What is Carrier Optimization?

October 27, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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I think that we often overlook one of the most important steps in deployment. The optimization process. This team finds more problems in the network than you realize to make it a better operating network. They find all the deployment problems that happened. They find mistakes in the original design and installation mistakes. That’s right installers! They find mistakes and problems that force physical changes!

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I would like to cover these heroes because they are the ones that take the system from performing “OK” to ranking high in the Root Metrics ratings. These are the groups that make the difference between the dropped calls and the seamless coverage. They are the ones that allow you to download that ever important Facebook page without missing a cat video! Let’s look at what these teams do.

How is in the team? The optimization team is usually made up of:

A project manager, PM
RF Engineer, RFE
Drive Team, DT

These are usually the three components of the optimization. What they do is gather the data to test the performance of the system and make changes to improve performance and coverage. Sound easy? Let’s look at what is involved.

The PM is there to manage the teams, create reports, and guide each team to work together. You don’t want one person going off and wasting time and money.

The RF Engineers are the ones who analyze the data, make adjustments, and make recommendations.

The drive teams are the ones who drive and walk around to collect the live data. They use laptops, software, and usually a type of smartphone connected to the laptop. They track their coverage with a GPS for location, the other devices will capture the data like signal strength, voice quality and handoff, download and upload speeds and handoffs, QoS of the connection, and the ability to connect and make a call and make data connections.

If you take all of this data, it is still not enough. There is also something called PCMD, per call measurement data that is used to analyze the coverage. The RFE teams have to take all of this data and make corrections to the network. What corrections? Let me tell you!

I know that most of you think that it’s a simple change in the eNodeB or the maybe a router. It is not always that easy. The optimization team will find so many problems with the network, more than most of you realize. I made a list below just to cover the surface.

Just a few problems caught in optimization:

Router problems, bandwidth or routing issues
Core issues, setting adjustments in the MME or one of the gateways
eNodeB settings are wrong
eNodeB wrong neighbor lists, self interference issues
Handoff issues, could be in the eNodeB or the core
Radio head cabling is wrong
PIM problems at a site that were missed
Antenna elevation, (up and down), is wrong and needs to be corrected
Antenna azimuth, (left or right), is wrong and needs to be changed
Bad cables on the radio head
Dirty fiber between the BBU and Radio head causing lost data
Power settings in the radio head
eNodeB settings that affect QoS
OEM problems

The optimization team’s goal is to have the network improve to become excellent in user experience. This takes time and a good plan of attack. They can’t just go around and drive the network. They really have to have a plan to concentrate on a problem area and work their way out. This will need to be organized and tactical. The cells and the clusters need to be looked at as a system. They will need to identify the problem with one piece of equipment but the goal is to have a high performing system. Making one change in an eNodeB could negatively affect a nearby cell causing new problems to arise. So this process is not an easy one. The RFE team needs to look at the whole before changing a piece.

When there is a system wide problem, the Tiger Teams are called in to correct the problem. This could be an OEM problem or maybe an issue with the original design or even faulty cabling. It happens.

OK, enough about that. I hope you learned how valuable this part of wireless deployment is to the carrier’s success.

More on RootMetrics found here. They are the group that measures the performance of the cell systems out there. They do the drive testing and package the measurements together to show the carriers how well they are performing. They have a great blog found here.

Pay attention, be smart, and be safe out there whether you are 100 feet up or driving. We need you to make it home alive, safe, and happy.

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Thank You Wireless Fans!

October 24, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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I would personally like to thank all of you for all of your support and for following me. I am committed to serving the best I can. Thank you for your feedback and for making my blog and podcast a success! We’re in this together.

I written over 284 posts for the blog. I had over 194,000 views, I had over 138,000 visitors, over 15,000 views last month! Thank you!

I recorded over 160 podcasts. Over 8,000 downloads. Thank you!

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Thank you Tower Safety for all that you have done for me! 480-313-0678! Thank you for serving the industry by providing all of our tower and OSHA training!

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Tower Industry Suffers Another Loss!

October 22, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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A well-known climber died today in a tower climbing accident, a great loss for the tower climbing industry.

I need everyone to pray and say a blessing. I am getting unconfirmed reports from many people in the industry that Ernie Jones, someone who is not only respected in the industry but helped write the standards for tower climber safety, died in a tower accident on October 21^st. I’m told he had an accident in the tower elevator of the tower. The crew had found him when they returned. I am still getting the details.

Ernie Jones was well-respected and loved in the tower industry. We will all miss him and we are all sad for his family and all of his friends this day. He will be missed as he was loved.

