Tag Archives: deploy

Wireless Site Labor Issues and Advice

April 9, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

As we approach 2019, I see some serious issues for the deployment labor force. There will be a shortage of tower workers and integration engineers. It will run through 2021. This bottleneck will put a deep strain on the workforce that has been maintaining for the past several years. This is a workforce that is limited. Site work is a limited skill set as well as a limited workforce. It also has been beaten down by the carriers to remove many of the highly qualified seasoned craftsmen that were once synonymous with this industry. Now it has a younger and inexperienced workforce. All of this and a mentality that they will be used while needed then immediately disposed of once the industry work tapers off. They could get laid off, fired, or abandoned. It all happens in the wireless site business. This is typical of the wireless carrier business. It is feast or famine, meaning that all the work hits at once, then most of it disappears. That is the issue here, the slow business has put a downturn on the field workers causing the industry to downsize. While this is like construction, the carriers determine the workload, not the end-user. Unlike construction, it is not as steady nor does it turn out that all workers can migrate to another part of the business. Each part of the business has specific skill sets.

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Trust me; I have been there. I talked to many of these people, and I see what goes on. While AT&T’s turf system initially was great for the investors, it really changed the face of the tower climbing workforce for the worse. To be honest, that is why I got out. It was hard to climb towers for less money every year. Low bidder generally wins. That and the cost to do business was going up. Let’s explore.

When the turf system came along, it gave hope to local climbers. Any national climbing company has a hard time ramping up and moving crews across the country while maintaining a stable workforce. Smaller crews are generally in the market or within 4 hours of a market. Remember when AT&T’s projection of tower work a few years ago was driving companies to ramp up only to have it all disappear? I do. When that didn’t pan new climbers got laid off, and the larger companies had to discontinue training and scale back. It was a disaster.

I want to give my condolences to the family of Melvin Ronnie Nelson, Jr., who died April 2nd, 2018, working on a tower for Verizon. He was 34 years old from Foley, Alabama. The tower was being erected in Utica, Mississippi. My prayers go out to him and his family. To learn more go to Wireless Estimator . To make a difference, make a contribution to the Hubble Foundation. We all feel terrible when a fellow wireless workers dies, especially on the job.

Now, we see the need for climbers again. The problem is the climbing end of it doesn’t seem so lucrative as it once did. Will the crews be able to get more money based on supply and demand? Will they be able to get a good year in with plenty of work? I hope so. The way it looks, 2019 and 2020 should be big years for field work. On the tower and on the ground. While the RF engineering work is done more and more by programs, we still need workers to go out and do the site work. It’s still a necessity.

Will there be enough workers? Of course not. There is no way they can do all the work that is coming, based on projections. All the major carriers in the US are looking to do changes at tower sites and roll out small cells. They all need to deploy more LTE, massive MIMO, and 5G. It’s fixed and mobile wireless. It’s a lot of work.

Don’t forget the fiber workers; they will need to make changes to keep up the expansion. The workforce extends beyond the field, it will be a drain on upgrading the backhaul as well as all utilities.

It’s going to be busy, but the tower industry is not ready. I am glad that they will get plenty of work, but they need to be safe. It is a dangerous job. The issue with the carrier work is that the safety requirements are high, the schedule is tight, the closeout is slow, and it takes a long time to get paid in some cases. All reason NOT to work for many carriers or their turf vendors. It’s tough to float money, whether it’s to pay for your workers or to pay your contractors. The carriers will need to understand this. They need to do their part if they want quality work.

We need safety and proper training, that is number one! Let’s not cut back there. Although, it takes time to train people properly and to match the experience on a crew with the inexperienced. Planning, patience, and training. Be careful when doing this. Most experienced crews want to keep their crew. Most companies don’t want to pay 5 guys when 4 can do the job, even if the fifth guy is to be learning the job. They want all of them to be working and productive.

So, what can the industry do? Good question. They should get busy planning and roll out now, but we all know that the product may not be ready or that more planning is needed. Probably not going to happen that soon.

Try to reserve crews? I don’t think any crew would sit and wait or stay if there is more money to be made with another contractor. Why wait and hope to get paid? Why leave money on the table? Go do the work and get paid.

As always, payments will be an issue. That has been the biggest issue in the industry, yet it seems to be the dirty secret no one wants to talk about. Why? Because if you don’t’ get paid, it becomes an issue of pointing fingers. Let’s face it; if you don’t pay, then the contractor will say you didn’t do your job.

What to look out for? Here are some tricks that screwed climbing crews in the past.

The GC, general contractor, will not give the crew all the parts they need to finish the job, and they say they will only pay when the job is finished. Then, as the contractor leaves to wait for the missing parts, the GC gives the parts to another crew and has them finish the work in a day. Why? Because they only pay the second crew for a day’s work and they don’t pay the first crew anything because they didn’t finish the job.
When jobs are winding down, GCs have let crews on a job, and just no paid, leaving the crews to fend for themselves. I have heard horror stories about how the GC would not pay for the expenses that were incurred.
Some GCs will pay partial payments and tell the crews that they will pay if the crew does the next job, then another, until they have exhausted their expense money and then the GC won’t pay because they know the crew, generally a small company, will go out of business before they can sue the GC.

I know, these are terrible, yet very common in the industry. Don’t worry too much, many crews protect themselves and have systems in place to prevent this from happening. They often plan and have someone who is good with the paperwork. You must protect yourself.

It’s not all roses for the GCs; they have to deal with crew shortages and crews that don’t show. They must deal with crews leaving their jobs to go to a higher bidder. They will leave your job to make a few hundred more dollars with another GC. It’s going to get competitive out there.

Then there are crews with specific skill sets, like welding and structural modifications, they always cost more because they can do what other crews can’t.

What can you do to protect yourself? Let’s look at some ideas.

If you’re an individual, then make sure you have a contract stating your terms of It’s best to get it in writing. Many times, companies will not hire W2 employees but 1099 climbers. This is where problems can begin. They technically may be run like a W2 worker, which opens legal issues.
If the crew is under contract, they should have a clear scope of work for the specific job and how to get paid. Remember to get the change order process to get paid for the items out of scope.
If you have to provide hardware, make it clear what hardware you need to provide.
Remember that you’re getting paid for the solution, not the time on site in most cases. This means you don’t get paid until a closeout package is accepted. In this case, make sure you define what the closeout package will be and how long it takes from the time of the COP to be accepted until you get paid.
Make sure the contract is aligned to meet what you have in the scope. While these can be 2 documents, they generally both play a part in getting paid. Understand them both when you do the work. Make sure your crew understands the scope and how to finish the site.
Have a transparent process in place for change orders. Make it quick and simple, like an email from a smartphone. Don’t do the work until you have an email confirmation on your phone. Often verbal approvals get lost, overridden or ignored.

These are just some ideas to help you out. I know there are more and if you have more feel free to send them to me at wade4wireless@gmail.com because I am always looking for how contractors have been taken in the past and how they prevent it in the future.

