About 500 Rutherford Avenue

500 Rutherford Avenue sits within Hood Park, a 20-acre mixed-use campus transforming one of Charlestown’s historic industrial sites into a modern hub for business, innovation and community. The property benefits from the campus’ thoughtful planning by Lincoln Properties with walkable outdoor spaces, upgraded infrastructure, and a growing ecosystem of life science, tech, and creative tenants.

The building at 500 Rutherford Avenue features flexible commercial space designed to support a wide range of business operations, from life sciences and research to modern workplaces, and mixed-use spaces like a fitness center and tenant lounge.

• Industry: Commercial Real Estate (Mixed Use)
• Location: Charlestown, MA
• Area: 360,000 square feet
• Property type: Existing development
• Solution: Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Managed Service

The Challenge

The 360,000-square-foot life science building spans four floors and serves a rapidly growing group of research and technology tenants who have no room for connectivity and business challenges like:

• Complex infrastructure in lab environments use reinforced construction and dynamic materials—creating RF signal blockages throughout the basement and floors 1-3.
• High tenant expectations with life science teams who rely on consistent mobile service for collaboration, security access, and safety communications.
• Need for a long-term model that avoids costly in-house IT burden and eliminates future capital surprises.

The Solution

TDC designed a neutral-host, Network-As-A-Service (NaaS) deployment using a low-power access point architecture approved by all major Wireless Carriers. This all-digital solution combines the sophistication of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) with the agility of C-RAN giving the property a future-ready network without a heavy equipment footprint. Key elements of the solution:

• Streamlined sector covering basement and floors 1-3, optimized for dead zones and many devices.
• Centralized headend located in the telecom and data room to maximize usable space.
• Flexible capacity controls that allow adjustments by area as tenant needs evolve.
• Low-profile equipment that blends seamlessly into a high-design life science environment.
• Peace of mind with our NaaS delivery model including a Year 8 lifecycle upgrade built-in.

The Impact

The mixed-use property now has a single, neutral-host network that all three Wireless Carriers can adopt—and a dependable partner with the credibility to coordinate them. This gives 500 Rutherford:

• Reliable connectivity building wide
• Stronger safety and compliance
• Smart building efficiencies
• Preserved aesthetics
• Reduced risk and no capital surprises
• Future scalability campus wide