The News story from Channel 5 in Oklahoma City is here, the Channel 5 tower is where this happened. It was KOCO’s tower and authorities are looking into what happened, there are rumors but nothing has been confirmed.

http://www.koco.com/news/man-dies-wednesday-working-on-transmission-tower/35983760

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Regional Carriers Slighted by FirstNet

October 22, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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FirstNet made the decision to invite companies that can handle a nationwide rollout to the RFP coming out this year. The playing field for bidders just got a whole lot smaller. Did FirstNet hurt FirstNet by doing this? Did they severely limit competition? Hey little guy, better kiss up to the turf vendors, again. That is unless Verizon or AT&T will take this on, but why would they? They don’t need the spectrum and they probably have huge contracts with emergency services already, but let me get back to the point.

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Did FirstNet screw over the regional carriers by going nationwide only? Should the CCA, Competitive Carriers Association, http://competitivecarriers.org/, feel slighted? While they would never publicly admit it, I think that they already do, the CCA already feels a little down because the FCC isn’t going to help the smaller carriers out in the auction. They have a lot going against them. They need to rely on leasing the larger carriers for spectrum, so they probably feel like they are under the big boys’ thumbs with no help from the FCC. And now FirstNet.

The way I see it, this decision has taken away, correction, made it impossible for them to take lead roles in the roll out. Do you think it’s justified? There are 2 lines of thinking that are for and against FirstNet.

Against FirstNet. Here you have a group that is willing to work for spectrum but FirstNet implied that they don’t want to deal with small potatoes. They want to go big or go home. Drawbacks? FirstNet will wonder why the really rural areas are not getting built. I see that as a problem, like getting Alaska built. They have a commitment to cover 95% of the landmass. I don’t believe that AT&T nor Verizon do much of that on their own. They need partners, the CCA members that are willing to cover those rural areas that the big boys don’t deem profitable. I get it, they need to make money, but the CCA is doing all that they can to provide coverage where there is none, kudos to the CCA.

The other problem I see is that FirstNet just raised the price of the system. They just said that because they don’t have the resources to manage the full build that they are willing to pay a large contractor to do it for them. This eats at margin on margin on margin. Once again, the installer is at the bottom of the food chain. What else is new?

The pros for FirstNet are that they don’t have to manage the build, they don’t need to hire too much staff to manage this. They limit their risk by putting it all on the company that is willing to take it on. They have one throat to choke. If they are really lucky that could partner with AT&T or Verizon to handle all of this for them. I get it, I see a huge upside by paying one contractor to do it all. It makes a lot of sense to me. So I am not one-sided on this. FirstNet has a daunting task, on that the federal government took away from the states. (The states probably would have something built by now, just saying.) So I see where FirstNet is at, this is the most efficient way to use their resources, just like when the government used one contractor over in Iraq, Halliburton, how did that work out?

Don’t get me wrong, the smaller carriers will be involved. They are needed to make this happen, in my opinion, because they have the coverage, the sites, the knowhow, and the experience to deploy in rural areas. I would want them on my side for wireless deployment. They are the key to construction in rural areas. Here is what I see as an invaluable partner, companies that are in the trenches to make the world of communications better in regions that the big boys intentionally overlook in favor of larger profits.

Rural areas are what FirstNet is required to cover, eventually, but they need to turn a profit first, just like the carriers. So do the big boys see them as competition? Do they see money going out the door if FirstNet is a success? Will they lose all that public safety money if FirstNet takes off? FirstNet’s plan hinges on them signing up public safety groups around the US, then the utilities. What if it works and the groups start signing up? Why would they keep their big boy contracts? Why pay twice? Maybe the big boys see the threat of all those government agencies that relied on them for reliable coverage moving to FirstNet. What if they start leaving those 2 year contracts in favor of a system that is built for emergencies? I see that happening, if the system works, maybe in 2020. Why pay the carriers who have a system that gets overloaded in an emergency for one that is guaranteed to work in an emergency. Good bye crappy contracts and hello integrated public safety system. Is all that government money leaving the carriers, at least the big ones, for a newer system that focuses on public safety?

This is where the CCA and their members are invaluable. They could have used the spectrum and partnered with FirstNet to make the best system out there. They could have seen the opportunity to make it happen together in the areas that are very hard to cover. They could have brought their experience to the table. I see the CCA as a great partner, it’s a shame that FirstNet did not do more to work with them. I think that the experience that the CCA brings to the table is invaluable.

Will the big boy carriers take on the challenge of assisting FirstNet? I can’t wait to see but I think FirstNet should have seen more value in the CCA, that’s all I am saying. This is a daunting task, one that will take time, money, and patience. One that will have a lasting effect on the wireless industry because it will be taking money off the table for the carriers if they don’t work with FirstNet and then keep it in the government’s financial system. It is one that will spark growth in the wireless deployment industry for years to come! Deploy, deploy, deploy! Let’s get building! Well, I guess in 2017 we may get building, sorry, I got ahead of myself.

