What are your Deployment Risks?

September 9, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

Weather Related Issues

When working in wireless, many things can create work and delay work. Weather is a big one because you have no control over it, yet it has control over you.

The recent tornadoes and hurricanes have made the workload extremely busy. Especially in Puerto Rico where the hurricane wiped out most of the country.

These issues have caused the carrier to spend a fortune to repair and rebuild. It’s good for many people in the industry because they get work that was unexpected, like repairing destroyed antennas, base stations, and so on. We do what we can to make the repair and/or replace the equipment. Larger OEMs are very slow, but they do what they can to respond.

If you’re bidding on work, this can be a problem. I was bidding on an expansion in Puerto Rico right before the hurricane hit. That stopped everything, and it made the contractors think they could get a premium for the work. For one, everyone pointed to the hurricane and added insane risk values to the work. They said any hurricane is a risk. Well, when the hurricane hit, nobody got the work because the expansion was called off so that repairs from the hurricane could happen. That drained the expansion fund. My point is, everyone knew that hurricanes hit and tried to cover for it when in reality the hurricane fund is a different fund. You have to be realistic when planning a deployment versus damage repair. Completely different business models.

Weather invokes risk. Everyone wants to charge for that risk, but those days are gone. You have to deal with it somehow, but it can’t be through charging the customer. They won’t pay for a potential risk unless it is authentic. I think we need to find the balance and try to work together. The risk from weather has to be taken seriously, but you can’t let it stop the work altogether. I have seen people pull out of bids on a potential weather risk alone. I get it, something terrible could happen, but that’s why it’s called a risk. If the probability is high, then the customer will understand. Many times, we can wait and see or delay, again, that is a cost, but one that both parties can bare.

If the system is built and a hurricane, flood, or tornado happen, then you need to respond in a timely fashion if you get the work. Generally, this is maintenance and not bid out, but who knows how carriers will handle it going forward.

Then there are the less obvious weather problems like lightning. Yes, lightning can still take out a site. We are better protected than ever, yet it still happens.

What can you do?

Plan the deployment around the better seasons. Good luck, but it may help, the weather is bad all year round, but worse during some seasons than Northeast has winter blizzards; Southeast has summer hurricanes, Midwest has sprint tornadoes, the west has summer heat waves. Maybe the fall is the best time, but fall brings rain and high winds.
Make a contingency plan. If a storm or hurricane is rolling in, stand down for a week or two. If a tornado hits, then wait it out for a few days. If a blizzard is coming, stay away for a week. The weatherman is your friend; even if he is wrong, you could play it safe.
You get hit unexpectedly with lousy weather, deal with it, it will be a loss. It’s best to build in some risk into your business plan. If you can make up time somewhere else or get ahead of schedule, then use that time to pay for the losses you’re incurring now.
Add some money into a severe weather risk fund. Plan ahead to cover yourself for times like this.

Manpower shortages

There will always be an issue with manpower. A shortage of manpower creates risks that vary from deployment delays to price gauging. Both are potential problems when there is a shortage of crews. With the deployments ramping up and the manpower being called in, you have to prepare for the issues that happen with a heavy workload.

What can you do?

Put in place a hiring and training program that makes sense. This allows you to ramp up quickly and efficiently with a well-implemented program instead of trying to figure out what to when it’s too late.
Partner with other companies to cover you in the bad times. Be willing to hire the competition when you need help.
Call back laid-off workers in good standing. Some burn bridges, but if you need people and they are trained, then ask them to help out.
See if a 1099 work plan will help out to get you through the tough times. Maybe someday they can go W4, but for now, get them in to help out as 1099, if that works in your model.
If you lay off when it’s slow, let them know why that you’re out of work. Don’t just let them go and burn the bridge. Let them know that the door may open up again. Don’t be an asshole, be a responsible manager.
Call people back that retired! They could help you train and get the crews up and running quickly. They are a valuable resource that most companies overlook.
Let the customer know that resources are scarce and that the schedule will suffer. Let them know ASAP, just in case you can’t keep up. Honesty really is the best policy, even if it hurts now, it may save you later, and the customer should appreciate your honesty. This may help you get more help through the customer.

Equipment shortages

This all too common. The equipment could be anything, so let’s look at some scenarios.

OEM/manufacturer specific equipment

This could be a computer, server, transmitter, or even a specific cabinet. These are all things that we rely on a specific OEM or manufacturer to deploy. This could be a power supply or a cabinet. While for the small business they would just find a replacement, if you’re dealing with a carrier, they would have to have it tested and approved before they would deploy anything. This is a 3 to 6-month process. It’s not easy when you’re trying to be compliant.

Cable shortages

This is more common than you know. In today’s carrier world where they specify the specific manufacturer, supplier, and type of cable. If you ever worked with a hybrid flex cable, then you know what I mean. It has a specific power cable, fibers, and so on. Each manufacturer has a specific requirement. These supply issues can cause problems.

Shipping issues

This could be any of the equipment above. Shipping can be an issue. If something comes from within the USA, it’s generally not a shipping problem. Maybe supply, but not shipping. However, how much equipment actually comes from the USA? We get most everything from China. It takes time to get something from China. The outsourcing is a problem. We have to get everything over here quickly, but then it has to go through customs. It’s a real problem and one that I don’t see being resolved any time soon.

What can you do? Not much if it’s coming from China, sit and wait.

Common equipment shortages

This could be jumper cables like fiber jumper, copper jumpers, or maybe even coax. When everyone is doing their deployments at the same time, then you have shortages from vendors and suppliers that didn’t plan well or have been burned in the past.

What can you do?

Have plenty of suppliers!
Get a list of approved alternates you can use at the start of the project. While this sounds easy and obvious, it’s generally the last thing you think about when starting to deploy.
Create your own stock. This is a risk because you may get stuck with something that could be scrapped early in the project. It takes your judgment to know if this is the right thing to do.

Design changes

The design of the equipment, installation, or even a process could change your profit margin. If you’re installing, then you may have to make a dramatic change when the equipment is altered. That will cost you more time. Of course, the customer won’t want to hear that.

The process could change, for instance, when you started installing all the equipment at the first site, you did it one way. Then things changed. At the tenth site, something changed in the process. The MOP changed because that specific equipment has to be installed differently for some reason. Suddenly, you slow down the installation because the process has changed. You need to figure out how to recover the cost of spending more time at the site. If you can’t recover the time, you have to ask for more money or walk off the job if it’s a huge loss. I have seen contractors do it. It’s not pretty for either side and causes a rift in the relationship.

What can you do?

If the equipment changes, make a documented change in your process and track the time, document everything, then present it to the customer as a change order. Maybe you will have to alter the SOW or the contract. If you are going to lose money, you have to decide what to do. Hey, most large companies act like complete assholes when you ask for more money, but if you can document everything and build a case, it gives you a solid reason why. If you just ask for more money because you say it takes longer, think how that sounds to the other side. Documentation is the key. Build a solid case then show the change then present the new cost.
If the process changes, document the time change and make a list of new costs. Document, then present the change in cost, then negotiate.

Unforeseen risks

This happens. It could be someone quitting, an accident at a site, a financial issue, anything. Then you need to deal with that. You could get fired because the customer wants to hire a relative or another company they like better or that works at half the cost you did. Sure, it sucks, but it happens. I have seen divorces destroy small companies.

What can you do? If you can make sure you have enough money to get you through the tough times. You may have to lay people off or work on having a backup project or customer. If you lost the business to someone else, then offer to work for them, but not at a loss!

Thank you for your support and your time. And good job on learning all you can in the wireless industry, you are amazing! Now, go out and impress people!

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Can Fixed Wireless Compete with Cable Modems?

September 2, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

With all the talk of the 24GHz spectrum being released, we should expect to see some deployments for FWA very soon. We all know that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA are planning to deploy FWA, Fixed Wireless Access.

What is FWA? It’s basically a point to multipoint system with extremely high throughput. Systems like this were big in the early 2000’s using the ISM band. I have deployed many of these systems back when WISPs would deliver broadband to underserved communities. You still needed backhaul. Back then it may have been DSL, maybe fiber, whatever the local telco could deliver to the hot spot. You may remember companies like Alvarion, WaveAccess, or Proxim. I don’t know if any of them provide PTMP solutions anymore, but they were PTMP equipment manufacturers early on.

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This was typical back when 1Mbps and 10Mbps access was sufficient. Guess what, now it’s not enough. In fact, we scoff at such a low throughput. That’s why the licensed spectrum is critical. We need it to provide reliable throughput at high speeds. We all like Wi-Fi unless it’s in a heavily loaded system because then it sucks. Licensed is the same but it’s a controlled environment. If you’ve ever been on a loaded cell site, then you have the same experience as crappy Wi-Fi. The idea here is that, hypothetically, the 24GHz spectrum will have enough spectrum to allow multiple users to have gigabit throughput simultaneously.

Imagine LTE or 5G NR formats pumping data at lightning speeds. This is a game changer. It should exceed what Wi-Fi can do, but we will still have Wi-Fi in our homes, but they will be fed with this spectrum through a FWA modem. That will compete with cable modems! High throughput with broadband spectrum.

What is the key?

The key to making this a success lies in several areas.

