We always talk about backhaul when it comes to sites. Wireless, fiber, cable, and copper are all solutions. So do many of you really know about fronthaul? This is what we use when we connect a BBU to the radio head. Is it different that backhaul? That depends where you are in the wireless ecosystem.
For this article we are talking about remote radio head small cells, not the all in one unit. These are very common indoors and outdoors in larger deployment scenarios. This is also something that will be more common when CRAN, Centralized Radio Access Networks, become more common place. Eventually, the RAN will be controlled by the cloud, for a vRAN, virtualized RAN.
So on Macro, think about when you run fiber up the tower from the BBU, this essentially is the fronthaul where it feeds from the BBU to the remote radio head, (RRH). The data in the BBU is sent out the radio head for transmission to the user equipment, (UE). So now imagine that the BBU is located miles away from the RRH. The RRH is located where coverage is needed. Most small cells are low power units. This is very similar to a small cell and would be deployed similar to a small cell. The BBU hotel is located in one area and the link from the BBU to the RRH. So the data will leave the BBU and go into a router or fiber box and then feed dark fiber or a radio link. Personally I am not a fan of this but they are very common in the market. I prefer a small cell that is standalone with all of the components in one unit just because it’s easy. However, there are many advantages to having one BBU controlling several RRHs.
These systems do have their advantages because the control is all in one place and can do a better job of timing and synchronization and reducing interference. If you are designing a network, then it makes a lot of sense to have centralized control. Centralized control will be reducing self interference, which is huge and something that most field workers could care less about until it gets to the optimization and performance phase. Then it’s an issue. Interference has to be cleaned up to improve the performance. Remember that this is all about coverage and performance. In a Het Net system we would call this eICIC, enhanced Inter Cell Interference Coordination. This is one of the reasons the cells have neighbor lists, to avoid this situation. Learn more on eICIC here, http://arxiv.org/pdf/1302.3784.pdf
So, back to fronthaul In this case timing is critical, and by timing I mean latency between the BBU and the RRH. It needs to be a specific time, depending on OEM. The link must arrive in time to properly send the data and have the timing set up properly. If it is late, packets are lost, and then people complain or it has to be sent again causing congestion. This is critical in voice communications.
This is why many carriers like fiber for the front haul because it’s clean and fast. It is usually easy to predict the delays because they are predictable unless someone screwed up a fiber connection or put a sharp bend somewhere.
Wireless links are great because it is line of sight, normally, but the radios add delay, usually with the error correction. So the distances, from what I have seen is generally lower that fiber. This could all change tomorrow but as of this time they have limitations. There are several wireless link manufacturers like EBlink working to make the fronthaul wireless link better, http://e-blink.com/.
Now, if you are doing the installation, you just do what you’re told and make sure it’s a great installation. If you are doing the design, you need to be very aware of the latency and the link delays. They will add up. The fiber will have some delays, the router will have some delays, and the equipment will induce delays. This all adds up to either success or failure. Proper planning! If you are doing the optimization, the commissioning NOC should have a good understanding of the delays of the fronthaul. So if there is an issue it needs to be considered.
Did you ever work with a CRAN? If you have done work for Verizon Wireless on oDAS, (outdoor distributed antenna system), then you may have. You see the concept behind the oDAS when using a distributed RRH is basically that of CRAN. Get it? The hBBU is located in one place, centralized, and the RRHs are distributed around where the population is.
Why do you care? Because you want to make sure you have a successful installation, commissioning, and integration. Then the commissioning should go well and everyone gets paid for the work. If there are problems, you all need to put more time into it, and chances are good that time will eat into your profit. Just think about the bottom line, proper planning and quality work adds up to a quality system and profitable work.
Be smart, be safe, and pay attention to the plan! Look for oversights and point them out.
I am putting a small cell handbook together, it should be out soon. It will be geared towards deployment but a good reference overall. It will have most of what I post but also some extra notes is it. If your interested, feel free to sign up for my newsletter below.
One thing that has been happening in 2015 is the indoor small cell growth. There are many vendors and OEMs that have successfully deployed indoor small cells. Whether it’s in a stadium or in an office or in a home, there are many installed. Indoor small cell deployment has been booming.
To give you some background, the indoor small cells go through extensive lab testing with the carriers before they ever touch the network. They need to be approved. You see the carriers, or most of them, treat the network like they would a delicate flower making sure that nothing touches it before that device is tested, approved, and does not hurt the network. When you see all of the devices on the network you begin to realize how much work it is to test each device before it is allowed to work on that carrier’s network. I don’t blame them one bit, because if a site goes down or if the network is affected it could have devastating effects on service, and we all want 100% uptime, or at least 99.999% uptime.