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What is LTE UE Backhaul?

October 19, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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What is LTE UE backhaul? It is backhaul that uses the carrier’s spectrum, just like the UE, User Equipment, you smartphone. If you have ever used a carrier’s Wi-Fi hotspot then chances are you have used a device similar to this. One that will use the carrier’s spectrum, like LTE, for backhaul. This is something that is commonly used for internet access when there is no Wi-Fi available. The carriers all sell these units and many of today’s smartphones do something similar. However, they just use the standard signal. Using it for a tiny hotspot and for an eNodeB are 2 different things.

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Let’s talk hotspot. Many vendors provide equipment that a user can add coverage quickly and easily. A quick Wi-Fi connection to the internet using the carrier’s LTE. Everyone has Wi-Fi and there are devices that create an instant hotspot. Verizon has the Mi-Fi or you can use your smart phone as a hotspot. Every carrier has a wireless modem that you will provide a Wi-Fi hotspot. I think anyone reading this probably knows about the hotspots. I thought it would be a good example to get started.

I am bringing this up because now there is talk about using the UE backhaul for small cells making it a more powerful cell extender. It sounds like a great idea on the surface. This is a cheap, quick and easy backhaul. However, what are the drawbacks?

What is a cell extender? There is a practice where many carriers will use a cell extender that will have a UE relay backhaul to extend the signal. This is also like a smartphone hotspot or a Mi-Fi unit because it was just to help a few customers but extends the carriers signal instead of Wi-Fi. This is a type of repeater to extend the macro’s signal, a cell extender. This is a way for the carrier to extend the coverage just a little bit farther. It’s a way to provide coverage someplace quickly and easily. These were common in 2G, 3G, and now LTE. It is a simple and quick way to install a repeater to extend carrier coverage down an ally. In the old days of DAS, this is really what they did. They would take the signal where it was strong or use an antenna and amplifier to increase the strength to get it into a dead spot. People paid a lot of money for these systems.

What about using UE backhaul for an eNodeB? You know, like a small cell or a mini macro? I am bringing this up because now there is talk about using the UE backhaul for small cells making it a more powerful cell extender. It sounds like a great idea on the surface. This is a cheap, quick and easy backhaul. However, what are the drawbacks?

It’s not a simple cell extender, and let me tell you why. Now you are talking about putting the small cell in an area where there is a loading issue. This goes beyond coverage. The data and spectrum usage could go through the roof! So if you set it up like a cell extender with backhaul to the macro site, then guess what! You will see an overloaded macro sector! The macro not only has to deal with all of its users but all the small cell or Mini macro users too. This sucks up all the spectrum and bandwidth for that sector. What can be done? Read on!

To break the bottleneck you need to dedicate spectrum in the macro eNodeB that will be feeding the UE backhaul. This will alleviate the spectrum usage for the regular users on the macro sector. We don’t want them to get knocked off if the small cell US backhaul overloads the macro. This will make it so that the users on the macro don’t get shut knocked off if the small cell pulls the entire spectrum for its users. This will allow the small cell UE backhaul to have a dedicated pipe. It needs to have dedicated spectrum for this purpose. Then the small cell will know how much backhaul spectrum it has to available. By the way, not an easy change, changes in the eNodeB and possibly the core need to be considered as well as neighboring sites. This “dedicated backhaul spectrum” needs to be set aside in this sector and others too. It takes some planning and changes.

You could still have the data bottleneck at the macro’s backhaul. That’s another issue that needs planning.

So now you dedicated part of the band to the UE backhaul, which seems OK. Remember that the carrier paid a lot of money for that spectrum and now they are choosing to use it for backhaul. So the pipe is limited based on coverage and availability. It is a quick and easy to add UE backhaul, but is this the best use of the spectrum? Will you lose something in this backhaul? Yes, you have delay issues, timing issues, and neighbor issues. All of this is a problem when building a site for any type of real loading. Go to the links below to learn more.

However, what’s the real issue? Is it all the problems I mentioned above? They are all technical issues that good engineers will resolve. This appears to be a cheap and quick solution. But that’s not the real issue, is it? The carriers paid a crap ton of money for spectrum. Is backhaul a smart way to use this resource? Is that billion dollar investment there to save some CapEx for the company? I thought it was for the customers! Backhaul could have been something in the unlicensed band for a lot less money. It could be a fiber link for more money. Is this an easy out or will it cause problems down the road because the spectrum is only going to get more and more valuable? Do investors want to see that spectrum used this way? I don’t see the auctions being a cheap alternative to providing backhaul.