Easy installation. The installation has to be easy, very easy. Did you ever install a cable modem? It sounds so easy, plug and play. It is never that easy, and you always need help, and there is always some freaking cable issue. Once it works and is set up, it’s great. It’s just getting there, running the cable, trying to test it, and the cable guy wanting to put a hole in your house or apartment to get it to work. Why can’t they make it easier? If the wireless modem can be easy to install with minimal connections and wireless backhaul, then life is good. Easy is the key to mass deployment.
Make it mobile. While the cable company says all you have to do it take your box with you, did you ever do that? I did. It’s never that easy, it won’t always work at the new home, and you usually need to go to the store or schedule a cable tech visit. I don’t see this getting any better with the carriers because coverage will be an issue early on. The only exception could be Sprint if they can mass deploy 5G on 2.5GHz spectrum. If only they could get out of their own way and deploy properly, then they might be able to pull something like this off. As for the other 3, they will have spotty coverage at best when they start to deploy 24GHz.
Bundling will be key. You already see Comcast doing this with their Wi-Fi and Verizon mobility package. They know that if they can lock you into a cable, internet, and mobile contract, it will be tough for you to leave. I believe Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T know this as well. They will do all that they can to provide you with package deals you can’t refuse.
Customer service will play a part. Comcast is learning this. Do you remember when they had the worst customer service? I do! They sucked, but they also turned it around. They knew that people were starting to loathe the company because nobody wants to talk to an asshole. They associate that one jerk with the entire company. While Verizon and AT&T think they have this figured out, I know that T-Mobile does. T-Mobile understands that people call only when they are already upset and frustrated. They know that a live customer service rep is valuable to the caller. They know that a quick resolution matters and they have been doing all that they can to provide the best service. That will be a game changer moving ahead.
Contracts will make a fundamental Do any of you have a cable contract that just sucks? I do. I am locked into Comcast for 2 years with a TV setup that I don’t care for because I have to buy some stupid bundle that I don’t really want. Why can’t I get the channels I want for the price I want to pay? Why do I have to commit to a timeline and see my price go up the day it’s done? Because Comcast is going to soak me until they have real competition. Listen, the TV doesn’t matter to me that much anymore, the internet does. So, the TV programming is losing value now that we have Netflix and Amazon Prime. Comcast knows this, but they want to soak me for as much as they can until they need to change. I get it. The almighty dollar matters more to them than making me happy. Oh, the customer service rep will say that these are the only packages available, and they are. So, it’s not their fault, is it? I blame Comcast and when I have a choice, which way do you think I will go. Payback is a bitch! I would be willing to bet I am not the only one.
Service of actual broadband. If the carriers can really provide 1Gbps to each household, then they will provide a viable alternative to the cable companies.

Millennial versus Baby Boomer

OK, technically, I am in the baby boomer generation while my wife is a Gen X and my kids are all millennials. Why does this matter? Because people my age still watch TV, although less and less of it. The Gen X group still watches TV, but the shift is happening. millennial watch internet TV, they just want internet access, and they could care little about the Cable packages. They don’t want cable, they just get it because the cable companies shove it down their throats. I know, my kids tell me that to get a cable modem, they need to get basic cable. That is one big reason why they will flock away from cable companies.

If you’re wondering why I brought this up, it’s because the millennial will be the death of the cable companies. You see, all they want is internet access. All that crap about the cable TV packages is going out the window. They want to pay for what they use when they use it. While we make fun of them for the “me now” generation, the reality is they will not pay for a 2-year package that sucks. Who proved this? T-Mobile USA! That’s right. If T-Mobile can roll this out with the same marketing and packages that the “un-carrier” did for its mobile packages, they will crush the competition. Competition here is not only Verizon and AT&T, but Comcast, Charter, and all the other cable companies.

T-Mobile’s John Leger has a great marketing platform for the millennials that resonates. He got them while they were young and built loyalty. He warned the cable companies that he was coming. Well, the time will be in about 6 months when he will make good on that promise. Hello T-Mobile, the new WISP in town.

Packages, we don’t need no stinking packages!

OK, I got that from Blazing Saddles, https://youtu.be/-lj056ao6GE. Packages are what’s killing the cable industry, and they know it. T-Mobile knows it, and they will do all that they can to make sure that the customer only pays for what they want, like internet access. Verizon and AT&T will ask them to pay for mobile and internet. T-Mobile will figure out a way to offer millennials what they want and nothing more. The cable companies may figure this out, but can they adapt in time? We’ll see. The key is that people are sick of committing to a package that they really don’t want, (I know I am). While we all look for commitment in our lives, why does it have to be with the freaking cable company? What most people today want is freedom from the corporations! I live in the USA! I live in a culture built on freedom. How many people want to live in this culture? Billions! I believe this is the greatest country in the world, more today than ever. It’s about time we have internet packages that live up to that same belief! I think the carriers will attempt to bring that to us!

Who will win?

It’s too early to tell, but you can see, a lot of variables are at play. The contract matters, service matters, quality matters, throughput matters, and coverage matters. Cable companies have their customers. The customer won’t change unless they are unhappy or it’s a significant cost saving. Change is hard; cable companies know that customers will only leave if they want to change. They have been doing more to keep their customers happy. Is it too little and too late? We shall see. When Verizon and AT&T started their cable plays with FTTH, they got a lot of customers only because the cable companies treated their customers like crap. A lot has changed since then. Cable companies started to wise up.

If I had to pick a winner in the USA, at this time, I would say Verizon and AT&T, only because I think they will deploy quickly and have spectrum. If all things were equal, then I would say T-Mobile because they appeal to the right demographic to make this happen. I don’t know if they could deploy fast enough. T-Mobile has the right mentality to win. They have the right marketing and demographics. They could offer a very attractive package. Let’s face it; they would have the best strategy.

It’s a shame Google won’t enter this market. Google doesn’t have the stomach for a prolonged deployment. Remember Google Fiber, everyone loved it, except Google. They realized several things. FTTH is expensive and hard to deploy. It’s not something you can do overnight. Just like building a wireless network is hard for the same reasons. It takes time and money. You have overcome a lot of enemies. The enemies are your competition, the local municipalities with all the permitting and zoning, the contractors that say they can deliver but can’t, the local residents who don’t want cables or towers on their streets, and so on. It takes grit, patience, and money to build a network of this kind. It’s not like building an app where there are little up-front costs. There are substantial up-front costs. If you have to buy spectrum at an auction, then you spend billions before you deploy one thing. It’s not easy! It has a high cost of entry. It takes grit!

FTTH= Fiber to the Home
FWA = Fixed Wireless Access
ISP – Internet Service Provider
WISP – Wireless ISP
PTMP or P2MP – Point to Multipoint
PTP – Point to Point

Thank you for your support and your time. And good job on learning all you can in the wireless industry, you are amazing! Now, go out and impress people!

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What does Massive MIMO really do?

August 26, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

Below are some FAQs that I get asked. But first, let’s talk about what massive MIMO can really do.

Just imagine that someday we have over a hundred radio heads and antennas all working together in one unit. Imagine that we have 3D beamforming and can pass massive broadband to multiple devices at the same time. Imagine that one antenna can do 4G LTE and 5G NR simultaneously. Now, imagine massive MIMO. The active antenna has all of these features. In fact, it’s a reality now.

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Nokia, Samsung, and Ericsson are deploying massive MIMO with Sprint in the 2.5GHz band. This is a game-changer for mobile broadband. (I worked on this offer for deployment.)

This new technology will allow the antennas to pass large amounts of data to multiple units at the same time. How? They have 3D beamforming that allows the radio head and technology to use target RF focus and hit specific users, or a user while doing the same with other devices, at the same time. It is very exciting to see this technology hit the real world.

How can one unit do all of this? It is a very smart active antenna. A group of individual radio heads and radiating elements in the antenna unit are all working together so that they can focus on one particular device. They also have the brains to help them dimension the RF signal to focus on one specific area, with the azimuth and elevation both condensing into one beam of RF, which you would call 3D beamforming. Focusing on one specific geographical area in that sectors coverage area. Now, imagine that many groups of elements are doing this simultaneously in that same antenna unit. How cool is that?

It takes a team, in this case, a large group of tiny radio heads and radiating elements in each active antenna. The technology is amazing.

Massive MIMO can pass more data, but not necessarily to an individual device, the magic is that the new beamforming technology will allow it to pass more data to more devices simultaneously.

The key to all of this is that you still need spectrum. Lots of it if possible. It takes more spectrum to do this and to do 5G. There’s the issue for some of the larger carriers. Some carriers will need more spectrum to see the benefits of massive MIMO. That’s why they are looking forward to grabbing the 24GHz spectrum as well as the 3.5GHz.

Massive MIMO is going to be a game changer for LTE and 5G moving ahead. It’s going to improve efficiencies for the carriers exponentially. We just have to get there.

