Communications infrastructure is gaining in importance.

A decade ago, landlords paid little attention to their tenants' communications needs. Yet anyone involved in commercial real estate knows that times have certainly changed from those days when users installed their own telephone systems. In fact, a building's existing communications infrastructure has become among the most critical factors in attracting tenants in today's high-tech business world.

Developers recognize that almost every business requires, or desires, a high-speed connection to the outside world. New buildings must be designed around risers that allow easy access to cabling from anywhere in the structure. At the same time, in order to remain competitive, older buildings must be updated with full backbone systems. Products are evolving so quickly that almost every time space changes hands, the wiring requires upgrading.

In addition, a new breed of real estate product is evolving in the form of the telecom hotel, to service telecommunications and Internet companies. These state-of-the-art facilities are being created largely from well-located, older properties that provide high ceilings and steel-girded, heavy-load floor plates necessary for housing routers, hubs, data switches and other heavy computer equipment.

As one of the nation's telecom centers, New Jersey has seen a significant amount of this type of development. Properties like 165 Halsey Street in Newark, a former retail building that was converted into one of the first telecom hotels in the state, now houses tenants like MCI WorldCom, Level III Communications, Qwest, Winstar and Telergy. Currently, AboveNet is converting the former Mueller Spaghetti Plant in Jersey City into telecom space, installing fiber optics, signal cabling, wiring and racking to support communications requirements.

Because technological advances continuously improve communication conduits, developers are faced with the challenge of choosing the type of wiring that will best suit the needs of their tenants in coming years.

Currently, fiber optic and copper are leading the industry, each offering different advantages. Fiber optic cable offers massive bandwidth. However, the transceiver equipment, which changes light signals into electrical current, is sometimes cost-prohibitive when it comes to bringing fiber to the desktop. At the same time, copper is more reasonably-priced, but does not currently have the bandwidth capacity of fiber.

The two products are battling to improve their position in the market. Every time the fiber companies find ways to lower pricing, copper companies engineer more bandwidth. A few years ago, it appeared that fiber would win the battle, and it still may be the ultimate champion. However, as long as copper continues to improve, it will remain a viable contender.

The fast-paced evolution of technology in real estate -- particularly in New Jersey -- has created an incredible amount of work for skilled telecommunications wiring professionals. At IBEW Local 164, we have signed 75 new contractors in the past two years, and we now supply the labor pool for more than 175 organizations.

Companies like MEHL Communications, Inc., which has developed an extremely successful communications division, maintains close to 200 full-time technicians and is seeking additional manpower. CTS, a company that offers DSL service in commercial buildings, came to Local 164 for six people. Within three months, they had 50 full-time technicians working for them. Speed-to-market issues keep some projects moving 12 hours per day, seven days per week.

The good news is that New Jersey's labor supply of skilled telecom workers is growing to meet the demand. In less than three years, Local 164's Communications Division has doubled, from 600 to 1,200 members. They benefit from one of the first state- and federally-certified four-year apprenticeship training programs that has already graduated more than 700 members, averaging 2,000 hours of field experience per year.

Wiring needs at telecom hotels, as well as new and existing properties, will remain dynamic in the coming years. And as technology advances, these talented professionals will help landlords keep pace with technology to maintain their building's appeal for the users of tomorrow.