So just because it looks cheap and easy doesn’t mean it’s a good move strategically. Don’t get me wrong, the UE relays, the repeaters serve an important purpose for coverage and filling holes, I am just saying be strategic and think it through. For more information hit the links below to learn about these solutions.

https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/binary/pdf/corporate/technology/rd/technical_journal/bn/vol12_2/vol12_2_029en.pdf

http://lteworld.org/blog/introduction-relay-nodes-lte-advanced

http://wireless.skku.edu/english/UserFiles/File/1569472705.pdf

http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2013/lte-in-band-relay-prototype-and-field-measurement.pdf

http://www.interdigital.com/research_papers/2012_01_13_system_architecture_for_a_cellular_network_with_ue_relays_for_capacity_and_coverage_enhancement

http://www.airspan.com/products/airvelocity-2/

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What Does it Mean to Underbid?

October 15, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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Let’s talk about the low bid and why people may intentionally underbid. Here’s the deal, a low bid could be for any reasons.

They had a fair bid for the work.
They have the best process for the work.
They are local and there is no travel built-in.
They have done it before for this customer and know exactly what to do for this customer.
Underbid to steal work from the competition.
Underbidder wants to get in with this customer really bad.
Underbidder wants to make it up in change orders.
Underbidder wants to show what their company can do by getting the work and sacrificing margin on this one job.
Maybe the contractor just don’t know any better.
Some underbidders have no intention of paying their contractors.

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When doing a national wireless offer, there could be fewer layers between the customer and contractor. Unfortunately it normally runs like this because logistics make it hard to work with so many individual contractors.

Customer ⇒ national turf vendor ⇒ regional vendor ⇒ local vendor ⇒ Tower crew/RF Engineer/Drive Team

Each layer below the customer takes a cut. Some cut deeper than others. However, most customers like a SPOC, single point of contact, which is usually a PM or a PM firm.

Some underbidders may have no intention of paying their contractors. It happens so often in the wireless industry. So many vendors don’t trickle the money down, they just don’t pay unless they have to. This is a problem that needs to be rectified by taking them to court and creating a black list of companies that do this. How do we do it? If someone doesn’t pay you, don’t work for them again ever after taking them to small claims court. Make sure they know that you take it very seriously. Now this sounds easy, right? If you are a small company then you know that to take time off is to lose money. However, it can’t hurt to file the paperwork, can it? Take the time to file, to make sure the company gets served. Take the time to let your customer know that you mean business. It sucks now but it will pay off in the long run. Then make a list of people not to work for, remember why you won’t work for them. Ask the contact why they didn’t pay and log it. You may be called to share this with someone in the future, that is up to you what you do with it but if you have a team, let them know who you don’t want to work for!

Back to the underbidder. If you bid too low then be prepared to take a loss. That’s what it means to underbid! PMs don’t’ like change orders unless they are needed, and often they are needed. Contractors like change orders if it adds money to the bottom line. However, when a contractor’s reputation is that they ask for too many change orders, then they have a hard time winning bids. Make sure that you can justify every change order!

What would be a perfect world? To get paid on time every time! Simple, but the terms often suck. It’s hard to put food on the table with net 120 terms and your contractors are net 30 and their employees are paid weekly. Many contractors want to get paid net 30 because they have employees that get paid weekly. Get it? They are paying the people that do the work!

My recommendation is don’t underbid, be the best worker. Some say this won’t win as much business. Especially where so many companies want the low bidder, not the best worker. Customers want terms like net 90 to net 120, yet they want to start making money on their system from day one of turn up. Interesting how they have money to invest and all you are asking for is money to feed your family. If only we could all get on the same page. Unfortunately the underbidders will always be out there. The good news is that some customers like the best workers and will stick with the contractor that sticks to the price while doing good work, and will show up on time. I know that these companies get steady work. There is a glimmer of hope by cutting out some layers and showing the potential of some of these companies.

So, what to do? Get efficient, create better processes, find ways to cut costs and automate! Do good work! Quality matters! I agree that there are always ways to do the work more efficiently and for less money. That’s the real goal, improve processes, cut time and costs and still deliver quality work. If this was the focus of most companies, then life would be pretty good. Let’s concentrate on the process, better ways to do things. Listen to the people on the front lines so you can make changes to the design up front. Then you can be the low bidder with the best margins if you can become very efficient and find balance between great work, quality, efficient processes, and profitability. This will make the customer rely on your for more and more work.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention to safety!

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The Wireless Deployment book should be out next week! Don’t you want to learn all you can about deployment steps for small cells and CRAN? Helping you identify problems throughout the process, the entire process, so that you can avoid problems in the work. Design, surveys, installations, commissioning, and optimization covered here with an emphasis on planning for all stages to handoff and make the deployment successful!

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Offered a Job? Ask Questions!