FAQ Massive MIMO Questions:

Is massive MIMO only for 5G?
- No, it is for 4G LTE and 5G NR. In fact, the beauty of massive MIMO is that is can be used on both technologies simultaneously. WOW!
Does massive MIMO need the radio heads and antennas or an active an active antenna?
- It needs the active antenna, massive MIMO is generally much more than the 8 transmit and 8 receive that today’s MIMO has, we are talking 16×16 or 32×32 or 64×64, which is 64 transmit and 64 receive all in the same active antenna. An 8×8 system could have the radio heads connected to an antenna with 8 ports.
Does massive MIMO need coax?
- No, the active antenna will have fiber and power run directly to it. The active antenna will have all the mini radio heads and radiating elements all in one box. Sweet!
Will massive MIMO need more power?
- In most cases, yes, but it should be comparable to having the radio heads up there, but now it is being asked to do more.
Is massive MIMO harder to engineer and deploy?
- Yes, it takes more time, a good RF engineering plan will be needed. If you’re deploying new, then you need to understand where the coverage is happening. If you’re replacing a system, then you need to understand that the coverage will change. Your customers may notice the change, and you want to know what the improvements are for each cluster.
Is massive MIMO only for TDD? FDD? Or both?
- It’s for both. The only difference is that for TDD the same element on the antenna will transmit and receive, but in the FDD there will be a set of elements for transmitting and a set of elements for receiving. This means that the FDD units will be bigger and heavier because they will have more elements and separate internal radio heads. That is why, in this case, TDD will offer some great value. The uplink-downlink ratio is going to be tailored to the need of the end-user whereas FDD is pretty much set.
Is it for mobile or fixed?
- It’s for both, and it will be used differently for each application. While we see that Sprint and T-Mobile are going to use for Mobile, they expect to be able to push the 5G data through it for anyone who wants broadband, mobile or fixed. Whereas Verizon will be using it mostly for fixed wireless because that is their 5G play. They will be competing with the cable companies, along with AT&T, for a piece of that Internet Service Provider, ISP, market share. The realization that Fiber to the Home, FTTH, is not cost-effective has them hoping that from one pole using wireless they can connect many homes with extreme broadband connections. Massive MIMO will play a roll in this point to multipoint use case.
Will it pass more throughput than traditional MIMO?
- Yes, it can talk to so many units simultaneously! While the device will not get a lot more of throughput, maybe 20% more on LTE, but the # of devices the active antenna can talk to simultaneously will greatly improve allowing many devices to get that data at the same time! With that said, the macro site has to be engineered with a better backhaul to handle all of that data.
Does the UE device need a special antenna?
- No, that’s the beauty of having 3D beamforming. It should be able to focus in on the device and talk to it with the whatever antennas are in the device. You can use a smartphone with MIMO, most of them have 2×2 or 2×4, and it will work great.
Will beamforming be improved in massive MIMO?
- Yes, because the active antenna will treat the radio heads and elements like a conductor would conduct his orchestra. Each group will be able to form the radiating pattern into a focused beam, 3D beamforming so that it is focused on a specific user or a small group of users and pass as much data to and from them at the same time other 3D beams are talking to their UE devices.
Is the antenna pattern just like my older 8×8 or 4×4 MIMO?
- No, you have greatly improved the beamforming and null fill, but you have a different radiation pattern. Remember that you’re going from a 4×4 or 8×8 to 16×16 or higher. You have variables that will not match up with the existing radiating patterns. This is not a normal antenna; it is an active antenna that is going to change patterns as users move around. It’s no longer a set radiation pattern as we have always known! It’s actively changing for improvement if it’s set up
If the pattern changes, won’t that affect my existing customers?
- Yes, you need to do a proper RF design and test and look at the correct KPIs when bringing the system up. Don’t expect this to mock what you have, it will change, and you may not get coverage everywhere you want it, although you may have more null fill than ever before if you design the system properly.
What bands are primed for massive MIMO in the USA?
- I think that Sprint’s 2.5GHz spectrum is ideal. It is TDD, and they have around 120MHz to play within most of the USA. That means they can have the smaller units and turn up 5G quickly.
How can they run 4G and 5G on the same unit?
- Simple, there is a mode called split mode where they can run both formats from the same antenna. They could also have concurrent mode which will allow the same, but split mode allows the full spectrum of both to happen efficiently.
Who is rolling out massive MIMO in the USA?
- Sprint, they are rolling it out now for mobility in their 2.5GHz spectrum with all three OEMs, Samsung, Ericsson, and Nokia. T-Mobile is planning to roll it out in the 600MHz spectrum. AT&T is adding massive MIMO as it adds the FirstNet spectrum on its towers. Verizon has tested it, tried it in fixed, but I am not sure where they will deploy it, if anywhere.
Does it work today?
- Well, it is being deployed and tested. Each band has its challenges. Remember when working for a carrier that the technology is generally tailored for their specific needs. While it’s a new technology, the new product will have challenges. One is that people expect to see it match their existing coverage if replacing existing, but it should not be looked at like that. It is going to be different. If rolling out new, then you have the option to test and fine tune. It’s going to improve, just like standard LTE did. Only now, it will be expected to do 5G and LTE.
Where will we see it deployed first?
- Urban areas make the most sense. They are going to see the biggest gain, especially for the macro sites there. If massive MIMO works the way it’s supposed to, then there will be fewer small cells needed for fill and offloading in the macro umbrella coverage. Small cells will be used more for extended coverage and indoor. Massive MIMO macro sites will start to do even more. The payback has to be there.
Does the macro site need to be upgraded to do massive MIMO?
- Obviously, the radio equipment needs to be upgraded or replaced. Then the router and backhaul need to be upgraded to pass 10 times the traffic. If adding 5G then maybe, even more, 100 times maybe. Remember that we are going to expect great improvements to the macro site, broadband will be on steroids compared to traditional 4G!
Where can I learn more?
- I thought you would never ask, get the full report at https://wade4wireless.com/2018/06/03/the-massive-mimo-deployment-report/ and download it or order the paperback today!

Resources:

Thank you for your support and your time. And good job on learning all you can in the wireless industry, you are amazing! Now, go out and impress people!

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Will CBRS outperform DAS or Wi-Fi?

August 25, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

Let’s start with DAS. Here’s the thing, I have been reading how the CBRS spectrum is going to kill DAS or replace DAS. Hey, that is not going to happen. Even if the FCC eventually released the spectrum, there is more at play here. This question is the wrong question. CBRS is going to work with DAS and open up new doors for business and technology.

So, DAS is a crucial element is larger venues. It is needed to handle each carriers’ spectrum. I see the CBRS helping out DAS systems. I see it as an add-on for the carriers to have additional spectrum available for loading. Able to perform a little better than Wi-Fi since it will be on the licensed spectrum, not shared.

People say that it will replace DAS because they think that the carriers are going to use CBRS as a shared system. Look, the reality is that smaller carrier DAS systems are no longer being deployed because the cost is prohibitive. Small cells, CBRS, and Wi-Fi, (yes Wi-Fi), are replacing the smaller DAS and repeater systems in small offices and shared areas where loading is not an issue. Today’s data-centric networks don’t need voice carriers anymore. Data rules and voice is over data, so it’s all data, right?

DAS is needed in heavily loaded venues, usually a stadium or convention center. These are so heavily loaded they are going to pull out all the stops, DAS, Wi-Fi, and now they can add CBRS. They will all work together and compliment each other.

The other thing people ask is, “will CBRS replace Wi-Fi?” Probably not anytime soon. Wi-Fi is cost-effective and everywhere. Who doesn’t love their Wi-Fi? We rely on Wi-Fi, in fact, we expect it, usually for free. Don’t we all need Wi-Fi at home? Who plugs into a network connection anymore? The only time I plug-in is when I am in a corporate office, and the high-tech corporation has shitty Wi-Fi, the wired connection works better. You know why? Some corporations that want everyone to go to the office is too cheap to upgrade their Wi-Fi to modern-day standards, yet they want people in the office. Can you imagine in today’s world a corporation insists that people go to the office? What a waste of time, resources, and fuel. If companies want collaboration, then they should build and upgrade the network to support it! See, here is an example of where we rely on Wi-Fi, it’s only as good as the team that designs, builds, and maintains it. If it sucks, I am sure they would point to a budget, but who am I to judge.

Back to CBRS. The thing I see CBRS doing is opening up new private LTE system so that things like smart manufacturing can take off or very secure private networks can blossom. Imagine, less latency than Wi-Fi with minimal, if any, interference. That would make systems so much more efficient without sharing spectrum.

The DAS systems of today do more than they ever have. They handle all the carriers, use fiber for the fronthaul now, and they perform quite well. It’s a local CRAN system. One that will allow multiple carriers to share resources. The day will come when they start putting the BBUs in a remote location and feed the stadium or convention center from an off-site location miles away. That way the carrier can work on their equipment without entering the stadium or convention center during an event.

The biggest problem with a shared DAS system is paying people to support, maintain, and upgrade. There are always upgrades. At one time the DAS systems could carry any spectrum. Now, carriers are pushing more and more data on new spectrum annually. Now they require dedicated radio heads and soon, active antennas. The DAS vendors could just be the power suppliers, data room designers, fiber mappers, and end to end system designers with the support of the carriers to provide the end gear with commissioning and integration. It all adds up because systems are way more complicated than they used to be. DAS is still needed and growing but used in fewer and fewer mid to small venues. People that do DAS services will be kept busy with the upgrades, but will they be working for the carrier or the DAS vendor? We’ll see.

DAS is necessary for the stadiums, sports venues, larger corporate parks, convention centers, meeting places, and some hotels. However, it has to be offloaded by small cells to make it cost-effective. Those small cells are going to be carrier specific or CBRS. If you look at the cable companies across the USA, they rely on Wi-Fi to handle the offload. After all, most traffic is data now. Why waste time on other systems? Wi-Fi is cheap and works quite well in a small area.