So, back to the indoor small cell. If a home needs a small cell then it is very small and it would install like a Wi-Fi router with more testing. It will need power. You will need to plug it into a port that connects to the Internet. Then it should configure automatically. This is where the carrier will have a server that it will seek out and assign an IP and configure it to go live. This is a dedicated server normally but for the larger small cells it should be part of the SON, Self Organizing Network server. I will go into that in a future post.
So a home node or a small business node is pretty straight forward to connect and install, really anyone should be able to do it. So let’s get past that and move onto the bigger installations, ones that someone would pay you for.
So for enterprise, it may be as simple as installing a few indoor small cells that connect directly to the router, they should go right in and should auto configure. Just make sure that the RF is working and also make sure that you test each cell with a device before you leave.
For larger installations you may be installing a BBU in a telco room then connect to a router. You may connect to the company’s router or the carrier may want to install their own fiber and router. Make sure you know where you are connecting the backhaul because if you are connecting into the company’s router you may need support from their IT group to connect to the carrier. This could cost you time because they will need to know what to do to connect to the carriers server remotely. You will need to know how to interface to the router. If you are connecting the BBU to the carriers router and they are running in their own backhaul, then you need to meet with the group delivering the fiber and make sure that it’s tested and connected properly. Know your scope!
Now that the backhaul is taken care of you are ready to work with the fronthaul, the link from the BBU to the radio head.
First, does the small cell or radio head have the PoE option, (Power over Ethernet)? Or do you need an outlet for each unit? If you have to run power to each unit, then you need to have an electrician to run power or you need to run extension cords. This question is very important. It will change the scope of the job if you need to run power everywhere.
If you have PoE then make sure that your router that you are connecting not only supplies PoE but the power matches up. You see there is high power and low power on PoE ports. Make sure you know which one you need and that the router and small cell align with what they need. If you are connecting to the BBU then you may be able to run “home runs” to the BBU if it’s practical, but in most cases there should be a router on each floor. This should all be worked out in the initial site survey and should be worked out in the design prior to the installation. Again, it comes down to knowing your equipment and what you’re connecting to.
If you need to run power, then it adds so much cost. I can’t believe how many indoor small cells do not have PoE, it seems stupid. However, some small cell OEMs don’t get it and they want you to run extension cords everywhere. Make sure you know what you are installing. If you were trained on the equipment and the design was done properly then you should be ready to deploy properly and all of this should have been considered.
So whomever is doing the design will need to make sure that document where to place each unit, how to direct the antenna, and get the installer the document. Placement should be determined by a preliminary RF design. I have seen where many companies wing it, but if you are working with a professional group they should have some type of design prepared to cover all the dead spots and know what the walls are made of so maybe they can penetrate the drywall but have issue with the block walls. Remember that you don’t want to interfere with yourself so the units need to be setup properly and if the carrier has a good SON system then they should know exactly where their neighbors are at. The neighbor list is very important so it matters where each cell is placed, just like Macro. Also, that is why many indoor small cells will not be placed too close to an outside window or wall, because they don’t want to interfere with the Macro network. Remember that it’s a Het Net so they all need to play well together. Many issues can be resolved in the design. Optimization will play a part to make sure the system is working together.
Antenna direction matters, especially since many of these have directional antennas and they will need to point in a specific area. The RF team should know where the loading is expected when they place the small cells and specify the direction of the antennas. So pay attention to the design. Understand where the unit is mounted and where to point the antenna.
You should also have a good idea about noise. I don’t mean RF noise, but actual fan noise in this case. Yes, that’s right, if you hang a small cell with a noisy fan in a quiet office, people will complain. It is good to know if the small cell has a quiet fan or no fan at all so that you know if it’s going to disturb the office workers. They want coverage but they also want to be able to talk on the phone without shouting.
If you are installer and you are putting in for a customer who does not own the building, then make a point to talk to the landlord. If you are mounting hardware to the ceiling or drilling through any walls, make sure you have permission to do so. You don’t want the landlord to badmouth you because the office manager said it was OK. It is just a thought and may not matter to you, but it could cause you problems if you have more customers in that building.
One thing you need to understand is the permitting and zoning. It may be no big deal but it’s a good idea to understand if you can just go in and mount the hardware with the landlords blessing or if there are permitting issues with the local municipality. Usually the landlord will know what to do.
I think you should also realize that safety matters here, you need to be aware of ladder safety or lift safety, depending on what your installation will need. You also must be aware that you may be working around people. If you can work after hours then you could move freely through the building but chances are good that you will be working during business hours. So make sure the people in the office are aware that they may need to work around you for the day you are there.
This is a very high level overview here. Don’t forget that you will have to test the coverage at some point and chances are good that they will ask the installer to not only install, but to power up and test the units. So make sure you have time in there to do some commissioning and testing. I know that they should do a complete optimization and testing once live but I think that most time they will have you power up, make sure it’s talking to the system by calling the NOC, and then verifying it works. They will probably give you a test device to walk around the building and make sure the coverage and download speeds are good. This will take time, chances are, depending on how many APs you put in, it could take 30 minutes to several hours. Make sure you know what is expected of you.
Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. I hope this brings you closer to creating solutions for the customer.
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So if you are going to mount small cells outside on poles, there are some things that you should think about. It’s more than what hardware you need. Follow along.
Before going to do the installation, have a good understanding of what you are mounting to. Don’t just grab the parts and go. I’ll go over the common types of mounts and explain. Many lessons learned here were from the Wi-Fi deployments that were done in the past 5 years or so. Many of the same issues creep up over and over again.
This could be a telephone or power pole. Just because you see a power line doesn’t mean there is power at the pole. They still need to install a meter and electric. It also will need to get through zoning and permitting. All still issues with the poles.
Then you need to know what backhaul, or front haul connections you will be working with and make sure that they are at the pole and that they have power. Whether it’s wireless or fiber or cable modems, you need to be sure it’s ready prior to the small cell installation.
Make sure you have all of the parts to mount to a wood pole. You may need to anchor into it or drill through it to mount the equipment. You will need the tools and part. Also, to tie down the cables you probably need screws. Make sure you wear gloves because you could get splinters. It sounds funny to say it but if you ever worked a wood pole, you know it’s no laughing matter.
What about the power and telecom zones? Do you know the height that they want to mount the equipment? If it’s in the power zone and you’re not qualified or certified to be in that area, then it’s a show stopper. Better be prepared to understand the height requirements and what’s on the pole.
Finally, grounding, you will need to ground the small cell if the OEM requires it. That means running copper down the side of the pole and maybe a ground rod. Read the scope, but also question it if they don’t have any grounding requirements before you get on site!
So, you think a lamp-post is easier? Guess again. If you expect to use the power from the lamp then you had better do your research. They may be on a timer, they may run on high voltage, they may be on a dusk to dawn. Do you know for sure? I don’t think the carrier only wants the small cell on-line at night, but hey, it’s your reputation.
You have all the other issues that I mentioned above. You need to be aware of zoning, permitting, power, backhaul, and hardware to mount it.
Make sure that you understand the issues with the metal pole. Do you need to do a structural study on the pole? The owner may require it. It sounds like no big deal but if it topples over in the wind, guess who is to blame?
I want you to be aware of 2 really important things. If you are in a city, where most lamp posts are, then it needs to look good and be quiet. If the small cell is an eye sore, the city or municipality will not be happy and chances are you will need to make it blend in. I painted many antennas and put on red brick stickers to make the antennas look like a pole or building. If the small cell or the cabinet has loud fans, guess what, residents complain. Maybe not in the day, but if it’s residential and people live near there, then it’s complaints to the city or carrier.
Signs
Another place you may be able to mount the small cell and/or antenna is on a sign. There are ways to use signs by extending a pole or mounting the small cell in a cabinet and the antenna up on the sign. This could be a common way to mount in a city. You may need to install a new sign post. If you mount on a stop sign and someone knocks it over, then you will be dispatched to replace it. Just a word of warning.
Remember like all the rest, you must make it look good. You need to be sure the cables are secure. You also need to be sure you have a solid ground. All the same rules but on a sign post.
Deployment
Make sure that you plan out when you need to do the installation. Do you need traffic control? Do you need to alert the city that you will be rolling a bucket truck through the city? Do you need a city employee escort? Do you need to coordinate the installation with the power company? Is the backhaul turned up and tested? Is access an issue? Do you have a copy of the permit?
I remember that one time in Montgomery, Alabama, I was doing Wi-Fi and public safety broadband installations in the city. It was a great setup because we were able to pick poles that had power and data attached! They had a great setup, all of it came from underground where they had lines running up to the poles! So in the 105 degree heat, in the sun, I was happy! Meanwhile the city workers were thinking that this damned Yankee was crazy. The one guy was so hot he said, and I quote, “ I got so much sweat running down my back into my crack that I would run a grain mill!”.
So remember to be smart, be safe, and plan ahead! Pay attention to what you’re doing!
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As you all know there are several solutions for tower inspections. There are several times you may want a tower inspection completed.
First, what is a tower inspection? This is quite literally when you inspect the tower. No hidden meaning here, just inspecting the tower. Now, what are you inspecting the tower for, that is the real question. The inspection could be for several reasons, so you need to know what you are looking for and then you can gauge what the inspection is for.
Types of inspections can vary and the way you do them will also vary. You see, the scope of the inspection really matters. The scope of work will outline what you need to do but look at the deliverables for what is expected. Each one is done differently. There are many reasons for inspections but I am going to list a few here. I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a list of what you may want to inspect a tower for, then I will go over some solutions for each instance.
Types of inspections and brief explanation:
Tower loading – this is a detailed inspection of the tower to define loading.