Site work is not easy. The carriers have it all broken down into an hourly wage model. Many GCs look for any loophole they can to get around payments. If you have a good relationship with the GC and the carrier, life is good. It pays to work with people you like and respect.

One last thing, people die tower climbing. It happens, and there are several each year. OSHA and the FCC are here to help. Use the resources they provide. Get the training you need.

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Here is a checklist of some common sense rules that are easy to ignore:

Only do the work if you feel comfortable.
The more you do it, the better you get.
Dress for safety and for the weather.
Do what you can to be safe.
Be 100% tied off.
Don’t do stupid things.
Pay attention to what you’re doing and who it around you.
All this is good advice, and yet we all ignore it, don’t we?
It helps to know your limitations and be safe.

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Sprint versus T-Mobile

December 7, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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If anyone is following the battle for #3 you see that T-Mobile got the position. Can they hold it? Who is going to make the long-term difference? Let me tell you what I see from a deployment stance.

Don’t get me wrong, the marketing plays a big part. I think that Marcelo Claure of Sprint and John Legere of T-Mobile are geniuses at marketing, although I think Legere has the edge. They both see to be able to build marketing programs that reach out to the smartphone user. The difference I see is that Sprint’s message is “we are cheap and will give you a cheap plan” versus T-Mobile who says “We have a reasonable plan with free video and our LTE coverage is great”. I think we all see the difference but in the end the customer wants a working system for a reasonable price.

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Business wise T-Mobile seems stronger at this moment in time. T-Mobile wins here if we just look at the stock price, When I wrote this, Sunday December 6, 2015, T-Mobile came in at $35.45 versus Sprint at $3.53. It is obvious that we hear about all the problems at Sprint and all the cool stuff T-Mobile is doing that T-Mobile is moving up while Sprint seems to be standing still. Some would say Sprint is moving backwards, which, in this industry is what happens when you stand still. Let’s move on shall we?

So from a deployment stance I see that Sprint has built, ever so slowly, very little out this year. They are expanding their 2.5GHz footprint at a snail’s pace. The good news is that they have been optimizing what they have to the point that they really are improving the network coverage. From what I hear they are actually making improvements and pushing the LTE that they have built. In my opinion it is too slow.

T-Mobile on the other hand is aggressively building out with an impressive steady build plan that will improve their densification in major population areas. I am really impressed by what they are doing and the move to VoLTE. WOW! This is impressive to me and it shows that T-Mobile is not only committed to changing the industry by becoming the anti-carrier and plans but they are really improving their network. They seem to be boosting the network by leaps and bounds.

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So when I look at the 2 competitors I see T-Mobile actually making a real difference in the network and growth. Meanwhile Sprint seems to be falling farther and farther behind. I know that we all expect them to do something big in 2016, but will it be enough or will it be too little too late. I will give Sprint and Softbank for the most creative financing. That deal they pulled off to get $1.1B of cash was amazing. WOW! Then they will be cutting out $2.5B of costs by cutting the workforce, meaning huge layoffs. Then they have to deploy the network they promised in their densification plan. Then they will have Mobilitie finance most of it for them. So will Sprint become a shell where the network is owned by Mobilitie and the devices will be owned by Mobile Leasing Solutions. So Sprint is finding a way to deploy a network and sell devices with little financial outlay. Let’s hope they can stay afloat long enough to make it happen.

T-Mobile on the other hand has been making investments that really look great from a system perspective. They have all the marketing savvy but they have the network to back it up. The video offering they have now is really impressive and the fact they have the vision to go complete LTE, for data and voice, is amazing. The way they offered VoWiFi before any other carrier did was awesome. They are pushing all the other carriers into a position they weren’t ready for yet. They seem to have an impressive vision for their future.

The funny thing is that Sprint has all the 2.5GHz spectrum that any other carrier would love to have, but they are moving so slowly because they apparently don’t’ have the money to do anything with it. They have a plan to densify, but they have been putting all of their vendors through the ringer and trying to cut the prices down to the point where most deployment teams wont’ want to work with them. I know that I have talked to many people who have participated in several RFPs that it is hard to take Sprint seriously any more. They have personally made so many vendors back down and say “don’t call us until you’re serious”. Do you remember when the rumor was that they were going to deploy over 70,000 small cells, then it was mini macros, for the densification program. What has been done since then? Not much. They seem to be slowly adding 2.5GHz to the towers, which really is an extension of the Network Vision plan. Sprint has such potential but they can’t seem to get out of their own way. All the money seems to be going somewhere, but where? I mean, I don’t see it going into the network, do you? They are cutting an already overworked workforce. They just don’t seem to be a company that the vendors I have talked to really want to work with anymore. The best thing they could do it allow the vendors to deploy the small cells and DAS systems for them. “Free the Indoor Small Cells”. They could allow them to deploy the system for them. It would just take building a process then they could get out-of-the-way, just wishful thinking on my part.

From what I see, T-Mobile is making all the right moves to win this war. I think that they are positioning themselves to push AT&T and Verizon. They might not win on coverage but they can give them a run for their money. While coverage is an issue, they have a good overall plan and they are sending a consistent message. Meanwhile, Sprint seems to be sending a message that they are the cheap guy and the margins are bleeding for it. But hey, what do I know, I just want to see all the deployment teams busy again.

I am reading “Lessons in Life and Business” by Elon Musk and he has a quote that I think would apply here. “Focus on signal over noise. A lot of companies get confused. They spend money on things that don’t actually make the product better.”

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Give to the Hubble Foundation because if you don’t help these families, who will? Who supports Hubble? The wireless workers and the tower climbers, that’s who! With no support from the carriers or NATE, so it’s up to you! What if it were you? Would you want help? Who would help you if you were hurt? Who would help your family, your spouse, your children if something happened to you? Do you see the people who are hurt?

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Who will Bid on FirstNet?

November 23, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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That’s right, with the RFP coming out in December, probably on 12/31/2015. We are all anticipating the release. For so many reasons. Who will bid on it? Who will risk it? Who will take a chance on building the nationwide LTE system for public safety? Is it real or did the government just waste tens of millions of dollars? I built a hypothetical list just for you. We talk about this all the time, especially at work because of the $6.5B, yes, billion dollars that is up for grabs. I know, they had $7B, but honestly, how much will trickle through the government before the contractors and OEMs see any of it?

Well, I hope it is real because it is a lot of work. What’s that, how did they waste all that money? Well, first, FirstNet spent a ton of money putting together their group and going through several people to get the stability it needed. Remember this; government can’t just go and build with investor money. You have to play nice with all the government agencies that want favors in return. Remember that everyone has a kingdom to protect. One thing they should know is that this would bring a lot of work to every state and every industry.

Let’s not just look at the federal money spent, the states spent a crap ton of hours preparing for this and trying to figure to build a case to opt out. I don’t think any of them will but they spent the cycles trying to build a case to get out of it. Why? That’s their job, to weigh both sides so they can make an educated decision.

As for spending so far, look at the road shows , the testing, the labs, the promotional work, the states hiring consultants (which does not come out of the federal money but your state taxes), the congress and senate burning time on this, the companies that are preparing to respond. All this is money and time spent for something that we all hope will happen.