So, looking at it from this angle, are we asking the wrong question? Are we too focused on DAS, should we look at Wi-Fi as the real target? Wi-Fi is very limited in coverage, but it still works after all these years. It’s more reliable than it ever was, and it sees the CBRS and licensed small cells as a threat. I would make an argument that 5G small cells could kill Wi-Fi, that makes more sense to me. It could be CBRS, but in reality, it could be licensed or unlicensed spectrum using 5G NR. I think Qualcomm is going to push to make that happen. They love 5G NR because they hold most of the patents and stand to make a fortune off of the new systems. They are positioned to do so. They know the end game is to dominate. This way, they make more money off the patents. They are on the edge of a 5 to 15-year victory. Go Qualcomm, go!

What do I have to go on here? I would point to Sprint’s Magic Box. It is a femtocell that has a wireless backhaul, and both are on the licensed spectrum. Imagine if they could add CBRS to that thing? It would be better than it is now. They already pushed out over 200,000 boxes! WOW! That is going to be the killer of unlicensed products! If they can have something like that with the throughput of a 5G NR system with wireless backhaul, why bother putting anything else in? It would only slow you down. Your smartphone will pave the way for broadband technology. I see this as one more tool that T-Mobile wants to exploit when they take over Sprint. (If they do, it’s not final yet.)

DAS systems are here to stay. Wi-Fi is doing more than ever and expects to have more license-free spectrum from the FCC soon. Hopefully, the CBRS should be released soon in the US and either stand as a model for the rest of the world or a warning not to do it. When it’s released, we’ll have one more tool in the wireless Arsenal.

The one thing I do know is that if 5G is adequately deployed, we should see throughput grow exponentially. We should see the splicing of networks that bring new applications. IOT should take off across terrestrial and satellite systems. 5G should make LTE and Wi-Fi systems look slow (if the FCC releases enough bandwidth to make that happen). That will make CBRS spectrum critical in deployments for everyone. Like anything, when CBRS starts, it’s nice to have, an add-on, but eventually, it becomes engrained in the network, then it becomes a necessity that we all rely on. Remember when Wi-Fi was nice to have? Now we expect to have it everywhere. CBRS has the chance to make a real difference if and when the FCC finally releases it.

Hey, in 5 years this could make wired connections seem archaic for anything but backhaul. Fiber systems should be improving to average over 1Tbps, that’s right, a Terra bit per second. When we speak of a wireless connection, they will be 100Gbps and fiber should be synonymous with 1 to 100Tbps. Yes, I have a dream, and that is it! Well, that’s only one of them. If you dream, dream big!

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Samsung Slowly Gains US Market Share

August 19, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

Is Samsung pushing to become the #2 wireless infrastructure OEM in the USA? Samsung has been gaining market share with the larger American carriers. Amazingly they have finally grabbed share in Verizon markets. I don’t mean just for the FWA rollout, I mean for the mobile markets for 4G moving to 5G. Samsung appears to have made a dent in the #1 carrier in the USA. How did that happen?

Word on the street is that Samsung is ahead on the 5G roadmap compared to Ericsson and Nokia. They have been displacing the two other US OEMs in a few Verizon markets. If they have the support, then they could take even more market share.

It is amazing that Samsung was able to break in. What do you think the other OEMs did wrong? It’s a huge undertaking to have a carrier allow a new OEM to move in.

For those of you that don’t know, the carriers have to have a full support staff for a new OEM. It’s not easy to maintain a new OEM. The thing with 5G is that it’s so new that all the carriers want the best solution. We all know that Samsung makes a great product, they have an amazing roadmap to 5G for both FWA and Mobility. They’re proving to the US carriers that they have what it takes to deliver in the US.

Samsung’s 5G strategy has been going very well in the USA. They offer a massive MIMO solution that migrates into 5G quite well. They have the technology to make it happen. They also have a fixed wireless solution that the larger carriers have been impressed with. As far as technology goes, they have a great solution. They are determined to prove it works on a large scale.

Their problem in the past has been supporting the carriers in the USA. Samsung never built up the huge support staffs that Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson did years ago in the USA. Then Nokia won share in T-Mobile which helped solidify their status in the USA even before they bought Alcatel-Lucent.

With the OEM market in the USA being slow for the past few years, it made the incumbent infrastructure OEMs lazy. Then 5G started moving faster than anyone thought, it may have caught Ericsson and Nokia off guard. Nokia was working to merge Alcatel-Lucent into their company and process, taking over and steering the ship. Ericsson has been struggling to find stability for the past year. This made the market ripe for another OEM to step in. Hello Samsung.

While the other OEMs have been in tight with T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, they have been falling behind in releasing the solutions that are needed to move ahead. Samsung has done a nice job of providing solutions that work today with a solid roadmap for tomorrow.

Samsung has been a trusted infrastructure wireless OEM of Sprint since the Network Vision deployment. They have been a solid OEM for Sprint and Softbank. They are not new to the infrastructure game, in fact, two years ago people thought they were going to leave the market. Then, they created an amazing 5G solution.

Can they provide the support to back it up? In the past, Samsung has been great at technology but fell short on support in the USA. They never built up the resources that the other OEMs have. Now they have to ramp up to American support services. It will take a lot of support. Maybe they need a partner; maybe they can do it on their own, or, maybe a hybrid model.

Samsung has struggled in the US market in the past. Can they provide the ongoing support and build up relationships in the USA? Can they become the third largest infrastructure OEM by displacing the two larger OEMs in the US market? While they replace Ericsson or Nokia as the new #2 in the US?

Remember that they also have a very strong and popular smartphone product. This makes them a real threat to the other two since they could potentially offer package deals. It could be the one thing that they could use to gain more share.

The other two OEMs have been fighting their own battles. Ericsson has had its management problems; we’ll see if they have what it takes to right the ship. Nokia has taken over Alcatel-Lucent, we’ll see if they took their eye off the ball while concentrating on the merger.

Samsung has remained focused on new technology; they didn’t have the problems that the other OEMs did. They remained focused on 5G FWA and mobility. That is an advantage right now. Can the other OEMs catch up or is there a new disruptor out there ready to walk in. For the US carriers and 5G, time to market is absolutely critical! They all want to be first, one way or another. It could be fixed or mobile, but bragging rights are a huge advantage in the US, just ask John Legere at T-Mobile, you know he wants to be first.

It’s not a paved highway for infrastructure. If the carriers have their way, then ORAN, open RAN networks will allow new companies to walk in with new solutions. The idea is for the carriers to spur competition and lower costs through competition. Security is an issue, but the cost is also the solution. Learn more about ORAN at https://wade4wireless.com/2018/07/05/what-are-open-ran-systems-pros-and-cons/ or https://wade4wireless.com/2018/07/22/will-open-ran-be-the-start-of-new-deployment-business-models/ when you can.

I am not sure if you know, it is very hard to push out an existing OEM. They have relationships and support within any carrier. It’s tough, but not impossible. Look at Samsung; they are now in AT&T and Verizon in spite of the dominating Ericsson and Nokia in major carriers. This solidifies their status as a solid player in the US market. Let’s face it, the incumbent advantage is there, but it’s become less and less of an issue as we move past LTE and into the 5G world. New companies could move in and take advantage of this new world and the eagerness of carriers to work with someone new that has new technology at a better cost.

If you think you can do this, great, but be prepared to provide non-stop support, there’s a reason the larger OEMs cost more, they have to provide constant support, that’s a lot of labor. Technology isn’t enough. You need the people to back it up with testing and upgrades.

Resources:

Notes:

OEMs is referring to wireless infrastructure original equipment manufacturers.
FWA is fixed wireless access.
Mobility is referring to the mobile wireless network.
RAN is the radio access network.
ORAN in the open radio access network:

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Can you make a profit doing wireless deployment services?

August 19, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

How is your work environment? One thing we see in the industry is the changing work environment for the contractors. It’s not a nice world. The contractor is doing all that they can do to turn a profit and get ahead doing carrier work. I have talked to many people that are getting out of the carrier work altogether. Especially tower climbers that are leaving the industry because of the horrible pay and work conditions. Here is what I know is going on, I made a list to help you understand.