Tower mapping – this is generally an inspection of what is mounted to the tower, specifically radios heads, cables, mounts, ground wires, and so on.
Close out packages – this is generally an inspection of the equipment that has been mounted to the tower for a specific customer.
Maintenance inspections – this may be a high level inspection but it could also be a detailed inspection looking for missing hardware and to include a loading study.
So now that you have the overview of the types of inspections, let’s look at more detail of what is involved in each one, where you would use it and possible solutions for inspections. You see not all inspections are created equal and they don’t all need the same work done.
Tower Loading
The tower loading inspection is a very detailed inspection. If done for the first time then it would require a tower climbing crew. They would need to measure everything. Let me be more specific. They would need to measure, in detail, each cross member, each bolt, each section, and each thing mounted to the tower. They would need to research the type of tower. If requested, they may need to dig down and look at the foundation to do it properly, otherwise they would look at the building drawings and assume it was built to specifications. They may also need to understand the soil, it may require soil samples.
If being done for the second time or anytime after that they should just need to inspect the tower for everything added to it and get the specification of everything on it.
So once all the research and inspection is done, what is the deliverable? The deliverable would be CAD drawings showing the tower and everything on it with the detailed specification on it. Many times these studies will tell you if the tower was built properly, many tower companies will drill holes to make it fit and that is not right. The inspection will have more than just the drawings. It will have loading information with details as to what each section can hold. It will have wind ratings, showing what the wind loading will be for that region. It will have the base specifications show what the foundation can support. It will be stamped by the mechanical engineer, a PE that is certified to inspect tower loading and that engineer is putting his name and reputation on the line to insure that the tower will stand for the ratings specified. That is why they constantly need to clarify what they actually measures, what they did an estimation on, and what they expected to be done properly (like the foundation).
So for this type of inspection, what is the scope of work? You would need an engineer that could review all the data and certify it is correct and put a stamp on it. You would need someone to draw up the CAD drawing with all of the details on it. I know many of you would try to use Visio, but it is best to have CAD so if you need to file it with a local municipality they would work with CAD. They may just need a blueprint, but good to be prepared. You would also need a tower crew that is experienced in inspections. Depending on the tower and height it may run from $2K to $4K for the crew per tower. It all depends on the expected time to inspect the tower and if the inspection has been done before. All measurements need to be very accurate and done with care.
Tower Mapping
Tower mapping is something that you go to the tower and map all the equipment mounted to the tower. This is something that is done specifically to verify everything on the tower. Today many tower companies take care of the tower and know exactly what is on the tower. They take pride knowing exactly what is on the tower and where it is.
The deliverable could be a CAD drawing, but many people just accept Visio drawings because it is cheaper and easier to work with. They may save it as an EasyCAD file to make it simple to pass around. It would have all of the hardware on the tower, including the radio heads, antennas, dishes, cables, and mounts. It should also include specification for each item including weight, dimensions, and location of each item.
So for this inspection you could have a climber, running about $2K depending on size and scope. You could possible use a drone for this work, I don’t know the pricing but I would imagine it could be done with one person for less money and quickly. Now, no matter which way you have it done, it still takes office work. Someone has to build the drawing and put the pictures together and verify all of the data to make a deliverable to the customer. You may need to map the tower equipment to the shelter equipment which means you would need to verify each cable run. This is best done by a climber. Again, it all comes down to what the customer is requesting in the scope ofwork.
Close Out Packages
Close out packages are an inspection done after an installation, usually to a specific customer equipment, to make sure that the installation was done properly. They usually check the mounting, grounding, antenna position, and cable runs. There may be more depending on the scope.
The deliverable is usually a bunch of pictures along with descriptions all put in a document. I know many people use Field Dailies for this package because it makes it go quick and east.
For this most people use a tower crew, it could run from $1K to $3K per site depending on what you are asking to be done. This is work that a drone could do. I would imagine for less money and with one guy and no risk of an accident on the tower. No matter who does it, pictures still need to be put together and reports need to be completed. Carriers usually ask for a ton of pictures and if they don’t like what they see chances are you need to go back. If they ask to see pictures of the serial numbers, make sure you build time in to find them. Many times the OEMs put them on the side of the equipment mounted to the tower. If the installer does not document this, then it becomes a royal headache getting the proper information. Read your scope to understand what the deliverable will be so you don’t waste time with a second trip!
Maintenance Inspections
Maintenance inspections are pretty common but not very popular. This is where you go out and inspect the tower. Depending on the scope, you could be there just to eye everything up or you may be asked to look at every bolt. If you inspect a tower, and then it goes down in a storm, guess who is responsible? YOU!
So if this is something where you need to do a detailed inspection make sure you have the documentation prior to going to the site. In other words there could be equipment on the tower that the owner is not aware of. Make sure you verify what is on there should be there and if something is missing you document it.
