In the future (according to “futurists”), we will be served by myriad robotic helpers orchestrating every aspect of our busy lives while we catch up on GOT and other bingeable shows. Seriously, if you listen to trendsetters like Fast Future’s Rohit Talwar, who developed various industry projections with China-based telecommunications company Huawei, there’s no doubt that 5G is the digital future. From entertainment to driverless cars, education and science, 5G, which can be 10 times faster than current 4G LTE, is expected to expand the lifestyle capabilities of every home, workplace and community.

More Towers of Power
One reason that 5G is faster is it requires a much larger investment in signal antennas – some say one every thousand square feet. Which makes law makers leery of the municipal challenges. As Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) observed earlier this year, “The new 5G network will need new antennas to work, adding to the network of antennas our current cell technology already uses. This means we’re well on our way to a dangerous situation in which cities are clogged with 5G antennas on public infrastructure, all with little input from cities themselves.”

But for the multi-family housing operator with roof space to spare, […]

We are often asked by our Clients what marketing efforts they’re obligated to perform as part of signing a new Service and Marketing agreement. Of course, it depends on the type of agreement you have in place but whether it’s a Non-Exclusive Marketing, Exclusive Marketing or Access Agreement, no Service Provider may prohibit another from direct marketing (via mail, phone, email, or other off-site methods). However, there are usually some general obligations of the Owner that are permitted, such as:

• Door-to-door marketing – usually limited to specific hours or only if authorization is provided by the Owner or on-site staffs
• Periodic on-site marketing events – may be limited to quarterly events, and typically require pre-approval by property staff
• Common area marketing displays
• Tech events – where a technician is available to answer resident’s technical questions
• Print Marketing – materials supplied by the Service Provider and passed out to residents either in Move-In Packets, countertop, or door hangers
• Digital marketing – includes online resident portal or website

In new construction, we’re also seeing some Service Providers request stickers to be placed near the media cabinets, or on a designated outlet cover listing the Service Provider’s name. In addition, a Service Provider may […]

What will work for your communities?

Property owners have choices to make when working with Service Providers (of Television, Internet and Phone services) on their apartment communities.  On a simple level, property owners need to choose from having Service Providers serve their communities on a retail basis or on a bulk basis.

In a retail scenario, your residents can choose to subscribe (or not to subscribe) to one or more Service Providers available at your community.

On the other hand, in a bulk scenario, services are purchased in bulk by the property owner to provide one or more services to all units at the property (regardless of occupancy).  Bulk arrangements are where we will focus in this post.

Bulk arrangements are not new, in fact Service Providers have been offering bulk agreements for decades.  Initially the arrangements included only Television.  Later on Internet was added as an option together with Television or on a standalone basis.

You may find yourself hearing a lot about bulk services from Service Providers.  While there are many benefits with bulk services, Service Providers can paint a rosy picture that only speaks to those benefits, including increased/improved amenities, streamlined resident connection process and added revenue (to name just a few).  […]