October 12, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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I was talking to someone recently who was quite upset about not getting paid per diem for being out-of-town because they could not work one day. Apparently this is not against OSHA regulations in some states. Here is what happened, he was sent somewhere to work, they could not work one day because of an issue, either weather or supply chain, so they had to stay an extra day. Well the company didn’t pay for the extra day. So what do you do?

Well he tried to contact the department of labor, but apparently they don’t have a rule for something like that. So he reached out to other people and no one, including me was able to help. So what do you do?

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Well, make sure you ask the questions when getting hired. It’s that easy and it’s something that most people won’t do or forget about. I won’t lie to you, if you ask these questions they may not hire you because they know that you understand how some companies work. They want to be in a position to come out ahead even if the worker gets the short end of the stick.

I wrote about building your resume and LinkedIn profile here. Now I want you to ask the right questions before you get hired. I put a few together to get you started.

What does it pay? Is that by the hourly or salary? Do I get overtime?
What benefits do I get? Health, dental, disability both long and short-term.
Am I an employee or a contractor? (If you are a contractor, then chances are good you won’t get any benefits.)
Are you a member of NATE?
What will my travel percentage be? 80% travel?
What is your per diem policy? Do you follow the federal government rates? (Found here.)
Is the hotel included in per diem or do you pay for that separately?
Do I get per diem if the work is canceled for a reason beyond my control?
Do I get over time? If so when, after 40 hours, after 80 hours? Do I get it for working over 8 hours a day?
May I see a copy of the employee manual?
May I have a copy of your safety manual?
May I see a copy of your tower safety manual? (Remember that it’s different from the standard safety policies of the company.)
Do you do inside training of climbers/engineers? If not, where do you send them to be trained?
What training do you offer people? For climbers, training and rescue, for any site worker, OSHA and first aid and CPR.
How often do you train or renew certificates? Once a year, every 2 years? Specifically, how often?
Who runs your training program? An employee or a company? Who specifically?
Who runs your human resources department? Is it the owner or a person or an outside company?
May I have a tour of your facility? (It may be a good idea to see the office to see if they are for real.)
Who are your customers?
Could I speak to a crew leader?
How often do you hand out raises? What do you base them on?
Do you give bonuses? If so when, and what are they based on? (Company performance, my performance, safety performance?)

These are a few questions that will help you and the employer have a clear understanding of the expectations. It is better for both sides to be clear up front to avoid any problems down the road. Write them down and narrow it down to

the best questions you can think of. I know these seem basic, but it may save you from making a big mistake. If you think you will just quit after getting screwed over, then you must not have a family to worry about. It’s hard to walk out even though the company will lay you off when work dries up. That’s how it is.

Another good idea is to ask people about the company. Get on Facebook or LinkedIn and see if anyone knows the company or has worked for them. There is nothing like talking a former exemployee to see if the company is OK to work for. Now remember, there are always people who hate everyone they worked for so it is a good idea to ask several people if possible. I know people that were never happy anywhere, so to be fair, ask more than one person.

Now remember, if you do get hired then do the best job you can. Log everything you do, your time and work. They may or may not do that for you but you need to do it. If the company is good to you then be good to them. Respect the people that respect you. If they do run out of work, be prepared. Always ask about the workload and what’s coming up so you can be prepared. Remember to save what you can to be prepared for the hard times. You need to take care of you, so be prepared! Read your SOW, do quality work, make every site you leave the best it can be with the tools you have. Remember that safety matters even when the boss doesn’t think it does.

I hope this helps. I can already hear many of you judging this, saying it’s all common sense. If you say this is common sense, then why do so many people complain about these very issues? I have fallen into this trap, that’s why it matters. When someone offers you a job, it feels pretty good, but the honeymoon is over the first time you get screwed.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. Do what you gotta do, just do it safely!

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

FirstNet: When will it Happen?

October 8, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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So FirstNet came out and said that they would issue the RFP to build the entire USA, article found here. This helps us understand that they do intend to build the country as a whole, not state by state. Now, the states do have the option to opt out, but so far I don’t see any definitive signs that any will. Now, what they show and what they will so could differ because the states have looked into it. They have hired consultants to help them weigh out the options. I believe that they would prefer to build their own networks but they don’t see the payback. In fact, they don’t have to go on the FirstNet network if they don’t want to. That may be the second thing they need to consider, which is cheaper, the carrier or FirstNet. Let me tell you, devices will be expensive for FirstNet because any manufacturer will on make thousands, not millions. That is the most obvious obstacle but if there is an emergency then the FirstNet network will be up and available where the carrier’s network may be overloaded.

The way FirstNet is going to maintain the system is by selling contracts to first responders. This could be states, counties, cities, and anyone who may really need the LTE emergency network for data and eventually voice.

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Presales page is here! –>

The Wireless Deployment book should be out next week! All the steps for small cells and CRAN to help you identify problems throughout the process, the entire process. Design to optimization covered here with an emphasis on planning.