This could be done by a tower crew, price would vary depending on the scope and deliverables. This could be done by drones, again, depending on the scope. This could also be done my Lidar. What is Lidar? Well, I will explain below.
Recommendations
So you now that you know more about each inspection, you could look at solutions for each. I know many people in the business and I met all of these groups.
For tower crews you probably know plenty of people that can do this job.
Mechanical engineers are usually with a preferred group for each tower owner or carrier. You already know plenty of people who do this.
For documenting the site pictures and information I know many people started using Field Dailies. I resell this service because they offer a great service. They offer SaaS, (Software as a Service), that will allow the information to be sent from the site, an iPhone or laptop or tablet directly to an online account to hold the pictures and organize them. For more information go tohttp://www.fielddailies.com/and see what they have. Remember to let them know that you were referred by Wade of Wade4Wireless if you’re interested!
For the out of the box solutions you could go with one of the following. I know these guys so you can go with whomever you wish.
Drones – to save money and put fewer people at risk drones are a great solution. I know Phil Larsen,phil@hazonsolutions.com,of Hazon Solutions if you need a professional drone team. This company is run by pilots and I spoke to them, really nice guys. Now when I say pilots, these guys take flying very seriously. They fly real planes even to this day. Go to the website and read about David Culler who is a decorated pilot for the Navy, now retired, and still flies to this day. I got to talk to David awhile back and he is really an interesting guy. Here is one thing that I learned that pilots do, they analyze everything about the mission before and after. If something goes wrong they go over it again and again until they know and understand what happened, which is something that should be done in the tower industry. http://www.hazonsolutions.com/
Drones – to be fair there are other professional drone companies you can use. Both Sentera, (http://sentera.com/) and Prairie Aerial, (http://prairieaerial.com/) are other drone companies that could help you do any of this.
Lidar – I met Mike Windham,mike@newspin.com,from a company called New Spin, www.newspin.com who specializes in 3D photography at tower sites. They will go around to tower sites and take 360 degree photos of sites but the cool thing that they do is Lidar. Lidar is something that will take a 3D picture of the tower and catch every nut and bolt, specify distances of each piece on the tower, and show great detail. It is a very detail picture where they use a type of radar to get all the details. For tower pictures go tohttps://youcontrol.newspin.com/asset/216/show/pointcloud/#/58/Scenesto see what I mean. This is something that utilities have used because they can’t take power down for an inspection unless absolutely necessary. To see the utility picture go tohttps://youcontrol.newspin.com/asset/365/show/pointcloud/#/175/Scenesand see what they have. For all the examples go tohttps://newspin.squarespace.com/examples/and see what they have. It goes way beyond communications. From Google: Lidar(also written LIDAR, LiDAR or LADAR) is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light. Although thought by some to be an acronym of Light Detection And Ranging, the term lidar was actually created as a portmanteau of “light” and “radar”.
Interested? Tell me and I will add you to my email list for more information.
So, have you ever mounted to a building or on a building? Small cells and the densifications are going to really rely on buildings. There are several ways to mount to them. Mounting to a building can be done several ways, find out more below.
Do you expect to mount the small cell to a building? Well, make sure you understand where it needs to be mounted. Is it the rooftop or the side of the building or in an office somewhere pointing out the window? Did you ask? Did you read the SOW? Let’s look at all the options.
Mounting options may include on the side of the building, on the roof, or in a window or office and facing outside to cover the street.
On the rooftop is going to be an efficient way to go. You will need to make sure you have all of the hardware like a roof top mount or if you are mounting to the elevator penthouse then you need to have your wall mounts. Also, the lease will need to be in place prior to the mounting. You may even need to look at zoning and permitting. Especially if you are attaching to the building! It used to be better to put a non penetrating rooftop mount up because you could bypass zoning in many ordinances because you were not attaching to the building. However, I think that loophole might be closed!
The non-penetrating rooftop mount is pretty straight forward but you will need to make sure you have a way to weigh it down, like blocks, and mats to put under it to protect the roof, especially if it’s a rubber roof. Also, you will need power, where is it coming from? So you have to run data cables or fiber inside the building? Where exactly? Do you need to core drill once inside? Do you have a way to get inside? Will you have to seal the hole to make sure it is whether proof? Think about what you’re going to do. Read the SOW,write your own!
On the side of the building you will need to make sure the permitting process is complete along with the landlord’s lease. They need to know exactly where you intend to mount. You probably need a bucket truck to attach the unit but maybe a ladder will work. I have seen some guys descend off the side and mount but that takes a long time and is not efficient, but sometimes the only way. Just get a bucket truck and install. Make sure your drill is a hammer drill and that you know what the wall is made of. Chances are it will be block, but know that ahead of time. Read the site survey document to know what you are going to be working on.
