growing burden on property developers to fund and maintain DAS infrastructure in commercial sites such as high-rises, shopping centres, hospitals and tunnels. Engelshus said the costs associated with this are presently too high. “It is ridiculous,” Engelshus told CommsDay. “Connecting three carriers to DAS infrastructure can cost upwards of $1m per site.”

Engelshus said that SOLiD’s lagship DAS platform, nGENESIS, is designed to be both RAN vendor and DAS vendor agnostic, enabling property owners and government clients to reduce their capex and opex obligations without requiring third-party open RAN integration. “By virtualising base station equipment rooms with SOLiD’s Digital Interface Unit, we’re seeing 80% reductions in space requirements and 90% energy savings per site,” he said.

SOLiD manufactures and develops its products in South Korea, with existing operations in Europe and North America. Its nGENESIS platform supports multiband, multi-operator coverage, including future 5G bands such as n78, and integrates over 1Gbps of bandwidth support into a modular, ESG-aligned architecture.

SOLiD’s market entry comes as property owners and public infrastructure authorities are increasingly required to fully fund indoor coverage solutions.

Engelshus said many of these entities are struggling to meet the costs, particularly when operators require traditional dedicated RAN infrastructure at each site. “In Australia, DAS is technically part of the mobile RAN network, and so it falls under national Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms obligations,” Engelshus added. The market has shifted in the wake of vendor exits, creating “an obvious gap” in available technology.

SOLiD’s arrival is intended to ill that gap with a more open and ef icient platform. “We are here to support Australian operators and property owners alike,” Engelshus

said. “The ability to work alongside existing RAN vendors without the need for third-party systems is key. It’s a smarter, more sustainable and lower-cost approach.”

Engelshus brings over 30 years of telecommunications and IT experience to the role, having previously held senior positions at Ericsson, Vodafone, Optus/Singtel, RF Industries and Devoteam Group. Over the past ive years, he has worked as a DAS consultant to both MNOs and property stakeholders. “SOLiD leads the way with this technology and will support a more connected Australia,” he said.