Andrew Seybold, noted analyst in the wireless industry, wonders if anyone is still interested in bidding on FirstNet. (Great article in Mission Critical Magazine and I am a fan of Mr. Seybold’s work.) If you’re in the wireless industry then you know that this is going to take forever. The federal government has found a way to make the deployment go even slower before it begins. Let’s look at the problems.

To answer the question, anyone who wants a part of that $7B will bid on it, to make the money. So I see all the OEMs, large management companies, and contractors all bidding on it.
Is $7Billion dollars enough? Enough to get started. I am guessing over $30Billion to get over 75% of it completed if they build it themselves. If they partner with a carrier they could save a lot of money, the way I see it. But hey, I am guessing.
Can FirstNet run and maintain this RAN system without outside help? No, not without another major investment. So someone will have to maintain it for them costing them more money annually, (OpEx). It will not be free! They just do not have the manpower to take care of something like that. Who does, really, other than a carrier who is already doing it?
Does anyone think that FirstNet can sustain the network financially by selling services to public safety groups in the states? Not really, but there is hope and they do have a plan. States can still opt out but it is very hard to opt out and the budget dollars are not there. I would guess one source of income they would really like to have is to lease the spectrum to a major carrier. The deal there is that the carrier has access but public safety has priority and if an emergency happens then the carrier would likely lose access to it. As for the states buying time on it, that may become more of a political decision. If the states want to remain in good favor with the federal government they may spend the money hoping it will replace a carrier, but let’s face it, FirstNet reaching a carrier’s coverage is over a decade away.
Backhaul network? They would need to rely on vendors and the states to complete it and the states would want to charge for usage just like the vendors. Backhaul is key and will cost a lot of money if they build it all themselves. Backhaul will add to the OpEx and cost more money each month. Many states, like Pennsylvania, have their own backhaul network which FirstNet would use for political reasons if nothing else. It just makes sense. I see the fiber companies making a lot of money from this venture. Uncle San will pay a lot of money to add to the already intense infrastructure that they already have.
Was the draft RFP a good model for the actual RFP? It was OK but you don’t have a dedicated and experienced wireless team there. Don’t get me wrong, they are smart and learning, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in that. It is like all new wireless companies that hire a core team and then practice and make corrections. That is where they learn from consultants, OEMs, and experienced people in the industry. Many states have dabbled in broadband and have an idea of what to do, but building the first public safety national network will be a huge challenge no matter who does it.
Can they complete it before the deadline? It doesn’t look that way to me so they may have to ask for an extension. I am not sure if they can get it or if the government would try to get what’s left of the $7Billion. Wait and see, I just hope all the contractors and suppliers get paid for what they have done.
Is the coverage area realistic? They are mandated to cover most of the real estate in the USA, so it will be tough! I forget the percentage, but it’s really high. They only make money where they lease the network. So the major population areas is where they will make a good return and the sparse rural areas, where even the carrier don’t want to build, will cost money to maintain with little return.
Can they do it without the help of a major carrier? Probably, but it will be much harder and cost much more!
Will a major carrier partner with FirstNet? I don’t know. I don’t see any of them publicly saying they want to. T-Mobile and Sprint don’t see interested, Verizon and AT&T are looking into it but is it worth all the headaches? Only they can tell you. FirstNet would be smart to get the help of the CCA, in my opinion. CTIA would be a big help, but they would do what the carriers wanted, not what FirstNet wants.
If FirstNet builds the NPSBN, what does that mean to wireless deployment? More work, plenty of work, lots of work. All across the USA! Many crews would get busy doing federal work so life would be good for the build out years. Then, if you can score a maintenance contract you could continue to make residuals.
Will FirstNet start to deploy in 2016? Hell no! They are going to issue the RFP at the end of 2015, so that process takes time. Then the contract negotiations. Then the ramp up. Then the massive site acquisition and then the backhaul planning, network planning. First, they need to build a core and that takes time. I would like to think they would start in 2017. Can you wait that long?
Will the election change things? Possibly, but I hope not. It would really hurt and they already have $7B for this program. So I think it will continue until the money runs out.

To help you out:

FirstNet –First Responders Network Authority
NPSBN – National Public Safety Broadband Network
For more information on FirstNet:
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R42543.pdf
http://www.firstnet.gov/consultation

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Who is at Fault? Who will Pay? Legalities Q&A

October 5, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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Who is at fault, better question, who will pay for the changes when there are installation problems? I thought that I would go over a Q&A session that might help all of you deployment people out there. When putting in a system these are all issues that I have heard about in the past.