Finally, inside an office or stairway pointing out the window. This is more common than you may believe. It’s easy and the backhaul is easy to access, unless you need to core drill. You can probably mount it to the ceiling or if you’re in an office then use a non-pen mount near the window. Straight forward for mounting and power should be nearby if it’s not PoE. Make sure you know where power and data are going, so you know how to finish the job properly. Inside you should not have to worry about weather proofing, one less thing to worry about. However, if it is an office then you will need to be sure everything is clean and tidy. Don’t mess up the carpet!
If you want to know more or get more detail, let me know, maybe I can help.
I am building my email list and listening to you! Want to know more, let me know.
I have been reading the articles about the worker that was hurt and they said he fell, but did he? Apparently not, according to Wireless Estimator who talked to Josh Gelman of Centerline Communications the guy that was hurt was on the ground operating the cathead. He is stable now and doing better. I have links below that have more information.
He was a Massachusetts contractor working at a Crown Castle site in Gorham, Maine. No name released yet.
This just shows you that you have to be careful everywhere on the tower site, not just in the air. Make sure that you are paying attention at all times. Remember that complacency causes accidents because you overlook the obvious hazards.
Comtrain released a statement that Mike Jones is now the new director of Safety and Training! Way to go Mike!
Full statement below!
July 6, 2015
Comtrain would like to announce the addition of R. Michael (Mike) Jones to our team of safety professionals. Mike will assume the position of Director of Safety and Training beginning July 6, 2015.
Mike came to the tower industry in 2008 after several years in the auto industry. As a technician in the metal work shop of a large manufacturing plant, he became extremely in tune with the need for safe working processes that effect employees. After serving on multiple safety committees, Mike completed a degree in Occupational Health and Safety. In 2008, he had the opportunity to join General Dynamics as Safety Manager of the Wireless Division. Over the past several years, Mike has obtained countless certifications and authorizations specific to safety in the tower industry. He holds certifications from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals as a Certified Environmental Health and Safety Trainer (CET) as well as a Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST). Mike has been an Authorized OSHA Trainer since 2009 as well as holding trainer authorizations in Tower Climbing Safety and Rescue, First Aid/CPR, RF Awareness, Rigging, Mobile Cranes, and Aerial Lifts. He became a SPRAT Level 1 Rope Access Technician in 2012 and after several years of auditing remote jobsites across the country, became a Wilderness First Responder in April of 2013. Mike Jones is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and has served as a team member in medical missions to the remote area of Robillard, Haiti for the past seven years and was a part of the US response team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti after the earthquake of 2010.
Mike will oversee all safety processes, training operations, equipment use and selection and internal compliance. He will be pursuing NATE, OSHA, ANSI and other safety committee positions so that Comtrain can have an active voice in the future of tower safety.
I thought I would start to cover the different kinds of mounting options you have. One of them is Strand mount. This is for an outdoor Metro setting where you would mount the small cell and possibly the antennas on a strand. It would be for an outdoor small cell installation. First off, let me tell you why you do this. to save on site acquisition costs! Want to know more, then stay with me!
A strand is the steel cable that you see running from pole to pole supporting other cables, like telephone and cable company cables that run from pole to pole. This is often where the cable companies will mount their equipment. Why you ask? No rent, no permitting, and no hassles. They can do this anywhere and if someone owns the pole, chances are the small cell owner won’t have to pay rent because it is not physically attached to the pole. It is in mid-air on the strand. Zoning allows for this as well because they overlook the strand since the equipment is not mounted to anything except a wire. Currently it is a big loophole, but that may change in the future.
Remember that you want the strand in the telecommunications space, stay out of the electrical space on a utility pole. This is very important for you to remember because you don’t want to be killed or start fired with your lifts! There is no reason to be in the electrical space. I know that some carriers want to mount at the top of these poles, but it is a real hassle to do work in the hot space. I would recommend having the electrical workers, the linemen, do that work because they need to coordinate an outage. They know what to do, who to call, and have the expertise to work in that area. Just let them have the work. After all, safety first. If a carrier thinks it will save them money, then let them coordinate work in the power space!
So when mounting to the strand you need to be sure you only connect to the strand and don’t pinch any other cables in the clamps. The strands also need to be able to support what you are attaching to it. Don’t forget that the clamps in the pole need to be able to support what you are mounting as well. For information on loading and cable types go here, here, here, here, and here.
When you install the equipment, make sure that you still do the grounding, it matters. Follow what the OEM has told you to do. Chances are you could be mounting not only the radio but the antennas on the strand.
Also, bucket trucks will be used! You will need a bucket truck, it seems like the best way to reach that height and be stable. Make sure you have the proper training for the lift that you are using and that you have the proper PPE to be up in the bucket. It matters and I will do a post on bucket truck safety. Finally, stay out of the power zone with the bucket, pay attention and be careful up there.
