Signal Check / Commercial Real Estate / Issue 01 / November 2026
Tenant expectations for digital connectivity are increasingly influencing office leasing decisions. This issue connects new tenant research and office fit-out benchmarks with CTS observations on in-building cellular coverage, funding, and practical next steps for commercial property owners.
The CRE Scoreboard
Tenant Preference for Installed Connectivity
81%
Would choose an office suite with connectivity already installed
North America, September 2026. WiredScore survey of 600 senior decision-makers. The research covers digital connectivity broadly, not in-building cellular alone.
U.S. and Canada Office Fit-Out Cost
$295 / sq. ft.
Medium-quality corporate office fit-out
JLL's 2026 benchmark; typical range of $230–$375 per square foot. This represents total fit-out cost, not wireless infrastructure alone.
WiredScore's September 2026 research also found that 89% of respondents said poor connectivity would cause them not to renew a lease. Although these findings concern digital connectivity broadly rather than cellular DAS specifically, they reinforce why connectivity infrastructure belongs in leasing discussions.
JLL's office fit-out benchmark covers the entire build. Renovations and tenant improvements can create an opportunity to review indoor wireless coverage and coordinate cabling, antennas, and equipment space before walls and ceilings are closed.
What CTS Is Seeing in the Field
Coverage is moving from the complaint log into the lease
Tenant brokers are asking about cellular coverage before leases are signed. Chris Grenier, Senior Vice President of Development, Carolinas at Stiles, reports that cellular DAS appears in nearly 99% of the requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests for information (RFIs) his team receives from tenant brokers. This reflects his team's experience, not a market-wide survey. Explore CTS's commercial real estate white paper.
CTS recently worked on a 500,000-square-foot Class A building with twelve floors and two parking levels. Cellular coverage from two major operators was poor, and major tenants were threatening to relocate. The building needed a solution in four months. CTS delivered a turnkey system within that window under a ten-year as-a-service contract, including Forte Neutral Source managed signal sources for two operators and monitoring from the CTS network operations center. The building retained its major tenants and secured longer leases. Read the full CTS project account.
Why this matters for your building: In-building coverage can affect the tenant experience and enter the leasing conversation. Review what your building offers before prospective tenants ask, and include wireless needs in renovation planning before construction is complete.
Building Connectivity Checklist
Five checks to prioritize for your property
- Walk the garage, stairwells, elevators, and loading dock, and note where a cellular call drops.
- Test coverage on each major wireless carrier, not just the carrier used by your own phone.
- Pay particular attention to elevator lobbies and below-grade areas.
- Confirm that your most recent public safety radio coverage test and any required follow-up are documented.
- Review your fit-out and renovation schedule for floors opening in the next two quarters.
Unsure whether local requirements call for a public safety radio enhancement system? See Do I Need a Public Safety DAS? for an overview of building requirements.
Ask a CTS Engineer
Who typically funds in-building cellular coverage, and can the owner recover some of the cost from tenants?
Carrier funding has become less common. Carriers tend to focus investment on high-traffic venues such as stadiums, airports and transit hubs, so owners of individual office buildings often need to plan for more of the cost. An owner may fund the system directly or use a managed service with monthly payments. If the lease permits, eligible costs may also be allocated through CAM (common area maintenance) charges, which are tenants’ shares of eligible building operating expenses, subject to any negotiated cap or amortization terms.
For more on selecting the appropriate wireless infrastructure and operating model, see CTS's Commercial Real Estate Wireless Strategy.