Sorry, that is off the point, let’s get back to the bidding contenders. Who can take this on? Who is interested? Well, I have built a hypothetical list of groups that I know of. Now understand that some people don’t want to bid on it. I built this list because we have been talking about this all week with the RFP coming up.

OEMs – like Alcatel-Lucent/Nokia and Ericsson. Honestly, it’s too big and I don’t think they can do what FirstNet wants. The draft RFP made it clear that FirstNet wants to partner with a carrier for roaming purposes. It will also be more of a build, operate, maintain, and handoff model which the OEMs don’t want to deal with. Think about it, would you want to finance a network like this just to sell equipment? That’s what Sprint is looking for, how is that working out?

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System Integrators – who? I made a list below

Rivada – they seem to think that they can build a relationship with the carriers to use the FirstNet spectrum. They have a plan to let the carriers bid on the spectrum to generate revenue. Cool idea in concept, I wish them the best.

General Dynamics – They want to and they are big enough to do it. But, can they fit the model? Can they manage this without getting a black eye? Can they work a deal for roaming?

Motorola – Will their deal with Ericsson make them a contender? Did LA-RICS give them a black eye or show they got experience? Motorola used to be a power house in public safety, in fact, they were the team to beat in wireless communications at one time. That’s right, they did everything from car radios to satellite to paging to cell systems to cell phones to Nextel. They were the team to beat in public safety. You could not walk into a site without seeing the batwings exposed on equipment. If you don’t know what I mean, then you are too young to understand. By the way, do you still see the Motorola Logo in sites? Of course, but not like you did 20 years ago, you know I’m right! They also did networking equipment in the days of framed relay and modems, (if you’re asking what that is, use Google to look it up, again, I am in my 50s, get over it). The flaw I see here is that Motorola did not learn from the carriers by partnering with one OEM, how stupid? All the carriers knew better. They know that you need 2 or 3 OEMs to play it safe and keep innovation alive and make it competitive. I say that they made an obvious mistake right up front, in my opinion.

IBM – Why not? They are big enough and I would say they could do as well as Motorola. They would build processes to handle all of this and they could make it happen and they could build the relationships with the carriers as well as anyone on this list.

Black & Veatch – I believe they could do it but would they want to when they could just as easily do regional work for any of the above? They are positioned well for the deployment, but FirstNet wants so much more than to deploy a network, too much for Black and Veatch to want to deal with. I think they know what they are good at, managing deployments, they don’t want to get in over their head with the operate and maintain.

Others – Who else could do this? I am sure there are plenty that when they look at it they think they could, just like the little engine going up the mountain, “I think I can, I think I can” but when they read the RFP, they will see it’s so much more than deploy, it deploy, operate, maintain, provide immediate coverage. That’s a huge plate to fill for any one company especially when FirstNet wants a SPOC, (single point of contact).

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What about carriers? Here is the target audience for what they are looking for. Voila! You have the target integrator for FirstNet because you have an instant carrier. This is what FirstNet wants, at this moment in time. This is what I see as the master plan. The RFP will have all the requirements to build a system on top of a system using that valuable spectrum. Too bad the carriers are having 2 auctions prior to the actual deployment. You see they now have spectrum. Let’s list them out one by one.

Verizon – this is the target but does Verizon want to do this? It doesn’t appear so. They already make a ton of money off government phone contracts and they have a government division. They seem to have a pretty solid and profitable business. Do they want to do this for some spectrum that they may or may not be able to use? Ask them, I believe that they know if the system has an issue or if the relationship sours they will lose more in the long run with public image and future government contracts.
AT&T – Here is a contender that may sign up because they love more spectrum, they need more spectrum, and they appear to be interested. They could do it but could they meet the land mass coverage that is required of FirstNet? I don’t think they could and I don’t think that they want to, but if they sign up they will be required to. Is it worth it?
Sprint – Seriously, Sprint, don’t they have to get going with the densification project after cutting over $2B from their budget? They don’t want to deal with anything like this right now.
T-Mobile – They won’t want to cover all that FirstNet has and chances are good they don’t want to deal with it. It is a large offer. Too large for them to really take seriously at this time. They certainly don’t want to cover all the landmass that will be required.
CCA members – They probably can’t cover the land mass without T-Mobile and/or Sprint, too bad. I think that this group would be awesome at this,. Seriously, if they could step up and take this on. I know that CCA probably couldn’t manage this on their own, they would need help, but I have a list above of plenty of system integrators that would be happy to help.
T-Mobile with all the members of CCA – Awesome! I would love to see this happen because CCA could cover most of what T-Mobile can’t, and these teams could do it! I also believe that the spectrum would be very valuable to the CCA members. Seriously, they could use it since they don’t get many breaks on bidding with the FCC. Deep pockets generally win. T-Mobile, again, won’t want to deal with this but if CCA could build a team then T-Mobile could step back and concentrate on the network whilst CCA manages the build and integration while T-Mobile could operate and maintain. All that for some extra spectrum and $6B. Suddenly this team would make a play for #2 with coverage if they looked like one system. Hey, just my thoughts here.
AT&T with CCA Members – Here is an ideal situation, again, in my opinion. AT&T already has interest and they have the network and the experience. CCA could fill the holes. They could cover the landmass that AT&T can’t or doesn’t want to. What a concept. Could AT&T and CCA work together, who knows! I would like to see it but it probably won’t happen. I think this is what should happen since it could really change the landscape of the industry. One more thing, it would really put Verizon in a tough spot because these 2 together would over shadow Verizon’s network. T-Mobile, being a member of CCA, probably would not let this happen. Sprint is also a member of CCA, but they have their own problems to deal with, they might protest but I don’t think that they would get in the way.

Did I miss anyone? Let me know below the links. I just think we need to see that FirstNet really limited their options by asking for a single company to deploy. That’s what happens with you only want to deal with the SPOC. They will soon realize how hard that can be, to only get information from one person. If you’re like me and every other analyst I know, you will soon realize to listen to many sources before making a decision. Even then you can be wrong, but you have done your due diligence.

There is one option I didn’t mention. The states could build it. If this went back to the states, what would happen? I think we can tell the active states would kick ass. I mean the big boys like Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and many more. They want to move ahead and move now. I believe they don’t want to wait. They seem to have an exact idea of how to deploy. Unfortunately they don’t see any good way to opt out, it could lead to disaster. They also are hoping to use their backhaul assets for the system, but if the carriers are used, that probably won’t happen.

By the way, I am looking forward to getting a ton of small cell and DAS work from this in about 3 years, seriously, there is a lot of work coming if this happens. Oh, there I said it again, the big “IF” word again. I really hope it happens soon.

I like you all to know that I just don’t make this up. I actually read a lot of articles. I have a list of my sources for you. That is why there are so many links in these posts.