If you’re running the bucket on a busy street then you will need traffic control. Otherwise you risk a fine and it looks bad for your company. Remember that you want the drivers to be safe as well. In the past we would do a lot of this at night because most cities were lax on traffic control between 11:00PM and 5:00 AM local time. In the cities there are generally plenty of street lights so it really is a nice time to work. I did the work in the south, Alabama and Florida and it was so much cooler to work at night. Know the rules of the road about traffic control! If you are going to have your people work in a city or town, they need to know if they need to just put cones in front of and in back of the truck or if they need to have a flag person waving traffic around. Build time into the SOW and charge for what you need!
What about backhaul? Usually strand mounted units rely on DOCSIS, which is the cable interface. You should expect the power and backhaul all to come in from the cable company. The unit may need an interface that will take the incoming cable connection and breakout the power and backhaul into 2 separate connections. This is what you need to be ready to connect. This is something that would be of great interest to some cable companies. I know that Cox has been testing with some of the OEMs to make sure the interfaces work. One more thing, not all cable companies use the same power, so it matters what interface you will be using.
I am building my email list and listening to you! Want to know more, let me know.
For the record I have been involved in small cells for the last 2 years, and it has been tough. The numbers didn’t ramp up like we thought they would. However, it looks like 2016 may change all of that. Let me explain.
It appears that the carriers have driven the deployment pricing down to a reasonable price. Originally all the models were based on a normal cell site. Let me put that into perspective. The carriers were going to be charged for site acquisition and installation and backhaul in the neighborhood of $50,000 to install a $5,000 unit. Does that make sense to you? The fact it may only serve 100 people or so at any given time also hurt the model. That is one of the problems they had to overcome. The payback in 3G just didn’t make sense, but now with LTE (4G) coming things are changing. Also, 5G will be higher frequencies making coverage circles even smaller. Plan ahead!
This is probably why AT&T Wireless pulled back on their outdoor small cell deployments, the economics and payback didn’t make sense, but ask them for the real reason. They still deploy indoor small cells from what I see.
Now that we have 4G, LTE, it is making more sense to make sure that the carrier can supply broadband, especially the carrier’s broadband to use up all of that data each month. Wi-Fi is great for coverage at home but in the public it can be hit or miss or sometimes unreliable or not free! So the small cell is a great way to extend coverage as long as the economics make sense. Maybe even collocate it with Wi-Fi, although if they share the backhaul that doesn’t make a lot of sense, so backhaul planning is essential. Give people the coverage they want and need and also provide decent bandwidth for downloads! Stay connected! Now this could be indoors or outdoors, the name of the game here is to keep the customer connected as much as possible.
With LTE-U and LAA, Wi-Fi will become an important part of the Het-Net system and will be key to providing bandwidth. So make sure that they do not share backhaul! Otherwise they will have a common bottleneck.
Now the deployment costs are starting to make sense and the price of the small cell is dropping too, well under the original $5K that it started at. Most of them will be under $2,500 each and indoor units will be way cheaper. Femto cells are already dropping under $500 per unit.
So what has changed that the deployment costs have dropped? Education and planning! Now that all teams are beginning to understand that small cell coverage should be cost-effective, the site acquisition costs have dropped considerable and the installation charges are reasonable. Backhaul, still an issue in the USA, but even that is being resolve. You have more options like DOCSIS, wireless, E band, 60GHz, sub 6GHz, and UE Relays to be used. Suddenly there are alternatives to fiber and copper.
With DOCSIS connections cable companies could really play a big part in backhaul if they want to. Some cable companies, like COX, are already doing testing with some of the OEMs and carriers. This is a great start to helping a mass deployment.
Companies like Crown Castle have also figured it out by offering everything at some of their small cell assets, like power and fiber already at the pole along with an existing box to avoid zoning issues. They really put a lot of thought into it. I think they understand 2 things, speed to market and to have a complete solution. They, along with many other asset providers, are taking this very seriously. They are providing a one stop shop for the small cell deployment. They also understand you can’t go into site acquisition for small cells with the Macro mentality.
So people ask me questions all the time about small cell deployments. They ask where they should start. I tell them to learn what is out there and what they want to deploy. The OEMs train people to properly install their equipment, that is a great place to start. Research what you can about the deployments because it may not be what you expect. For indoor deployments you need ladders and indoor tools and cabling tools. You may need to terminate fiber or CAT5 or CAT6. Make sure you’re teams are qualified to do what is needed. Also, make sure you understand the grounding requirements. Learn what PoE means, (Power over Ethernet). Make sure you know what permissions you need from the landlord and if any permitting is required.It’s a good idea to know the local zoning laws.