90-day or longer payment terms – while the carriers see this as more than fair, it really hurts the contractors. Here’s the thing, when a contractor does work, they have to get the sign off from the carrier or OEM or GC. Then they have to wait 90 more days to get paid, assuming they aren’t set up on a milestone payment model. More on milestones later. The contractor may work for a month before the site is accepted, then once accepted they have to wait 90 more days to get paid. Does this sound fair to you? I wonder if that have the same terms for all their contractors, like IT, mowing service, utility companies, and so on? By the way, how often does the carrier want to be paid on their wireless contract? I believe it’s 30 days. Why don’t they push that out to 90 days?
Reverse auctions – this is where the company, say a carrier, will spend a small fortune to hold an auction to get the lowest cost on a specific project or job. Lowest bidder wins. Hopefully, they understand the work and can complete it. If they don’t, then they don’t get paid, and the company saves more money because they bring in someone to finish it and only pay them for a tenth of the work while the first company gets nothing. This is bad for the industry because it sucks the margin out of everything. It’s great for the companies if you only look at the money, if you want quality work then you get what you pay for. Crap in equals crap out. That’s where this industry appears to be headed.
Milestone payments – actually, this isn’t a bad way to do business because you get some of your money for the work you do. Several contractors would ask for money up front. They may still get it, but most companies refuse to pay up front for services. They may pay for the equipment, but not any services or for ramping up. The work environment has changed because there is not a lot of trust out there anymore. The milestone payment plan can get you paid when doing larger projects. If you do this much work, prove it, validate it, and it’s accepted, then you get paid for that portion. So that is a way the contractor can pay the workers for an ongoing larger project.
Safety requirements – this really applies to anyone in the industry. Safety vendors are always checking, and they should keep contractors honest and safe. However, there are more safety requirements in the industry than ever. Yet, 90-day payment terms, dwindling margin, and less work means that it’s going to be hard to pay for all that safety gear and training while getting qualified people. Everyone seems to think that tower climbers will work for $10/hour. If they do, they won’t work there long. The work is hard, you’re away from your family for extended periods, and you could die any day on the job. Is all of that worth $10/hour to you? Not if you’re good at what you do. At a minimum, climbers should make well over $100K a year!
Task breakdown – this is when the company breaks down each task and assigns it to a specific company. This sounds like a good idea because there are no hidden charges. However, now the PM has to manage even more contractors and ensure that the handoffs and timing are It adds delay to many projects whereas if you had one company do tasks A and B and C it could be done all at one time. The carriers have done this for years, and now they wonder why deployments take so long. That’s because their PMs are managing 10 times the crews they once were, and everyone has their own schedule and priorities.
Big company contracts are no longer lucrative – remember if you only got that contract with a large carrier or OEM you would be set for a while. They would feed your business, and you would have work for years to come. Those days are gone. Now, to do work for a larger company you must have people dedicated to work bids, estimate, rebid, try to understand the complicated scopes and acceptance terms, get on calls to talk through the actual work, look at the insurance requirements, see what you will really make on an offer, and rebid several times. This is the reality. This adds tremendous overhead. Yet, in wireless, most contractors are very small. That’s why you have margin on margin. That’s why you have so many unscrupulous characters in this business. That’s how people are driven to bankruptcy. While the larger companies in wireless like to point fingers, they should look in the mirror at the monsters that they created and helped thrive.
Competition thrives – this is true today, but the reality is service companies are leaving the industry. The carriers constantly get costs from the smaller contractors and use them to drive down the larger GCs costs to match the pricing they get from the smaller companies with little or no overhead. It’s not a fair comparison and one that eventually hurts the smaller companies because they will be pushed to do more for less.

I don’t mean to make it sound like doom and gloom. Most companies are figuring out how to navigate the waters and turn a profit. But it’s harder and harder. I would rather write books and consult. I respect and admire the guys that are doing the heavy lifting today. It’s so hard to get things done in the real world. Climbers often get the short end of the stick when it comes to getting paid. I see more and more people working endless hours just to maintain what they have. I see more and more health issues due to stress and poor exercise because they work endless hours into exhaustion. I see executives crying about margin after getting amazing bonuses. They know this is happening, yet they not only allow it, but they also promote it with these business practices.

Do I blame the larger companies? Not really. They see the larger picture. They have dividends to pay, they see the margins getting smaller, and the wireless plans have leveled off. They have to remain profitable to make new technology happen. They see the bigger picture. I get it, but all I am saying, be fair. Take care of the people who have taken care of you throughout the decades.

We are on the verge of growth years in 2018, 2019, and 2020. I hope we have the workforce to support it and I hope that it’s good for the workers to make some money to get ahead. I don’t know what 2021 will hold, but the chances are good that the work will start to taper off again for the deployment teams. Let’s make the most out of these next 3 years and prosper. Let’s figure it out.

Loyalty is fading away. I know that some vendors concentrate on a larger company, but the trust that was once there is fading. I think that a contractor may leave a job if they know another company will pay more or at least do a net 30, it’s worth working from someone else. Chances are the company that tried to get for less money, or net 90 will be back because their pool of contractors will dry up. Loyalty has been replaced with cutting expenses and higher revenue recognition. People walk off job sites for a reason.

There is an opportunity out there, but is it in this industry? I hope so. It’s not going to be easy to make money doing services for the larger companies, but if we’re smart and know when to walk away, we might be able to come out ahead in the long run. Let’s all work together to make that happen.

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Do you know the history of fronthaul?

August 19, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

I am not sure how long you’ve been in the radio business, but the systems of old didn’t use CAT5 for the fronthaul connection. In fact, they didn’t think it could survive on a tower out in the weather. CAT5 was not known to be used outdoors, and everyone thought it would be a major problem. In some ways it was, but let’s cover some history first.

BF – Before Fronthaul;

Again, let’s go all the way back to the 80s, 90s, and 00s when we had mostly a simple connection from the transmitter to the antenna. Those were the days, all we had to do was put in a power meter and measure forward and reflected power to see what the VSWR would be. It wasn’t quite that simple, but almost.

The transmitter would transmit power to the antenna, and the receiver would receive the signal from either the same antenna through a diplexer, or it had its own antenna altogether. It was a simple system, relatively simple to work on but the alarming we not so nice. In fact, it was nearly impossible to know what was going at the site without going to the site and testing it. We used to have all kinds of gear to test, a service monitor, a power meter, meters, test cables, dummy loads, and various hand tools to get into the defective part. Yup, when you went to the site, you needed to know how to use the equipment, test, and troubleshoot. You didn’t know much going there expect it was down or not working properly. Chances are good you carried spares with you so you could repair the unit immediately. You could do all the work on the transmitter on the ground. You only climbed if the antenna was bad.

The dawn of fronthaul;

Then, in the 90s and 00s and on, they split the radios. The BBU was on the ground, and the transmitter was near the antenna. This made sense at the higher spectrum, 1GHz and up so that you could minimize cable loss. Not many companies liked this because you would need a tower climber to troubleshoot and repair a unit. It would take longer and add a lot of risks. I remember Verizon workers saying they would never go for that.

Microwave systems were the same, the controller was on the ground, and the transmitter was in the air and chances are good it would attach directly to the dish. Sound familiar? It’s how all systems are today. When I installed them, everyone said it would never catch on and that the transmitter would fail in the air. All those little companies that did that were laughed at, then driven out of business by the big bad OEMs after they started doing it.

I remember installing all IP systems up the east coast, and other radio technicians laughed at me saying we should have installed T1 and T3s, that we were wasting time on a technology that would not catch on. I wonder if they remember mocking me? Oh, if only I could see them today!

By the way, this was not the carriers doing anything like this. They were stubborn to keep things the same and not change. This was the wireless ISPs that lived on the edge using the ISM band to deploy. Yes, that beautiful spectrum we use for Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz, and 5.8GHz was being used for wireless connections everywhere. Because of that spectrum, we have many of the commercial advances being used today by the carriers. The same carriers that refused to support any of it back then.

That’s when the OEMs had to adopt the new split radio methods to move ahead. Once the carriers saw more value in putting a radio head on the tower top, then they got on board. This gave tower climbers more and more work, but it also added more danger to tower work. It was no longer running coax and antennas up the tower. Now it was a complete system on the tower top.

Think about it, when the ISPs were deploying, they had small radio heads, little or no coax, maybe a simple microwave backhaul with a light radio head. The carriers, by contrast, are putting hundreds of pounds of equipment on the tower tops. The tower owners had to run structural and wised up, charging for every box on the tower. More money is going into the wireless ecosystem from a physical change.

The skills for a tower climber suddenly changed from the physical installation, coax connector termination, and grounding. Now they needed to test and terminate fibers. They were already testing coax runs. I did a lot of those for Nextel, making sure the cables didn’t have a kink or break in them affecting service. Now, the tower climbers had to learn to terminate fiber, which is a skill.

All of this was changing the landscape of deployment. Making harder and more dangerous, yet, this is one of the industries where the more you do, the more dangerous it is, the less money you make. Now climbers need more training than ever, but the pay rates are probably as low as they have ever been. What a shame. I get it; the carriers have to pay out larger dividends, but to screw the climbers? They need more training than ever, and they’re being watched closer than ever.

The end of coax on the tower;

Today, everything is going on the tower. Even the hi-tech BTS brains are being pulled up when they can.

There were many versions; they were not all CAT5 in the beginning. Some connections between the controller and the transmitter were COAX, of some type, that would transmit at a lower frequency, and the transmitter would step it up to the higher frequency. It’s all because we could not get out of the mindset that coax was used at the tower.

Then, speed mattered. Coax, and CAT5 could not handle high data rates at long distances, like over 300 feet. In fact, CAT5 was getting to be a bottleneck. Flash forward to today, voila, fiber everywhere. The only copper on the tower in LTE systems is the power and possibly the coax jumpers form the radio head to the antenna.

Fiber was the fronthaul of choice; it had to be fiber to handle the bandwidth and eliminate any interference that copper may have on the tower. The connection of fiber, with light, was so much more efficient than any copper could do. It pains me because I grew up with copper everything, who didn’t love copper? It could do anything at one time. Now, it’s just for power at the tower.

What if coax was eliminated altogether? Well, welcome to massive MIMO. All fronthaul will go directly to an active antenna. Goodbye radio heads, hello active antennas. This means that fiber will connect directly to the antenna along with power. Fiber will control, pass data, and send data back to the BBU or controller.

They still need power, the gauge of copper that can handle 10 or more amps of current. They need even more fiber to pass the data required of them. In fact, they need more fiber than traditional systems, just like 5G is going to want.

Wi-Fi had this idea for years, probably well over a decade, but the commercial carriers were slow to follow suit. Sure, some of them had active antennas, but more to save space and cost on the towers.

Now, in the MIMO world, coax only gets in the way. It’s a fiber world out there. For backhaul, for jumpers, and for fronthaul. We all want and need fiber to get these systems working. When I design these systems and put the offers together, I see the massive changes made. Not many others do because most people my age left the industry, can you blame them? It’s not what it once was.