Sources:

http://urgentcomm.com/public-safety-broadbandfirstnet/top-carriers-may-have-reservations-about-participating-firstnet-bid-

http://urgentcomm.com/blog/where-will-firstnet-be-next-911

http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/story/analysts-verizons-prospects-winning-firstnet-project-increasing/2015-04-16

http://www.rcrwireless.com/20151022/network-infrastructure/when-will-firstnet-we-see-a-large-scale-firstnet-deployment-tag20

http://www.mccmag.com/Features/FeaturesDetails/FID/588

http://urgentcomm.com/blog/dynamic-spectrum-arbitrage-key-sustainable-firstnet

http://urgentcomm.com/funding/rivada-networks-peter-tenerelli-explains-proposal-let-firstnet-generate-revenue-excess-capac

https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/DonD/entry/public_safety_network_firstnet_part_ii?lang=en

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Free the LTE Indoor Small Cells!

November 19, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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Attention carriers, free the indoor LTE indoor small cells so that they can be deployed with iDAS! This is specifically for the enterprise and building coverage, since you already freed the small femto cells. You are the ones holding the industry back, not the other way around. You say you don’t want to pay for iDAS, but how can anyone else when you control the small cell? Small Cells can be deployed for home office, let’s free them up for the enterprise! Why? Let me tell you why.

The carriers say they don’t want to pay for indoor DAS but indoor small cells are part of that system, aren’t they? The carriers control the release of larger small cells, well any eNodeB for that matter. The VARs, (Value Added Resellers) want to sell and install these systems for large enterprise but they need to work through the carriers, maybe even to purchase the equipment from the carriers. If carriers want to save on these costs, then set up a system to approve the small cells and low power BTS for DAS systems so you can hand it off to someone who can sell it to the building or business owner. Again, I mean that the indoor small cells are so controlled by the carriers that they can’t be deployed by anyone else. It’s like a small cell hell!

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Who agrees with this? I listened to the RCR interview that Sean Kinney did with Jonathon Adelstein, the CEO of PCIA, and he appears to feel the same way. He thinks that the carriers should not be held responsible for a utility like broadband. He was actually talking about DAS, specifically iDAS, but he has to know that small cells are part of the new DAS systems, right? This guy of all people should understand this. Digital DAS, LTE DAS, get it? Small cells play a part. So it appears that PCIA is all in, but the carriers want the installs to be paid for by others and yet they won’t let go of the control! Well, which is it? It’s going to be hard for you to hand off the DAS without the indoor small cell. Get your head out of your butt and wake up! Make the change today! This is LTE; analog BDAs are not going to cut it anymore!

Let’s build a better model like the femto cell, for instance, homes and small offices are able to have anyone install the femto cell. Let me explain this model. You may have heard that T-Mobile is handing the CellSpot femto cell out to customers for free. This will help build a coverage model similar to what Comcast did with Xfinity Wi-Fi, hand out hotspots, (Cable modem or femto cell), and put your default ESSID on a Wi-Fi hotspot and then all of you customers can use it. It is a complete plug and play device, one that most carriers offer home users at some point, even with Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi calling may change this, but T-Mobile made it sexy and smart. They get expanded coverage for the price of a box and shipping.

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I believe that SpiderCloud is building this model for their small cells. They know that the carrier does not want to deploy indoor small cells everywhere, but the carriers have to build a better process. So why not do this for all businesses that want iDAS and indoor small cells? Let a contractor handle it! An approved contractor (of course) installing an approved unit.

As for carriers, I believe that T-Mobile is handing out the femto cells, but not anything larger. I think AT&T was going to set up something that would have them hand them, (sell them) to end users that wanted to install them. I didn’t hear of anything like this from Verizon. I know that the technology is catching up but I think that if they would allow the approved contractor to buy them, preferable from the OEM to save money unless the carrier would be able to get them really cheap, the contractor could do the rest. Building out the network for the carrier.

How should carriers do it? Build a process where the vendor gets certified by the OEM and the carrier. Then the carriers will vette the vendor for being a real business and take a look at their safety programs. Then let the vendor sell to the enterprise and landlords! It’s that simple carriers, get out-of-the-way. Don’t worry about the vendor making you look bad because I know you can set up a feedback system so that the end customer can grade the vendor. Help them improve or boot them out. Build the process today.

Now, on the network and equipment side, you need to do several things. You need 1) Plug and Play, 2) an auto-config neighbor list, 3) power control, 4) get certified VARs to call the integration center, and 5) monitor PCMD data. Then you can let the VAR build your system and improve your coverage! Am I making any sense yet?

Readers, I know that many of you are blaming the OEM, right? But the reality is that the carriers have a firm grip on the small cell since it connects to the network.

Free the small cells to the vendors and let the network grow organically. Increase the pipe with little or no expense! Put the growth on auto pilot for heaven’s sake!

In case you wonder why carriers control deployments, look at the reasons below:

Approvals: The OEM has a lot of work with the carrier prior to even being allowed on the network. You see, to get on the carrier’s network you need to put all small cells through lab tests, minimum 3 months, to make sure they are certified and won’t take down a site, cluster or harm the network. Anyone who is working on the OEM side of small cells understands that this takes a lot of time, energy, money, and lab support. It doesn’t happen overnight, in fact, if it happens in 3 months you’re doing incredibly well.
Integration: Another thing is the current commissioning and integration of a cell onto the network. It usually needs to be planned. It is still not automated except small femto cells used for home and SOHO, (Small Office Home Office). The reason being is the core. You have several locations that the cell could connect with, and it may be different for each region. There is not an easy way for it to locate the core that it should be talking to. So they either preconfigure the cell or they do it on site. This seems to be tedious but in my opinion, the process should be automated.
Optimization: Finally, the ever so important neighbor list. This is the list of neighboring sites that the cell could interfere with and hand off. They want a clean handoff, no drops. Also, you don’t want self interference; you want a good cluster frequency plan. Don’t forget the power setting has to be just right. All key factors in the optimization phase of deployment. An optimized network is a happy network. Happy networks mean happy customers.

Maybe Wi-Fi and LTE-U calling will change this. With the license free options you can already get internet access and make a voice call over Wi-Fi. Comcast has a serious Wi-Fi network that people could use If only Comcast would create a better core for voice, VOIP, or VoWi-Fi, so that they can complete voice calls. It looks like they are working towards this from what I have read, but who knows. They recently announced the deal with Verizon so maybe they will move ahead with a real heterogeneous network.