If you are deploying indoor systems, make sure the small cell is PoE because if it’s not then you need to run outlets wherever you mount the cell or you need to run extension cords or mount near outlets. Any way you look at it, costs go up without PoE! Also, make sure the router you’re running to has PoE ports available and make sure that they match up to the power required by the small cell. There are high power units and low power units, and the router needs to be able to handle the power rating. Don’t assume the small cell (or the connecting switch) has PoE or you may look very stupid running extension cords at the last-minute.
If you bid the job, are you just installing or are you also required to help commission and test? This could add another 30 to 60 minutes to each visit. If you have 2 guys installing and you didn’t add in the extra 60 minutes, then you are going to lose 2 man hours on every small cell along with the schedule being impacted because you’re losing an hour at every installation. It adds up! Especially in lost revenue and lost time on the schedule. Read and understand your SOW.
What about logistics? Where are you getting the hardware? Where will it be shipped? Do you have to pick it up or will it be shipped to your shop? Did you look over the drawings? Is there any RF Design information you need to be aware of? Do you need a device dedicated to test the cell once it is installed? Who did the site survey? Do you have documentation from the survey?
Make a kit of potential mounting hardware you may need. It is pretty common and keep the kit stocked to the farthest you have to run is your truck or van because there may or may not be a Home Depot or Lowes nearby.
Review the survey and verify the questions that you need to answer. If you have more questions reach out to me, I am here to help. I do consulting for people that feel they need help. Let me know your thoughts. I am also writing some papers and training on the different aspects of deployment.
Interested? Let me know about it. I will add you to my email list for more information.
OK, I thought I would share some information about how to handle the first climb. Not everyone goes to Tower Safety training on day one, (Tower Safety is my sponsor). The probably shouldn’t because if they go to tower safety class on day one then that will be their first climb, at the class. That’s OK if that’s your structure. But what if they hate climbing? Do they know that before they climb, not always.
So with the first climb, what can you do to make sure the climber is safe? Do you just send them up the tower and hope for the best? That’s what I did when I went up the first time, and I would never let anyone do that again, it was stupid and I would like to think we have learned.
I would recommend this procedure.
Before sending someone up the first time I would recommend that they actually help out with a tower crew on the ground first so they are familiar with the hardware and structure of what is going on. How long is up to you. I think that 2 weeks is the minimum.
Then when you send them up the tower the first time I recommend that you take every precaution. I would send up the experienced person first and have them rig a safety line up high. Then make sure the new climber has a rope grab on them at all times. That way if they can’t handle the safety lanyard they will have the rope grab as a backup. I don’t care if it’s cumbersome and a pain to use, it insures they have a backup safety line no matter what. Make sure they know and understand how to use the safety lanyard and the positioning lanyard. Go up with them if possible.
Take the first climb very seriously. Make sure that the climber knows you are near.
Limit the climb to 50 feet or less until you know they are very comfortable.
What does a funeral cost? What about a lawsuit? What about a life?
If they say they are ready, then they are ready.
You won’t know until they do it.
I know this person, they have no fear.
It’s not about just fear, it’s about skill!
They say they are ready.
Wouldn’t you say that if you needed a job?
I don’t’ want to embarrass them in front of the crew.
Do you want them to die in front of the crew?
To sum it up, I would be overly cautious, safety takes time and money. Unfortunately many companies just don’t care. However, many do care and to those owners I say thank you and keep up the good work!
One more note, when I got certified under Winton Wilcox, he had everyone wear a rope grab. It just made sense. First guy up rigged the safety lines.
Stephanie Gurney fell to her death about 3 months ago from about 200 feet up in Texas, more information found here. Now her mother has hired a lawyer to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.
You see Stephanie was a first time climber, on a job with her boyfriend. In a report from Deputy Sheriff Abel Quezada said that she was working for Joseph Grimes who her boyfriend Stephen Butler also worked for, was working for Jostan Communications.
According to the article Grimes climbed up first, after the safety meeting on the ground, climbed, then went back to the ground where he was talking on the phone when he heard her hit the ground, very, very sad. Grimes immediately called 911 and then they waited for the ambulance which took her to the hospital, unfortunately she didn’t make it.
According to Grimes the lanyard hook was not connected properly, he could see it on the ground. He was not allowed to touch it because it had to be investigated, according to the sheriff.
So far there is no indication of who will be sued or how the wrongful death investigation is going.
SBA has some comments about how the tower leasing works in the article I link to below. Make sure you take the time to read it.
a lot of sense to have centralized control. Centralized control will be reducing self interference, which is huge and something that most field workers could care less about until it gets to the optimization and performance phase. Then it’s an issue. Interference has to be cleaned up to improve the performance. Remember that this is all about coverage and performance. In a Het Net system we would call this eICIC, enhanced Inter Cell Interference Coordination. This is one of the reasons the cells have neighbor lists, to avoid this situation. Learn more on eICIC here, http://arxiv.org/pdf/1302.3784.pdf 