Working on towers today, you will run fiber for data and copper for power. The antennas will migrate to active antennas, and we will see the remote units, radio heads, go away. We will see coax disappear from the commercial systems. It’s a new world and one that required fronthaul to be all fiber.

The makeup of the tower has evolved over the last 40 years. It is way more efficient than it ever was, and it is being asked to do more than it ever did. There is a reason, so many smaller companies went out of business. Big carriers control the money, they have all the customer, and they have a sustainable business model. They prefer to do business with companies they have a relationship with and trust. They pay more for that, and as long as the companies don’t screw up, which they do more often than you know, they maintain that OEM as a partner.

Smaller companies could not maintain the level of effort that carriers demand. Today, they demand a 5G product, a massive MIMO product, and active antennas. It is not cheap or easy to install any of these. It costs money to develop and test them, even though most of the OEMs do all of that in China. Today the USA does very little because most engineering, development, and manufacturing is done in China. Most RF engineering is done in India, and most coordination is done in Mexico. Not that it’s a bad thing, but the US workers, like myself, have to figure out where we fit in. This

economy is changing, but that is another discussion.

Fiber is key to these deployments, as is copper for power. It’s how the next 10 years or so will roll out. Fronthaul relies on fiber to make the connection and handle the data it needs for the end-user and for control.

So, when you look at a tower, think of the evolution that happened over the last 40 years, it’s amazing!

What about carrier DAS?

That’s right; I almost forgot to talk about DAS. In the old days, say 10 years ago, we used a lot of copper for DAS to distribute RF everywhere. We were worried about cable loss and self-interference and PIM. It became very complicated to roll out the DAS systems with all of the coax. The design was quite complicated.

As with all evolution, DAS became more and more digital. We started distributing radio heads everywhere instead of antennas. We started using small cells where loading was not critical. The DAS system consisted of a BBU hotel in one location, and the radio heads were all around. They were connected by fiber.

In fact, carrier DAS is now more worried about the layout of the fiber layout in the building, cooling at the head end, and power requirements. Oh, let’s not forget about the backhaul, a key component which generally each carrier has their own. These systems are relying on the carrier to do a lot of work.

Public safety DAS is pretty much the same as it was 10 years ago. While FirstNet may change that, it will take a long time for them to upgrade and get away from the dedicated spectrum used in push to talk, PTT, systems. Copper is dominant in most public safety systems. They still distribute radios, but it is a much different design. Not a lot of radio heads broken out in that design.

The extension of fronthaul beyond the site:

Now, with CRAN, the fronthaul is not just for the site! It can have a BBU almost anywhere.

There are limitations today for the concentrated RAN, CRAN, but as we move closer to cRAN or C-RAN, which is Cloud RAN, we may be able to have the BBUs in a concentrated area in a region.

CRAN allows you to have a BBU hotel in one location, which allows all the upgrades and changes to firmware, software, new cards, and so on all to be done in one location for sites all across the city. It makes a lot of sense. Also, when you concentrate your resources, they are more efficient in the handoffs, self-interference, and spectrum planning in general. The only downside is that there are time limitations, so the BBUs have to be within a certain distance to the radio heads.

C-RAN, the cloud, should take care of some of the distance limitations once it happens. The current hold up is how much specific processing takes place in the BBU. They do a lot of proprietary work that the cloud can’t do, yet. I think it will happen and I think that the one thing that will make a difference is the carriers pushing towards ORAN, Open RAN. This will help the carriers get away from the OEMs that won’t play with others and create a white box for RAN and BBU. While they want this to happen, think of the security issues it opens up. Someone would be able to hack into these boxes with ease. But hey, the carriers are saving money, that’s all that matters, right? That’s the end game! Better performance for less cost.

The fronthaul systems are making the RAN more and more efficient and opening up new doors for the carriers to deploy. When the fronthaul is remote, the spectrum use is more efficient. Instead of concentrating everything in a macro, the macro sector can be put at a location that uses the spectrum efficiently in that area. It’s a cost-effective way to deploy if it’s planned properly.

Think about it:

While we all love fiber today, there will soon be something new passing even more data. Keep your imagination open. Wireless is doing more and more. I talked about how we never thought we would get out of the T1 and T3 cycles. There was T1, E1, T3, SS7, and other formats out there that we thought would never go away. Then we use CAT5, CAT6, and now fiber. What’s next? You tell me!

Resources:

· https://wade4wireless.com/2018/04/01/cell-backhaul-and-midhaul-and-fronthaul/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2017/01/24/commercial-5g-ran-backhaul-and-fronthaul-overview/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2015/07/27/small-cell-fronthaul-and-odas/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2018/05/28/the-mobility-backhaul-report/

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Will OTMR clear the way for 5G?

August 5, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

I am not sure if you read the new FCC decree for One Touch Make Ready:

If you read these, the FCC is trying to make the deployment easier for all. At least, that’s how it looks. The deployment of fiber on the poles. This is a great undertaking because it is a problem. We need to be able to roll out and deploy. I got news for you, the incumbents, like all the cable and ISP companies, are not going to give up easily. If they have a lease with the city, they will not allow competition to get on so easily. A lease is a lease and if the city signed something that only allows the incumbent on the pole, what can be done?

The idea here is to get past many of the permitting holdups that the carriers have to deal with, whether it’s for fiber or wireless additions to the poles. No matter who owns them. The thing is, do the cities have a say? There’s more than the permitting that slows these things down.

So, what do we do?

Do we give the poles back to the owners and void the leases? I am not sure what the plan is here. Articles found here:

Now, what will the FCC do here? Will they come out against AT&T and Comcast for stopping that little company from California called Google? I believe that Nashville had OTMR, (One Touch Make Ready) all in place and the judge shot it down. What would the FCC do? What did they do here? It looks like nothing.

Hey, in Nashville they fought hard to get Google to come in and add fiber. For Google, it became a nightmare, as it did for the city as well because the big bad incumbents, Comcast, and AT&T, kept the more popular company, Google, out of their home turf. Did the FCC step in? NO! In fact, they did nothing to help Nashville enforce OTMR. NOTHING! If you think this didn’t have ongoing repercussions, then read on dear fan!

The idea here is that Google realized they were fighting an uphill battle. The dream of fiber everywhere soon dissipated, and Google gave up on the dream. This is Google we’re talking about, not a mom and pop ISP. Google who has billions of dollars. They gave up on running fiber everywhere. They realized that it’s too hard, too expensive, and quite frankly it doesn’t matter how much the hometown supports them, the incumbents have real power to block anyone who gets in their way.

While you see Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint pushing OTMR, the real reason they’re pushing it is to get around the cities, not the incumbents. As you see here, the incumbent was AT&T, not Nashville.

I think the FCC sees the local municipalities and townships as the bad guys, not the incumbents. Yet, in the example above, it is clearly the incumbents who were willing to go to court to stop OTMR.

Listen, I get frustrated with the permitting and zoning process more than anyone. However, the locals should have a say in what goes within their city limits. To put it bluntly, do you like it when the city requires a permit for you to change your basement into a family room? Of course not. So, as you see, it all ties together. The city wants to know what you’re doing in the basement of your home just like they want to know what goes on the poles in the streets. The difference is, everyone can see the poles and listen to any noise created by equipment on the poles. I get it; this is something out in public for all to see. The only person in your basement will be your family and friends.

While the idea behind the legislation makes sense and is being driven by the carriers, it needs to address some serious flaws. Like, how do you treat the incumbents? So far, the FCC seems to favor them. Is that how the ruling will be handled? Will they favor the incumbents? I would say if the incumbents signed a lease with the city, yes. There are legal implications here. Legal implications which the city or local utility company agreed to. How will this be handled going forward? I am guessing just like Nashville because it set a precedent. FYI – there are incumbents in every major city, and none of them want any real competition, especially from someone as popular as Google. Hence, Google probably realized this and bailed on the whole fiber plan. So much for any real competition. Don’t worry broadband fans, 5G will change all of this.

I was a fan of Google running fiber everywhere, but if they abandoned the project then you have to think the business plan has some serious flaws. While it is there to make the FCC look like the white knight to the wireless industry, the incumbents will be the real winners. The cities will pay the price based on a federal mandate.

So, what can the FCC do to promote 5G rollouts? How about releasing more 5G spectrum? Get off your asses finalize the CBRS spectrum already, will you? Release more 5G spectrum instead of talking about it. What about the upcoming auctions, what is taking so long? Hell, by the time you do any of that Sprint and T-Mobile will have their 5G mobile systems built, operational, and users on the systems. I see a major competitive advantage for the NEW T-MOBILE! Now nothing will shut John Legere up. Why shouldn’t he brag about being first? He has a good plan, and he participated in the 600MHz auction. Now only that, but Sprint is in a position to dominate with the 2.5GHz spectrum. They have every opportunity to be the 5G primary carrier in 2019 and beyond.

How will that look for Verizon and AT&T, the # 1 and 2 carriers when the #3 and 4 carriers, soon to be a unified strong #3, come out ahead in mobile 5G? It looks like there could soon be a new #2 and possibly #1. Sure, Verizon and AT&T will have the fixed coverage for those few areas that get it. They will be able to supply cable modem speeds to the select few. BUT, the New T-Mobile will have it nearly everywhere in 2020, assuming the merger goes through.