Q with A&A – (Questions with actions and answers)

Q) Are small cells plug and play? A&A – They should be! Femto cells usually are, so all indoor cells should be, get on that today! Tell the OEMs that it is a requirement.
Q) Do I have to preconfigure the cell ahead of time? A&A – Get the OEM or a vendor to set up a system where it will be ready to be put on the network. It could be through your office or the OEM or let the VAR do it! One of them could load a configuration file so that when the installer gets it all they need to do is power up and connect to the internet or some type of backhaul.
Q) What if it interferes with a neighbor? A&A – Monitor the site when it goes in and catch the PCMD data from the units in the building to update the cell. This is work, but chances are you’re already doing this or you have a SON server doing this. This should be automated.
Q) What if power needs adjusted? A&A – See above, monitor, adjust, done.
Q) What if the carrier feels they need to install the small cell? Action – Don’t do it! The OEMs are already training people so just verify certifications. Get out-of-the-way!
Q) Who will configure the radio? A&A – Build basic configuration files. Could be the VAR or it could come preconfigured.
Q) Who will certify the installers? A&A – Let the OEMs manage the certifications! They are doing it today. Carriers need to verify that the VAR is certified to commission the small cell. Again, they need to be trained by the OEM. There should be a certification for installation and commissioning.
Q) Do carriers have to stock the small cells and spend the extra expense tracking and shipping? A&A – Don’t do any of it except create the process! Let a warehouse, distributor, OEM, or the VAR do it. If you want complete control then manage and warehouse everything, but the reality is that you should work a deal with a distributor, VAR, or OEM to stock them, prep them, and install them. All the VAR should need to do is call you to verify configuration and date of install. Let each group do what they are good at.
Q) What if it’s a large iDAS system? A&A – Don’t get involved unless it’s a high-profile venue! Let someone else do all the work. They should be buying all the equipment to make your coverage better.
Q) What will the cost to the carrier be? A&A – Let the VAR’s buy direct. If you do this right you should only pay someone, a PM, to manage the process. The business, building or venue owner will pay for the installation and the small cell just like you want them to do for DAS. You need to define the process and approve the vendors. Get out of your own way!
Q) Where will we find these VARs? A&A – They will come to you if you have a contact or group they can talk to! Seriously, this business will boom because a ton of companies want to do small cells and iDAS, just make someone available to them. Set up the process to get contractors approved. Get the contractor vetted and move on to the next one. Seriously, why make more work for yourself? If they screw it up, then deal with it or throw them out of your system.
Q) What if the enterprise or venue calls the carrier? A&A – refer them to the nearest 1 or 5 VARs. Build a database of VARs by region. Let the customer run the RFP or bidding process. Let the VAR fight for the work.
Q) How do we let the VAR know what band to install? A&A – Create a process where they can either access a website or let them call the regional team for information. I like the website because it is automated with little human interaction.

I would recommend having the carriers approve indoor small cells and then letting VARs deploy them as part of the iDAS and indoor small cell systems. For indoors, the carriers don’t want to pay for the installation unless they have a large payback but a VAR will do it for the cost of the installation. Hopefully the business will pay for.

The carriers, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint need to go to the next level for indoor deployments. In this case I would recommend letting the VAR do the installation for enterprise and for business. Let the VAR work with the end-user for installation of the indoor small cell just like they would the iDAS systems. Honestly, what are they waiting for? They just need to approve it for their system then the PnP, plug and play, should do the rest. Make the investment in a decent SON system and then hand it off to the VARs! Let them sell it to the businesses and enterprises! Let them improve coverage at the request of the end use, not at the carrier’s cost. Get out of your own way! Don’t forget to automate the system!

I think that this is what the carriers want. They can control their end of it with the testing, the labs, and the approvals. They can then hand it off to the VAR to sell it and install it to improve coverage. Just like everyone wants to do with Wi-Fi. Comcast figured it out. T-Mobile is giving the femto cells to the end-user. Let’s create a system that works with this business model.

Don’t get me wrong, there will be a learning curve. If you don’t have a clean way to do this now then get busy! You should have done this already! Automate, integrate, and then grow!

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FirstNet: When will it Happen?

October 8, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

To help you out:

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

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What is a Mini Macro?

August 5, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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So what is a mini macro? Well, let’s look at it as a single sector cell site that you would mount on a pole or up on a rooftop. It would be a standalone site. Softbank is tossing around the idea, which they have done in Japan, to have Sprint do it here in the USA. Why? Because it’s cheaper than a full-blown cell site and it helps you concentrate your signal in a specific area.

So in this mini macro you would have everything you would at a cell site or a small cell site. You would have backhaul, a router, BBU, RRH, antenna, hybriflex and RF cables. The difference would be that you would just have one BBU and RRH and the backhaul could be anything to tie the eNodeB into a core. It would look like a single sector cell site. with an OMNI on top.

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So let me break it down, on a small pole, monopole, utility pole, or on a rooftop you would have a very small BTS with the router and battery all-inclusive. The backhaul could be anything, copper, fiber, or wireless. All in a small form factor. Well, that sounds like a small cell, doesn’t it? Well, it is but the power will be well above 5 watts, probably around 20 watts. It would be just one sector, possibly one antenna. In the case of TDD it would just be one antenna whereas with FDD you would need to have 2 antennas or maybe a combiner and filter.

So imagine if you will, it will be a small cabinet, with or without batteries. It will cover more than a small cell. So you will want to have a little more height to get the biggest bang for your buck. The key is to maximize signal for the least amount of money possible. So think back to the days of paging when you put the site in where you needed it the most, this is very similar. You want to cover an area. I would say that a Macro site would cover about 35 Kilometers, (about 21.5 miles), and an outdoor small cell would cover about 2 kilometers, (about 1.25 miles). I would think that a mini macro would cover somewhere in between, about 12 kilometer, (about 7.5 miles).

If the deployment is managed right, I would think the mini macro would be put together as a unit and then deployed as a kit so it should be very close to plug and play. The power would need to be connected, the antenna would need to be connected, then all you need is backhaul, let’s say wireless so it has to be connected and aligned.

In my world the station would power up, the backhaul would be connected, and then the station would come up and be integrated. The commissioning should be just like a small cell so it should be ready for plug and play, again, in my eyes. Integration would be done remotely while the installers are still on site. Then the installers could test the commissioning and verify the unit is working by testing it with a Smartphone device, just like they do for small cells now.

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OK, I know this was a high level explanation but I think you get the picture, right? What I didn’t tell you is that this is the Sprint plan for densification, just like what Softbank did over in Japan. They had great success over there in getting these deployed and covering a densely populated region. This is probably the plan over here now that Softbank is taking over Sprint. I just hope they remember KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid! I think that looking at the Network Vision deployment you realize how complicated it became. If the mini-macro can be simple to install and simple to turn up and simple to test, you have a winning combination. Network Vision was anything but simple for most of the deployment teams that I talked too. It was a huge learning curve for many of them. When going to the lowest bidder it’s hard to get experienced crews repeatedly that can handle something like that.

So there you have it, some way to explain something new in the USA. I hope it helps. What do you think?

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Large Wireless Network Deployment

May 25, 2015 Wade Leave a comment

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I want to go over the Large Wireless Network Deployment process. It is something that takes a long time to plan out and there is so much to consider. We often just see one phase of it, out in the field. The planning and preparation that goes into it can be a meticulous process, especially for the government roll outs. The carriers are better at it because they continuously do it and the entire company is on board with it. The challenges that utilities and governments have to deal with are politics and payback because they build their networks for different reasons, not just to generate income but to save money and lives.

So while I was at IWCE I sat in several sessions that they had. There were so many so I had to focus on a few. I attended FirstNet sessions but in addition I wanted to concentrate on the tower work, DAS, and Small Cell. I sat through a session on deployments that were geared to get the states, cities, and other government entities prepared for a large deployment.