Many people ask me about the leasing and permitting side of the business. I am talking about problems that site survey people and installers may run into. Now the site acquisition people know what they are doing, so this is probably old news for them. What about the people on site? Are you going to be held responsible for problems that arise if there is a permitting issue? Remember, the problem is usually with the landlord, this is after the site acquisition teams are out of the picture. It’s the installer who gets yelled at by the landlord or gets the fine from a passing cop, not the site acquisition people! The survey team may need to do some due diligence before sending the crew out to do the installation. So here are some questions that I asked Rob Turner in Atlanta. Rob is a partner in a law firm that deals with real estate and site infrastructure and an all around nice guy. His firm is 360 Venture Law if you’re interested. Hey, this is free advice from someone who deals with this daily! I have 12 questions that I wrote to Rob and he answered below. I cover lese, permitting, and problems with installation.

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When looking at a building, how do I find out who owns/manages the site?
- Beyond a direct inquiry with the front desk security officer (if the building has one), a helpful starting point is the county tax assessor’s office. Typically, you can search property owner records with the assessor’s office. Once you determine the owner, you can then contact them for an introductory discussion (which may lead you to any property manager retained by the owner).
When planning to mount on the roof, do I still need to go through zoning and permitting?
- This answer assumes that the location has been leased from the property owner and that it was confirmed that local zoning allows communications antennas on rooftops prior to the lease. Prior to any construction and/or installation, the tenant will need to: 1) confirm with the local ordinances whether additional building permits are required for the antenna installation (most likely); and 2) review the lease agreement to determine what types of consents, etc. may be needed from the landlord (note: even if consent not required by the lease, from a liability protection standpoint, the tenant is STRONGLY encouraged to obtain the landlord’s written consent to this work).
If I want to mount my small cell on a wall, say 10’ above ground, would the person that managed the roof be the contact? In other words, would the roof manager also manage the mounting to the lower parts of a building?
- Always start with the underlying site lease agreement to determine what the ‘leased premises’ are and the extent of your permitted use (basically: what space can you use on the property to locate your antenna and equipment). The lease will also indicate who the appropriate contact persons are for any property-related questions. For the question above, the person that manages the rooftop is probably also responsible for managing the overall exterior of the building.
If I decide to mount my radio head in a stairway window, who would help me coordinate the mounting.
- The property owner/property manager contact should be your starting point. This is important because in addition to coordinating the actual on-site work, there may be a need for this type of mounting to occur after normal business hours to avoid disturbing other tenants in the building. As noted with the other comments above, the carrier should always confirm in its lease whether landlord’s consent is required before completing any such work – especially that involves drilling into the building’s exterior structure.
If someone has to core drill through a floor and followed the drawings but cause a tenant problems, who would be at fault?
- For this scenario and in all likelihood, the party that completed the drilling is going to have some level of responsibility. Virtually all communications infrastructure lease agreements include ‘indemnity’ provisions. A lease indemnity is where a tenant agrees to pay the landlord for any costs/expenses/damages suffered by the landlord from tenant’s actions. In this scenario, whether the core drilling was conducted by the tenant (or one of its subcontractors) they can certainly expect the landlord to ask them to pay for any damages they cause the other tenants within the building.
If after the installation is completed and the equipment’s fans are very noisy in a building or on a street pole, what would happen if the nearby people complained? On a street is may be someone’s home. In a building it may be a tenant. What would happen when the people complain? Who would be held responsible for this resolution?
- Guidance for resolving this type of scenario will come from the site lease agreement. If the equipment is located in a building and the fans, etc. are generating noise that impacts other tenants, this will be an issue for the landlord (having to deal with its other tenants) but likely one for the communications company as well (most leases have non-interference language in them). If we look to a street pole for example and nearby neighbors are complaining, the communications company will need to confirm they met all appropriate permits, etc. for their installation and operation. Presuming they are properly permitted, they will need to factor in the potential impact on their ‘good will’ in the community by NOT taking action to mitigate the sound. Just like many matters in real estate, this is a site-specific question.
If there needs to be a new utility, (like power or backhaul), that is needed on the roof, should that be negotiated in the lease prior to the installation with the landlord?
- This scenario is a common point of contention for carriers and landlords. Landlords want absolute control over their property/structures, while the tenant wants to ensure that it can construct and operate its antenna and equipment for the duration of the lease term without having to always ask landlord for permission. Most leases will contain a broad ‘maintenance & upgrades’ provision that provide the tenants flexibility for ensuring their antenna and equipment are current over the lease term. Depending on how the lease agreement established utility rights within the building (e.g., through a dedicated conduit, risers, etc.), and if the tenant requires additional space within the building to run utilities to the antenna and equipment, coordination with the landlord will be required. Note: if the tenant believes landlord consent is required, that has the potential to be a long lead time item.
When choosing a pole to mount on in a city street, how is the lease handled?
- Under this scenario, the carrier will first have to determine who owns the pole. Assuming the pole is owned by a utility provider, the tenant is going to have to coordinate a lease agreement with that city’s utility provider for the actual space on the pole. Note: there are a number of other variables to address with pole mounted antenna including power to the mounted equipment and ensuring fiber access.
For poles, if fiber is on one side of the street and not on the other, how hard is it to change an asset with utility or city owned poles? In other words, does one entity generally own all the poles?
- Within a given municipality, one or more utilities may control most/all of the poles. As such, a prospective tenant will need to coordinate its potential use with the appropriate utility operator. Speaking to the question on changing from one side of the street to the other, this is where a tenant should put a lot of time and effort into its pre-lease due diligence to determine where the underground utilities are located on the sides of a given road – that information will no doubt help guide the potential tenant to which poles will best serve its needs.
If fiber is needed, who decides if it has to be run overhead or underground?
- The fiber question will be determined in part by: the utility easements on either side of a particular road; the particular company that will run the fiber and what types of municipal permits are required for the work, and how long it takes to obtain those permits. The companies that install fiber have to address all of those factors, along with the carrier’s needs (e.g., how many access points along a particular route) to determine whether to locate fiber underground or overhead.
If the installer mounts a small cell in the wall as per the landlords specifications and there are problems, who is at fault?
- This scenario will be fact-dependent on what happened and any damages that arose from the event. Even though the carrier followed the landlord’s specs, if the carrier was negligent with its installation, it could be at fault and potentially liable to the landlord (and landlord’s other tenants). See the comment above regarding indemnity for some more perspective.
If there is a zoning issue after the fact or if the municipality fails the installation, how should each party proceed?
- As a general rule, virtually all leases are structured so that if there are subsequent changes in laws and regulations that impact or limit the ability to operate a tower or roof-mounted antenna, that the tenant can terminate the lease without liability to the landlord.