Listen, it’s obvious that fiber won’t be run everywhere, yet. Someday we’ll need more and more of it. While the FCC says they are trying to make it easier, I honestly see it getting easier and easier whether the FCC intervenes or not. Eventually, people will be educated enough to hate the incumbents enough to go with a 5G system. It’s inevitable that change is coming. The only question is, who will offer that broadband coverage to the millennials and Gen X? Who will support the baby boomers? Wireless broadband should mature in 2020, that’s when we’ll see real change in broadband delivery.

I think to look at OTMR as the only solution is a bit ridiculous. We need fiber run to more places, but we have to get creative. Maybe wireless can step up and provide solutions to bypass some of the pole attachments. We can already pass 1Gbps from building to building. Now we have to get up to 100Gbps everywhere, wireless or fiber. We have the technology, we just need the spectrum and out of the box thinking.

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How do you make 5G Cost Effective?

July 29, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

What would it take to roll out 5G? If you look at the models, then you may find that you, as a small business, could get in on the ground floor of building a network or capitalizing on the carriers that will build out 5G. Let’s look over the models, what the carriers will probably do, and how you can build your own network.

To cover the way that the carriers hope to, especially if they rely on mmwave to improve throughput. They will need to rely on more partners for coverage. I don’t mean other carriers, that’s already been played out.

Understand each carriers’ plan.

I am going to talk about the carriers in the USA. They each have a 5G business plan which you can google the carrier and 5G and see their plans. It’s that easy.

Verizon – They are counting on mmwave to pave the way. While they want it to be in the devices to enhance coverage, they seem to be counting on a fixed wireless business model to use 5G first. That seems to be the business model they are advertising. I think that they will upgrade the mobile system to 5G at some point, wherever it falls on the roadmap. But, the 5G system will cost a lot of money. I would bet they’re creating this plan and working with specific OEMs to make this happen. In fact, they seem to be aligning more and more with Ericsson and Samsung to make this happen.
AT&T – they seem to be following a similar plan to Verizon. They seem to be counting on the fixed wireless to bring new services to homes that rely on satellite now. They also want to compete in urban markets where the cable companies rule. It all makes sense, doesn’t it? The thing I don’t hear them talk about is mobile 5G. I am not sure why, but maybe the FirstNet build may be taking longer than they thought. Remember, the commitment to FirstNet gave them spectrum, but they have to cover more of the country with said spectrum. That is going to take time and cost money. While it was easy for FirstNet, it costs a lot of money for AT&T just to make a dent in the public safety market. I thought they might upgrade the sites to 5G at the same time, but maybe the technology isn’t there yet.
T-Mobile – no secret here, T-Mobile is already trying to get 5G out to the markets just as a marketing ploy. They are smart; they know that 5G will push people to buy new devices and sign up for service. They just need more spectrum to make it worthwhile. They are rolling out 600MHz the best they can and making it 5G ready. They are working to get massive MIMO deployed. The thing is, 600MHz isn’t exactly the best band to deploy massive MIMO or 5G in, is it? The antennas are big, and the spectrum can cover a large area, both get in the way of high-speed data, on paper anyway. I’m sure that if anyone can make it work, it will be T-Mobile. However, they looked at Sprint and wanted that 2.5GHz spectrum, for all the reasons listed above.
Sprint – here is a carrier that has the spectrum than any other carrier would want, 2.5GHz. It is the ideal spectrum for a data-centric The only thing that they need s money! Well lucky for them they have T-Mobile trying to merge with them. I have to give Dr. John Saw credit, the path to 5G that he laid out is quite impressive. To go to massive MIMO, then to 5G, across the USA by 2020 is spectacular. They seem to have a plan in place to do it. Do they have the money? I hope so. At least enough until T-Mobile can chip in. They also have the Magic Box, their small cell that has wireless backhaul. That is awesome. Sprint has so many pieces of the puzzle that make them a front-runner in 5G. If they can maintain and hold it together and make it happen, I will be impressed. In the past, the plans rarely got executed well. Can they do it right this time? Again, I am rooting for them. I hope they don’t let us all down.

There are other carriers in the USA, but it’s hard to see many of them making the investments that the big boys are. It takes a lot of money to roll out these systems and the unlimited data plans are going to make profitability tough in a nearly saturated market.

What we need is the next big thing that will help add some margin to the bottom line. Like new business cases. That is here with IOT, but that’s all low-income but easy to maintain. New broadband applications would make it easy to add margin, but what will the investments be? We’re all hoping to see augmented reality with wireless devices. Pokémon lives proved that it can be done, but is it enough?

The carrier’s need partners for coverage.

The carriers are going to need 2 things to make 5G work, backhaul and partners to gain the coverage they hope to get. It appears that the carriers are no longer going to cover building unless the payback is very clear and substantial. They will not pay to be on someone’s DAS system anymore. They might pay for maintenance and upkeep, but the days of monthly rent are disappearing. They need to see value for their money up front.

However, the carriers can’t cover all the area themselves. We need to have in building coverage. We need to have venue coverage. It is a necessity for safety’s sake. Let’s face it; the carriers won’t pay so if the building owner can do it then it might be a win-win. I think the building owners should get a tax write off if they are willing to install the equipment and possibly use existing backhaul to connect to a carrier. Then it would be a great situation for emergencies when people on the scene call for help no matter where they are in the building. If AT&T is building out FirstNet, they should take advantage of this to have the FirstNet spectrum in every building with emergency power. In fact, the building owners already need to put in the public safety DAS, why can’t we add FirstNet small cells everywhere and connect them through the local internet connection to AT&T’s FirstNet core? Better yet, test out Sprint’s Magic Box and see if it works and makes that the emergency backup, then the backhaul problem is solved, and Sprint makes a little money off the deal.

I want to point out that there are solutions to this problem, and it is a problem. I talked about emergency coverage in my blog at https://wade4wireless.com/2018/07/06/should-emergency-indoor-carrier-coverage-be-a-requirement-yes/, and I think it should be a priority. How many more people have to die before we realize we need it? Schools, venues, stores, buildings, and so on. Sorry, got way off topic here.

My point is that the carriers can’t, sorry, I mean won’t do it all themselves. They need to see the payback. However, they don’t like to share or give outsiders access to their network. This is changing. Look at how Verizon is teaming up with the cable companies. They realize they need partners; the cable companies want to sell mobile systems as part of their packages. I think the alignment is great. I think that cables companies are ready to deploy their own small cells to enhance coverage. They have built successful Wi-Fi systems for their existing customer. Why not take it a step farther by offering licensed coverage. I don’t know what the plan is, but they could offer LTE-U or CBRS or even deploy carrier licensed boxes if the partnership allows it. All the same, it is a great example of larger companies partnering.

How does this help the smaller businesses? I think that they could offer to put small cells in their buildings, venues, or even align with the cable companies to have them do it. It’s just a situation, but cable companies already put Wi-Fi in some buildings, it is a viable model for them to do it. They need to see a payback, so they may only do it where it makes enough business sense.

Read along at https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/another-major-cable-operator-ditches-fiber-for-fixed-wireless?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkdJNU4yVTROakV5WXpVMiIsInQiOiJmUWlGN2pLcm8xYUdiQjJHdGpVV2dLTmgyc3Y3U1JKWmdLaUxaNXNVcjVQMTBQeWlpNEM0dEpzMmdBWDFnaUg1dERlNkNpaUxsclZ1ODY0ckNUMU5aN2p3cE55Vjk1M3R3aFVXMXA3UEtncFB0eGxyTzhZUVV0eVhVNFhyaCtRaCJ9&mrkid=26530343 to learn more about Verizon teaming up with cable companies.

What about building a private 5G network?

Can you build your own 5G network? Of course, you can use LTE-U or CBRS to start, but Qualcomm is working on the 5G NR format, by 2020 I would think you can get a device in the shared spectrum that can handle the 5G format or you can build out LTE in your own office. How?

The way you can play along is to create your own internal network just like you did with Wi-Fi. The great thing is now you will have more options, like CBRS and LTE-U instead of just Wi-Fi. You can allow selected devices onto your network.

With Qualcomm offering MuLTEfire which is a stand-alone LTU-U option, it will allow you to build your own LTE network and may even let you build some type of 5G NR system in 2020. While this seems far off, it’s really not.

You need to identify what your system will do, what customers it will serve. If it’s just for broadband access, Wi-Fi is fine. It will allow you to offload your current device and wireless broadband anywhere in your office, building, or campus. Typical use in today’s workplace.

If you need a secure system, then maybe CBRS would serve you better. If you’re in need of a low latency system, this could also work for you. This may be if you have specific applications, like manufacturing or controlling devices that need real-time monitoring or maintenance. You could try LTE-U, but if you also have Wi-Fi, there may be some issues. To learn more on CBRS and LTE-U, go to https://wade4wireless.com/2018/02/05/laa-cbrs-lte-u-are-5g-building-blocks/.

If you’re looking at IOT for monitoring of devices, low data throughput, and many devices, then look at something in the 900MHz range. It should be as easy as Wi-Fi to set up once you learn the systems. You have plenty of RF choices like ZigBee, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and even Wi-Fi. It all depends on your application. To learn more on IOT go to these links.

Where will the backhaul come from?

The backhaul has to be more than fiber. The wireless backhaul systems are cheaper, easier to install and engineer, and pass more data than ever in the new spectrum bands. However, wireless still presents challenges. It’s a cost up front, takes up way more real estate than a fiber drop, and can be a challenge to maintain.