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For this scenario I am going to present a large deployment. This is a bird’s eye view of the process. Of course many of you are involved in the specifics. I just want you to see the perspective from the end customer’s vantage point.

So in deployment the plan to be more thorough in the planning of the deployment. I see the way that consultants are going to be more and more involved in future deployments. They will be involved in the deployment planning. This is the initial work up front, usually 1 or 2 years before anyone really has a plan. They will be working with the customer to plan out what they will do. This is something that most deployment people get involved in but business development might be listening for something like this. A great example of this, which you can follow, is the FirstNet deployment. They have been planning the system out for years to make sure it is the system that will be working for years. They intend to have a broadband system to support public safety, utilities and other government entities to have access to.

Next will be the RFI, Request for Information. This is where the people doing the deployment will request information about the equipment, hardware, and timelines. I have been involved in many of these and they are very time-consuming because it’s the customer’s vision, but it may not be attainable or it may be unrealistic or it may be too soon to implement, meaning that they equipment is not ready for prime time. There could be several RFIs to clarify the expectation and to make sure all the contractors and OEMs are synced up.

Then will be the actual plan for deployment and then the RFP, Request for Price, or RFQ, request for Quote. These are where the customer will send out the refined system, the goal, the actual system that is set to be built with the expectations of the customer. This is where the larger contractors will respond with an answer for all of this. Then they will put RFQs out to the contractors to do the work or they will build a budget around your past pricing. Trust me, they don’t always have time to complete the RFQ process. This is where the larger contractors need to have good documentation on past projects. They also need to confer with the front line to make sure that pricing does not change.

Then, the evaluation process happens. This is where the customer and maybe their consultants review everything. This is where they need to decide who has the best answer for the best price. I know all of you think the response is solely on price, but if the customer is smart, they balance the responses out. Then the decision to install a system that meets all (or most) of their needs for the best price. This takes time and based on how they structured the RFP is it may be a long process to get to comparing apples to apples.

Then the award! Oh that sweet award. Actually the award may not be until after a long grueling questioning process to determine if the contractor can actually do what they said they could. It matters to make sure that they are all on the same page.

Just because you won the bid doesn’t mean you will get the work, you need to go through the qualification and then you may move ahead. Big jobs are tough, it’s more about the high level up until now. If the qualification took place and there were no objections, then the next step. Qualifications will take some time because you will need to lay out the plan and provide detail on how you will reach the customers expectations in not only the technical aspects like coverage and loading, but also the timeline for deployment and a plan.

Timelines are an issue. Remember that if you plan to build new sites or acquire new sites, that takes time! The structural may take time, but not always, if you have paperwork from a previous structural, which most tower owners should have, then it doesn’t take long at all, unless you need to improve the structural integrity of the tower, then that will have to be done. Remember to be realistic, set expectations, and allow for possible delays. This is a big step though, you start the design and then you do the surveys and build the BOMs. Here is where the site engineering takes place, oh boy!

Now, when all of that is completed, then the deployment or migration or upgrades. Whatever you may be doing in this case. There is always an opportunity for more work after the win. It’s up to you to decide if it’s what you want to do or not.

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Is Small Cell Deployment Cost Prohibitive?

November 12, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Hey small cell fans! I was recently looking over what has been holding carriers back for outdoor small cell deployment. I will lay it out for you. But first, a quick overview.

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I know that many people I have talked to are looking to get into small cell deployment. Many of you have already started some indoor installations. This is great! Inside building installations are a good place to start because of the small cell experience. The great thing about buildings is that you are mostly running CAT5 to the small cell. You may need to get creative and pay attention to the cable runs. Remember that core drilling is very expensive.

First, let me describe the small cell options.

Stand alone small cells that would be an all in one unit, it may or may not have the antenna attached to it but the controller and radio would all be in one box. If the antenna is remote then it may have the RF jumper connecting the small cell to the antenna.
Then there are some that have a controller somewhere, like the broadband unit on a macro cell, and then connects to the radio via CAT5 or fiber. The remote radio head will be a smaller unit and will need power, wither from an outlet, from the controller, or from a router via CAT5. The controller probably controls several remote radio heads, and may control them a direct connection or through the network.

For indoor, stadiums, arena, or another controlled smaller venue you could use either one, because it is usually in a controlled environment. For street coverage in a city chances are real good that you would want the standalone unit because of real estate on a pole or in a cabinet that you’re mounting to. For these options DAS is really going to benefit from the small cell options. They still like to have some more power, I mean higher that 1 watt, but they are going to be able to control much more of the power distribution using these units.

So what has been holding back deployments?

Is it the price of a small cell? No, the cost of the small cells is very reasonable, cheap in fact, compared to a macro or even a microwave link.
Is it the antenna, cable, hardware, parts, and pieces? No, much more cost-effective because it is so much smaller.
Is it the rent? Probably not, because leasing on a pole is much more reasonable.
Power? Maybe, smaller circuits but if you need to install power, even the minimum 100A or 200A service, whatever the local zoning permits, it will cost money.
Is it the prep work? Like site acquisition and site surveys? It could be. This may entail a lot of prep work. It may need structural drawings on a pole, power planning, backhaul planning, site survey, and more. I will explain below.
It is not the cost of the install, although the carriers seem to attack the installers because it is something they feel they can control and beat down. It may still take a bucket truck to do the deployments, but in the grand scheme of things, compared to a macro it is very reasonable if it is planned out properly. Planning is the key for efficiency and saving money.
Design, integration, and optimization? It is not the design or the integration or even the optimization, but they will hammer that down to because anything that is a service is something they can beat down. Design and integration can mostly be done remotely and optimization is something that is happening anyway.

So what is it? It appears to be the backhaul. They seem to think that they need >100Mbps fiber at every small cell. Does this make sense? It might! They may need more bandwidth at some sites than others but these stand alone sites probably don’t need anything near what they have at an arena. But the carrier would know better than I would because they have Per Call Measurement Data, (PCMD) that they get and put into a tool to determine where they need coverage based on weak signal and loading. I have to tell you, they don’t really seem worried about weak signal unless it affects a major customer. So the 3G small cells never really took off, did they? The 4G LTE small cells are all about bandwidth and data, so that may be a game changer. Carriers are worried that VoLTE may not be great if they don’t have decent bandwidth. They are also looking at the constraints in the bandwidth they are allocated by the FCC, so they will need to create smaller cells to help target larger data customers. This is something they are already trying to figure out.

Do they really need 100Mbps at a small cell? Who is going to use this thing? Is it something that businesses will rely on for watching video or will you be downloading your movies from these things? Maybe someday, but to get things rolling they should look at all of the options. To put in fiber at every site is quite a bit of money, but once it’s in they never have to go back to configure it again.

So who would need high bandwidth? Any venue like a sports venue – where fans would want to look at video, listen to audio, and share anything going on at the game. No matter what the game is the arena or stadium will have crazy heavy usage. Insane usage! Perhaps at certain businesses or in some malls. Maybe on special streets like Times Square in NYC where a massive amount of people gather every New Years Day. So it makes sense to put high bandwidth backhaul and any location like that.