So there you have it, the answers some of the questions I get asked. If you have more questions then let me know by reaching out to me at wade4wireless@gmail.com. If you would like to know more about Rob and 360 Venture Law, read on!

About Rob: Rob Turner is a partner with the technology law firm 360 Venture Law, LLP based in Atlanta. www.360vlaw.com Rob has a strong commercial real estate and communications infrastructure component to his law practice and has worked extensively with property owners throughout the country assisting them with cell tower and rooftop lease matters. He welcomes the opportunity to further discuss your particular property’s needs. He may be reached at rturner@360vlaw.com.

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Can We Catch the Copper Thieves!

October 1, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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I know that all of you have heard of the copper thieves and how 98% of them get away clean. The exception is the husband and wife team that stole batteries. Well, I talked to Craig Moran, sales manager at UAS, who says he has the answer to catching the bad guys once and for all.

Here is the problem, someone goes on the site and they steal any copper or anything they think would be valuable that they could take to a scrap yard and sell. Copper draws a higher price so they look for pretty clean copper. Then when you get an alarm or get to the site, you realize that your site has been robbed of all the copper. This causes you to worry about the next storm that goes through with lighting that could destroy your equipment because the grounding is gone. You also need to worry about the price of not only the hardware but the labor to replace it all. Those scumbags just vandalized your site, your property, and cost you thousands of dollars just so they could have beer money. Let’s make them pay! But how? Read on my friends.

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We have painted and tarred the copper to protect it. This works for most but you always have the idiots that try to cut the power lines or rip out the ground arrays because they have plenty of time at a remote site with no one watching it. Let’s face it, not many people are going to pay a security guard to watch the site, especially since they may be one of the culprits to show up later.

So what service is out there that could help us out? Well Craig called me to tell me that they have a solution. It isn’t free, so get that out of your head. It is a combination of motions sensors, video, and a service that monitors the video to make sure there is a human at the site. They would need to work with the NOC because if the person on site checks in then there is no problem, just a video of them on site. The service pays off when someone does not sign in and they enter illegally. Then the service would alert the owners or the police, whatever they are told to do. Then, in theory, the police would go to the site immediately to catch the bastards stealing from you and ruining your site!

This videofied is designed to catch criminals, via a high priority police dispatch. This works best in an on/off environment. Either you should be there or you shouldn’t.

Here are some pictures of what it would look like.

Video to the Central Station for review and dispatch – Monitored Video Alarm
Other video solutions ISOLATEthe video from the central station. ONLY viewed by owner. Usually the next day! Too late!
Most video cameras sold with alarm systems are NOT monitored at Central Station and do not deliver faster police response.
Self-Surveillance NOT video verification.

For more information contact Craig Moran, UAS, Sales Manager, 800-421-6661 ext 1283, craig.moran@uas.com, www.uas.com. UAS has been around as an integrated security company for 43 years, so they are not new.

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