Here is where it matters where you’re installing the system. Many people are connecting building using wireless. They can go from rooftop to rooftop and offer fiber-like speeds from the roof down throughout the building. Giving the residents or businesses an alternative to cable ISP.

I bring this up because if you want to provide broadband to the building as backhaul to the small cell for expansion, then you need to use all the resources you can. If you can provide the backhaul for the small cell, then do it. Whether it’s wireless or fiber, the landlord probably will provide something anyway, why not offer it as an addition to make the small cell happen.

If the tenants of a building want to have coverage, then they could offer a place for the small cells to be installed and share their existing backhaul.

Then there is the alternative like Sprint’s Magic Box; it would be great if it can just set on a window sill, be plugged in, and offer indoor coverage. This is something that you could easily offer

Could you provide the backhaul? Yes, in your building you could supply the backhaul, but you would need to meet the carriers’ standards for that model. If it’s a femtocell, then no problem. If they are putting in a mini macro or a macro site, then they will demand dark fiber for all backhaul and fronthaul.

Backhaul is still a deterrent to deploying small cells. Small cells need backhaul. The carriers want a cost-effective solution. If they have partners that provide a viable solution, they may wake up and listen.

What part could you play in the 5G ecosystem?

Here’s the deal, the carriers have all of you personally to thank for the Wi-Fi offload that you and your ISP, (in my case I have a Comcast cable modem with 2 Wi-Fi routers), to offload all that crap you do on your smartphone at home. They are grateful, even though they would never admit it because then some people might want a discount. FYI, a carrier discount is NOT going to happen!

For you as an individual, I would not expect anything from the carriers that you didn’t pay for. However, if you own a small business or a building, then maybe they will partner with you. They won’t pay you anything unless you have a lot to bring, but they may let their customers roam onto your DAS or small cell system.

If you want to be part of the 5G network, offer up solutions. I think that the CBRS will evolve, LTE is going to be sucked in eventually. The real 5G networks use the 5G NR solution, and if Qualcomm has their way, everyone will have a 5G NR radio available to them. I know I want one to replace my Wi-Fi router. Why not, it sounds cool, and maybe Qualcomm can come up with a MuLTEfire system for the 5G NR system where we won’t need a core to run our own 5G, just like Wi-Fi or even LTE-U. That is a win for me!

Resources:

http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/why-the-5g-pessimists-are-wrong.aspx

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Will Open RAN be the start of new deployment business models?

July 22, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

The open RAN system is going to be a new wave in communications. It will open up new doors for disruptors. I look at anyone willing to commit the time and money to a new RAN as a disruptor. Look at what Airspan has done with Sprint’s Magic Box, really amazing. Look at how SpiderCloud made great inroads for indoor enterprise small cells, wow!

This means that 5G NR will allow for new radios to go to a core in the cloud, just amazing. The open RAN could make the carrier’s reliance on OEMs become obsolete. This is following the path of all other technologies. Carriers will look to white boxes for solutions. Do you want examples? I got them.

Look at the networking equipment. The big boys, Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), Cisco, Ciena, and others went to the high-end equipment to compete. They win business based on relationships. The low-end business is being handed to other companies. This has to be a kick in the crotch for Cisco since they owned that market for decades. Now, you have Ubiquity for all the small stuff. Netgear is a major player, and Cisco owns them, but they are a commodity.

Remember when backups were critical to your computer, now they are done online.

Remember when you needed a memory stick to share files? Now we have cloud drives.

Remember when you had a Palm Pilot, a cell phone, and a pager? Now it’s all on the smartphone.

Remember when Wi-Fi was hard to install and expensive? Now it’s plug and play.

I see that the carrier’s RAN will have the same issues. In fact, I believe that is why the CBRS is so slow to be released. The carriers know that competition from local ISPs will start. They will have to contend with local enterprise and WISPs getting licensed spectrum in select areas to get free of the Wi-Fi they currently deal with. If the interference issue is gone, then the VoLTE could be used in a select spectrum without issues. Voice and data, assuming you have enough bandwidth to handle both.

You see, carriers and OEMs know what is coming. They are doing all that they can to delay competition. Unfortunately, the carriers know that open RAN will save them money. The OEMs know that they must keep a leg up to maintain market share. That’s why Nokia jumped on the open RAN bandwagon; they know that they can make the gear and provide the security that carriers require. However, I see it cutting into their margins when they compete with a commodity item. They will need to offer features and apps to make up the difference. This is a very different business model for a large archaic OEM. I guess we’ll see how nimble they really are.

Ericsson, on the other hand, did not jump on any bandwagon. They know that the wave will eventually come. I am sure they are developing a strategy to deal with it. They have a huge market share so they will be prepared. They just aren’t as happy about it.

Samsung and Huawei are also preparing. In fact, they can’t wait. It should allow them to sell more product. Huawei is the largest RAN vendor in the world, thanks to China, but they are not in the US thanks to the US government not trusting Huawei to spy. Why? Here is what I see, and this is my opinion. If you go to China, Internet access is controlled by the government. Yet, Chinese hackers are in everything, even here in the USA. So, let’s use our powers of deduction. If the government controls the internet and hackers are hacking servers in the USA, then maybe the hackers work for the Chinese government. I think that’s how US politicians see it. All of this activity has kept Huawei out of the USA. After all, isn’t Huawei backed heavily by the communist government of China? Why are they still communist? Shouldn’t they at least change it to a socialist government for appearance’s sake? Honestly!

I digress, sorry, back to open RAN.

Open RAN systems will fit into 5G NR RAN networks better than any other network because it’s all data and it’s available to anyone. Carriers will look to reductions in cost now that unlimited data is creating a flat billing cycle. The carriers don’t make much money off the smartphones, mostly off the airtime. They need to provide new services, entertainment, and games, to make up for lost revenue.

This is where competition for radio equipment will help. Things will become more plug and play than ever.

For installers, this should help business. Cost effective radios open up new opportunities for growth. The equipment still needs to be installed, regardless of the technology. Growth continues. Maybe not where it was, but steady growth and upgrade. New radios mean more site work. We all want more site work. I see the business model for deployment changing as well.

Once the carriers relied on the OEMs, this is going to be contractor driven for years to come. They will go online and rely on a local tech to commission and integrate the network. This is going to be like any service you get on the internet. I was talking to people that are already building a service for local telecom engineers. If you want to learn more, email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com, and I can set you up with them, whether you’re looking for workers or want to work.

The internet has changed a lot. It’s hitting wireless today, and in 5 years, things are going to change dramatically. It’s just a matter of how we react to the changes.

The OEMs learned that going to LTE, a common IP-based network, would hurt their hold on the carriers’ network. They saw firsthand how they had to create new solutions.

For deployment, they saw how carriers could go direct to the tower crews for work. Again, this eroded profit margin for GCs and OEMs.

For services and hardware, things changed in a year with the growth of reverse auctions. Again, lower margins for all. Distributors have to compete with the carriers going directly to the vendor. They can’t get paid for engineering services that the vendor provides for free.

Services are different. Remember when carriers would pay handsomely for the RF services, design, and so on? That is not the case today. The software is cheap; work is outsourced overseas, new apps test coverage, as well as a drive team did years ago. In fact, drive teams are just that, drive teams, not an engineer. They just take a device in a vehicle, drive and then give the device back to a single engineer, probably in India, who processes the data. This is the working model in the USA for the most part. The engineer may be in the states, but outsourcing is cost-effective.

The OEMs get this; they have to compete. They have to go offshore. Remember when you called Cisco for support and they barely spoke English? Now, most Indians speak better English than people in the states! The model is an accepted and expected way to do business. Most companies outsource all that they can. It’s time to accept the new working models in the USA.

I’m just trying to point out that the business models are changing, get ready. We need to prepare for the new models. I’m going to do all that I can to ramp up businesses to prepare for this new model. It’s all I can do, but at least I feel I can do something to help you out. I feel we can make money in the new world; the technology revolution is upon us. Let’s make it a better world, one where we can prosper and live a better life. I believe we can make it happen!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

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Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

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What is the key?

Millennial versus Baby Boomer

Packages, we don’t need no stinking packages!

Who will win?

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless and support WADE!

The foundations below do beautiful work, spreading love when all seems lost.

Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

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FAQ Massive MIMO Questions:

Resources:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless and support WADE!

The foundations below do beautiful work, spreading love when all seems lost.

Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

Share this:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless and support WADE!

The foundations below do beautiful work, spreading love when all seems lost.

Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

Share this:

Resources:

Notes:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless:

The foundations below do beautiful work, spreading love when all seems lost.

Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

Share this:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless:

The foundations below do beautiful work, spreading love when all seems lost.

Climbers can get seriously injured and/or die on the job. Support the workers who build and install the wireless systems!

Together we can honor and remember the fallen in our wireless family.

Share this:

BF – Before Fronthaul;

The dawn of fronthaul;

The end of coax on the tower;

What about carrier DAS?

The extension of fronthaul beyond the site:

Think about it:

Resources:

· https://wade4wireless.com/2018/04/01/cell-backhaul-and-midhaul-and-fronthaul/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2017/01/24/commercial-5g-ran-backhaul-and-fronthaul-overview/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2015/07/27/small-cell-fronthaul-and-odas/

· https://wade4wireless.com/2018/05/28/the-mobility-backhaul-report/

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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