What about the street coverage that is there so people don’t have a dead zone or a place there customers may need coverage for their business? I don’t think they need 100Mbps but the carriers would know better than I would. This is someplace that they could plan to scale up as needed.

So, back to my point – do they need this at fiber every small cell site? I don’t think so. I think that the hybrid solutions will be the way to go to start out. They could put fiber in a site that has fiber, saving cost on installation and site acquisition. This may be a building where they could use wireless backhaul to shoot down to poles, bus stops, other building, whatever. Wireless could be E-band licensed point to point (PTP), 5.8GHz point to multi point (PTMP), or another solution. I think that the traditional licensed bands, like 18GHz or 23GHz may not be feasible due to bandwidth and physical constraints. You will need something small and easy to deploy.

I think that the PTMP may be a quick solution but it’s in the 5.8GHz shared band. This means that anyone could interfere with you at any time causing serious degradation to your link at any time, and there is little you can do about it. It is cheap, comparatively speaking, and easy to deploy. The bandwidth you get may range from a few Mbps to >20Mbps that I am aware of. This varies but realistically I would not expect much more than this. Vendor dependant. Distance could be an issue and depends on what you are trying to achieve, but I would not recommend going too far, over a mile, just to keep your reliability as high as possible. Again, look over your design, know your OEM, and understand the plan for growth.

The E band solution in the 70 to 80 GHz bands. They have a 60GHz band solution as well. This does need to be licensed but they call it light licensing because it is quick and easy and the link distance is very short, under a mile in almost all cases. It does however, based on design and distance, allow you to pass up to 1GHz of bandwidth between links. It must be line of site (LOS) and weather is a factor. It all has a price!

I think that the hybrid solution of using both wireless and fiber may be the best way to go. When you look at putting fiber at every site it could not be cost-effective. However, if you put fiber there from day one you may never need to go back to upgrade. So the design and growth plan is so important. If you don’t see much growth in an area, then why put the money into it up front? I think there are already many business models to look at cost-effective alternatives.

Some carriers want fiber everywhere without any type of reference. What I see is a team of people who do a great job building out a Macro site trying to find synergies with the small cells. However, on backhaul requirements, you have a large area to cover, 3 to 12 sectors, and real loading with many customers at any given time. On the small cell, outside of a sports arena, you may cover 10 to 50 users, realistically, at one time. It may go up to 128 to 256 is this is a busy area. Will they all be using heavy bandwidth, probably not, but it is still loading.

What can you do as a deployment team? Make sure you understand the needs of the customer. Chances are good that they will need site surveys done prior to deployment as part of with the RF design and site Acquisition. When you do the site survey make sure you are aware of all obstacles. You can make sure you understand where the fiber is located. They should have fiber maps showing where the rings are. Maybe you would recognize that a building would be a better fit than a pole because you could set it up as a hub then connect the surrounding poles using wireless backhaul. Look for obstructions that would block wireless backhaul. Maybe you know where the macro site is and that could be the hub and connect to it directly with wireless backhaul. However, most of this may be wishful thinking and there may not be any path back to anything if the customer does installations across a huge area and not a planned organized deployment.

Remind the customer of the cost savings of planning mass deployments in one area. That is something to make clear, if they do single installations all over a wide area, then there are no savings on installation. If they plan it out very well in one area and do 10 installations in one city or metro area, then they will see installation savings.

Be open to suggest idea to help. If you get the site survey work then you are in an excellent position to offer advice. I won’t’ guarantee that they will take it, but hey, you tried to help.

Let me put the budget into perspective for you. To run fiber, even 100 feet it may cost up to $30K or more, all depending what is involved. Underground will involve trenching, permitting, maybe a planned road closure, or more. Overhead may be cheaper, but I am not a fiber guy, they would know better than I would. If you purchase radios they may be $10K and up, but once you mount it then it should work for a very long time assuming it is of good quality and the installation was done properly. You always have cable modems that would connect you to the internet and the carrier would have to build a VPN tunnel to keep it up, I think this may be the cheaper route up front but then you have the monthly OPEX.

So it will not be cheap or free no matter what they do. So it is up to you in the field to make sure you do all that you can to assist them to make the right decisions. Help them out by offering advice to how they could deploy, after all, you are on the front line and we all know that the front line is where all the good ideas come from, right? Of course! Make sure you think it through and be open to a conversation, and listen to what they are really looking for. If they determine that they need fiber at every site regardless of the cost, then so be it. Give it to them and respect their wishes. Just make sure you offer alternatives that are smart and cost-effective.

Tell me what you think!

http://www.thinksmallcell.com/

http://www.smallcellforum.org/

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/solutions/small-cells

https://www.qualcomm.com/1000x/small-cells

My SOW training will be out next week. My big release will be soon! Make sure you tune in!

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Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Drugs, Morons, and Steel.

August 27, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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I got 3 things to talk about today – drugs, morons, and steel.

Drugs:

Let’s start with drugs, yes drugs. In fact, I will make it simple, let’s talk about marijuana, pot, hemp, or the wacky weed. Whatever you want to call it, pot stays in your system for quite a while. I read this article about POT on Truth on Pot which says that detectable amounts are in the system for up to 12 hours, but could be detectable for up to 27 hours. Why am I telling you this, because if you smoke the night before and then you have a drug test the following day, guess what, you may fail. If there is an accident and they test everyone, then if there is a trial it is no longer about the accident but about the incompetent drug user on the site. In fact the blame may be put on the guy smoking. So we probably will have drug testing for all tower crews in the near future. Apparently, from the feedback I have been getting most people just can’t stop. One big party on the road. More pot articles are here and here or here. Remember that if something bad happens, there will be someone looking to lay blame, who better to blame than the pothead? Drug test should be mandatory after every incident. Random drug tests may become the standard. Get ready for the changes.

If you care about the coworkers on your site, you need to curb your habits! Even if you are on cold medicine, you need to speak up and say something. Anything that could dull your senses or could cause problems should be brought to the chief’s/boss’ attention. If you are the chief, then wake up and let your crew know. Team relies on each other to live. Lives matter, blame is too late.

Wake up pothead, I don’t care what you do on your own time, none of my business, but if a family loses anything because you’re smoking dope then we have real problems. This industry needs professionals!

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Morons:

So now we come to the morons section. This is something that most of you don’t want to admit. Hey, I was a moron a few times, what set me apart was that I learned from my mistakes and I asked for help. Isn’t it great that when someone on Facebook has a legitimate question and all the people can do is rip that guy apart for being stupid! I would like to start my own forum so I can kick those guys out. We are all professionals here, grow up. Are you a skilled professional or a laborer? Which is it? There are places for both on the crew – it’s just nice to know where you stand. What can you tell me about the job you are on? I have done both, but if you are just there for the paycheck, remember that lives are on the line. Don’t be a moron!

Steel:

And now the steel section, we need to be safe on the steel. Are we looking at the big picture when it comes to safety on the tower? Do we know how safe the tower is? Did someone look at the structural? Yes, they usually do because it is an obvious hazard that can be easily, although not cheaply, looked at.

What about the tie off points? Did anyone look to see if the tower was safe to climb and if the climber had tie off points? Ever climb a monopole where the pegs are loose? I did. Ever climb a tower where the face is so huge you need to go to the top and climb down another leg to rig in safety lines? Yup, did that too. Did you ever take two people to rig a safety line to cross a face? I did that too. It’s all extra work.

What if the tower has a ladder up the middle then you need to be able to descend to the point you are working at. Usually in something like that there is very little to tie off to for your positioning lanyard much less another point to tie off your safety lanyard. You probably will need to stay attached to the rope but it’s not an ideal situation. Should the tower owner clean that up? Should they make an effort to make the towers or monopoles as safe as possible for the climbers? Yes, absolutely! Are they doing this? You tell me! Tell me in the form below because I think that when there is an accident they are often overlooked. I worked on many towers where there were so few tie off points. It really helps when they are readily available. They can be added but it costs money. Remember this article?

Feedback let’s me know what you want to know!

I think the goal should be that if there is an accident at the tower, we can unconditionally look at the guy that’s hurt and see he was at fault! That should be the goal, to clearly identify the fault, equipment failure or stupidity. Now, however, we are still not doing that. We are still guessing at what happened. Isn’t it time we start taking every excuse for an accident away? We all know that people have to work at heights, we all know how to improve some towers, and we all know that no one wants to spend the money to do it. This is one way to eliminate a problem.

We really need to work together. Remember that this is only one hazard. Keeping hydrated on the tower is a simple way to eliminate another hazard. Working as a team will eliminate more hazards. Daily inspections eliminate another hazard. Tailgate meetings and planning, eliminate more hazards. Hazard assessment – make things as safe as possible, as a team. Training will eliminate another hazard. Practice rescue techniques, keep first aid kits and trauma kits handy.

Did you do the ALS Ice Bucket challenge?

By the way, I have 2 sites now, www.wade4wireless.com and www.wadesarver.com/podcast and I will work to merge them. I am bringing you the podcast so you can listen while you drive!

Interested?

http://www.criticalmindset.com/

http://www.asse.org/professionalsafety/pastissues/057/11/030_036_F1Elli_1112.pdf

http://smallwindconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BP-doc-ver-4.pdf

http://ncc.gov.ng/archive/RegulatorFramework/Guidelines_on_Technical_Specifications_for_the_Installation_of_Telecommunications_Masts_and_Towers.pdf

http://k7nv.com/notebook/topics/TowerTips.pdf

http://www.inti.gob.ar/cirsoc/pdf/antenas/preventing_corrosion.pdf

My Books below. I wrote them to get you started but now I am going to put together some more to keep you going. Understand that you can build a career path to get you beyond climbing.

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

FCC & DOL Tower Safety Workshop

August 9, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Let’s talk about the FCC and the DOL tower safety and injury prevention workshop! The link can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db0804/DA-14-1131A1.pdf if you want to read about it. This is great news, hallelujah! Way to go FCC & OSHA! (OSHA is part of the DOL.) This is a good thing and needs to be looked at! This year, 9 fatalities to date and 13 last year, this is something that really needs to be addressed. The FCC & DOL released the document on August 4^th, 2014, and it’s great that they are stepping up. If you would like to watch it online and live make sure that on October 14^th at 9AM ET you go to http://www.fcc.gov/live and see all the action.

By the way, this is post #131 that I put out there for you! I am on podcast #25 already! Tell your wireless friends!

Hurry, write a review on iTunes or Stitcher today!

Wireless Estimator has an update at http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfm if you want to see what Jonathon Adelstein, President and CEO of PCIA says. There is speculation that PCIA is pushing this and I know that they publicly endorse the event.

So what do you think they will discuss? Remember that it is safety and injury prevention, so that will open up many issues. I am hoping they stick to the death prevention first. We really need to prevent as many deaths as we can. That isn’t just going to be saying tie off 100% of the time. It’s going to be about making sure that the climber has something to tie off to on the structure! It’s going to be making sure that installations are thought out to the detail that a climber can make it around or through the structure on the tower.

Let me ask how many of the tower climbers have had to climb off the climbing leg to get around a dish or a mount or over an antenna? How many monopoles did you squeeze through the platform opening just to get to the next level? How many faces did you cross by holding on?

I think now that the communications industry is changing it would be a good time to update the towers. There will be 2G and 3G decommissioning happening soon. The next wave of LTE-A and 5G builds will be starting. This is a good time to see the industry work together to improve the conditions on towers. Pretty soon the entire radio, BBU and RF, will be on the tower in communications. Only fiber and power will be run up the tower. If there is wireless backhaul, then only power will be run up the tower.

Let’s think ahead, not just in wireless technology but also in mechanical and safety technology to make those structures safe so that the climbers can follow safe processes. Let’s make it so that the tailgate meetings include someone saying how much they love climbing this tower because they have an easy time maneuvering and tying off. Would that be a pleasant conversation for a change?

With the RRHs getting heavier and more common the tower will be asked to hold more and more weight in the radio and the steel. Let’s make sure that we plan out the tower modifications carefully! Let’s make sure that the mechanical engineers are ready to make the changes to the towers. It’s a team effort and when they beef up the tower they can also add some tie off points and plan out the climbing paths. Maybe a better way to cross the face.

So let’s make some noise and let the FCC know that it will take more than just OSHA trying to report what happened. Let’s see if the industry can come together to prevent all the threats. Let’s make it safer than ever with careful planning and thought. I don’t want them to just throw another initiative that is lip service; I would like to see real planning and industry buy in! If the money is going to be spent on growth, let’s grow the best way we can!

Where and when?

Date: October 14, 2014

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: FCC Headquarters

Commission Meeting Room

445 12th Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20554

Remember to give me your near miss stories, it seems more relevant now that ever, right? Let me know! Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. I cover it here.

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Yes, Kelly Hill of RCR did asked me about the new OSHA directive.

Tell me about your trucks, remember this post!

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Remember that the Hubble Foundation needs your support. They help any climber in need, so remember that when you need help and if you can help! Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang! By the way, how much did you give today?

By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think. I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Is this going to help you? Let me know on Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283

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Drugs:

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Morons:

Steel:

Feedback let’s me know what you want to know!

Interested?

My Books below. I wrote them to get you started but now I am going to put together some more to keep you going. Understand that you can build a career path to get you beyond climbing.

Kindle:

My PDF books so you can buy with PayPal:

My PDF books so you can pay with Credit Card:

Whistle blower information;

Share this:

Hurry, write a review on iTunes or Stitcher today!

Where and when?

Remember to give me your near miss stories, it seems more relevant now that ever, right? Let me know! Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. I cover it here.

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Yes, Kelly Hill of RCR did asked me about the new OSHA directive.

Tell me about your trucks, remember this post!

My Books on Kindle:

My PDF books on Sellfy, Pay with PayPal:

My PDF books on GumRoad, Pay with Credit Card:

Whistle blower information;

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