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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Indoor Small Cell Notes

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One thing that has been happening in 2015 is the indoor small cell growth. There are many vendors and OEMs that have successfully deployed indoor small cells. Whether it’s in a stadium or in an office or in a home, there are many installed. Indoor small cell deployment has been booming. 

To give you some background, the indoor small cells go through extensive lab testing with the carriers before they ever touch the network. They need to be approved. You see the carriers, or most of them, treat the network like they would a delicate flower making Indoor ceiling tilesure that nothing touches it before that device is tested, approved, and does not hurt the network. When you see all of the devices on the network you begin to realize how much work it is to test each device before it is allowed to work on that carrier’s network. I don’t blame them one bit, because if a site goes down or if the network is affected it could have devastating effects on service, and we all want 100% uptime, or at least 99.999% uptime. 

So, back to the indoor small cell. If a home needs a small cell then it is very small and it would install like a Wi-Fi router with more testing. It will need power. You will need to plug it into a port that connects to the Internet. Then it should configure automatically. This is where the carrier will have a server that it will seek out and assign an IP and configure it to go live. This is a dedicated server normally but for the larger small cells it should be part of the SON, Self Organizing Network server. I will go into that in a future post.

So a home node or a small business node is pretty straight forward to connect and install, really anyone should be able to do it. So let’s get past that and move onto the bigger installations, ones that someone would pay you for. 

So for enterprise, it may be as simple as installing a few indoor small cells that connect directly to the router, they should go right in and should auto configure. Just make sure that the RF is working and also make sure that you test each cell with a device before you leave. 

For larger installations you may be installing a BBU in a telco room then connect to a router. You may connect to the company’s router or the carrier may want to install their own fiber and router. Make sure you know where you are connecting the backhaul because if you are connecting into the company’s router you may need support from their IT group to connect to the carrier. This could cost you time because they will need to know what to do to connect to the carriers server remotely. You will need to know how to interface to the router. If you are connecting the BBU to the carriers router and they are running in their own backhaul, then you need to meet with the group delivering the fiber and make sure that it’s tested and connected properly.  Know your scope! 

Now that the backhaul is taken care of you are ready to work with the fronthaul, the link from the BBU to the radio head.

First, does the small cell or radio head have the PoE option, (Power over Ethernet)? Or do you need an outlet for each unit? If you have to run power to each unit, then you need to have an electrician to run power or you need to run extension cords. This question is very important.  It will change the scope of the job if you need to run power everywhere.

If you have PoE then make sure that your router that you are connecting not only supplies PoE but the power matches up. You see there is high power and low power on PoE ports. Make sure you know which one you need and that the router and small cell align with what they need. If you are connecting to the BBU then you may be able to run “home runs” to the BBU if it’s practical, but in most cases there should be a router on each floor. This should all be worked out in the initial site survey and should be worked out in the design prior to the installation.  Again, it comes down to knowing your equipment and what you’re connecting to.

If you need to run power, then it adds so much cost. I can’t believe how many indoor small cells do not have PoE, it seems stupid. However, some small cell OEMs don’t get it and they want you to run extension cords everywhere. Make sure you know what you are installing. If you were trained on the equipment and the design was done properly then you should be ready to deploy properly and all of this should have been considered.

So whomever is doing the design will need to make sure that document where to place each unit, how to direct the antenna, and get the installer the document. Placement should be determined by a preliminary RF design. I have seen where many companies wing it, but if you are working with a professional group they should have some type of design prepared to cover all the dead spots and know what the walls are made of so maybe they can penetrate the drywall but have issue with the block walls. Remember that you don’t want to interfere with yourself so the units need to be setup properly and if the carrier has a good SON system then they should know exactly where their neighbors are at. The neighbor list is very important so it matters where each cell is placed, just like Macro. Also, that is why many indoor small cells will not be placed too close to an outside window or wall, because they don’t want to interfere with the Macro network. Remember that it’s a Het Net so they all need to play well together. Many issues can be resolved in the design. Optimization will play a part to make sure the system is working together. 

Antenna direction matters, especially since many of these have directional antennas and they will need to point in a specific area. The RF team should know where the loading is expected when they place the small cells and specify the direction of the antennas. So pay attention to the design. Understand where the unit is mounted and where to point the antenna.

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You should also have a good idea about noise. I don’t mean RF noise, but actual fan noise in this case. Yes, that’s right, if you hang a small cell with a noisy fan in a quiet office, people will complain. It is good to know if the small cell has a quiet fan or no fan at all so that you know if it’s going to disturb the office workers. They want coverage but they also want to be able to talk on the phone without shouting.

If you are installer and you are putting in for a customer who does not own the building, then make a point to talk to the landlord. If you are mounting hardware to the ceiling or drilling through any walls,  make sure you have permission to do so. You don’t want the landlord to badmouth you because the office manager said it was OK. It is just a thought and may not matter to you, but it could cause you problems if you have more customers in that building.

One thing you need to understand is the permitting and zoning. It may be no big deal but it’s a good idea to understand if you can just go in and mount the hardware with the landlords blessing or if there are permitting issues with the local municipality. Usually the landlord will know what to do. 

I think you should also realize that safety matters here, you need to be aware of ladder safety or lift safety, depending on what your dog-tags_clearbackgrondinstallation will need. You also must be aware that you may be working around people. If you can work after hours then you could move freely through the building but chances are good that you will be working during business hours. So make sure the people in the office are aware that they may need to work around you for the day you are there.

This is a very high level overview here. Don’t forget that you will have to test the coverage at some point and chances are good that they will ask the installer to not only install, but to power up and test the units. So make sure you have time in there to do some commissioning and testing. I know that they should do a complete optimization and testing once live but I think that most time they will have you power up, make sure it’s talking to the system by calling the NOC, and then verifying it works. They will probably give you a test device to walk around the building and make sure the coverage and download speeds are good. This will take time, chances are, depending on how many APs you put in, it could take 30 minutes to several hours. Make sure you know what is expected of you.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. I hope this brings you closer to creating solutions for the customer.

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Outdoor Small Cell Mounting to a Strand

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I thought I would start to cover the different kinds of mounting options you have. One of them is Strand mount. This is for an outdoor Metro setting where you would mount the small cell and possibly the antennas on a strand. It would be for an outdoor small cell installation. First off, let me tell you why you do this. to save on site acquisition costs! Want to know more, then stay with me!

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A strand is the steel cable that you see running from pole to pole supporting other cables, like telephone and cable company cables that run from pole to pole. This is often where the cable companies will mount their equipment. Why you ask? No rent, no permitting, and no hassles. They can do this anywhere and if someone owns the pole, chances are the small cell owner won’t have to pay rent because it is not physically attached to the pole. It is in mid-air on the strand. Zoning allows for this as well because they overlook the strand since the equipment is not mounted to anything except a wire. Currently it is a big loophole, but that may change in the future.

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Remember that you want the strand in the telecommunications space, stay out of the electrical space on a utility pole. This is very important for you to remember because you don’t want to be killed or start fired with your lifts! There is no reason to be in the electrical space. I know that some carriers want to mount at the top of these poles, but it is a real hassle to do work in the hot space. I would recommend having the electrical workers, the linemen, do that work because they need to coordinate an outage. They know what to do, who to call, and have the expertise to work in that area. Just let them have the work. After all, safety first. If a carrier thinks it will save them money, then let them coordinate work in the power space!

So when mounting to the strand you need to be sure you only connect to the strand and don’t pinch any other cables in the clamps. The strands also need to be able to support what you are attaching to it. Don’t forget that the clamps in the pole need to be able to support what you are mounting as well. For information on loading and cable types go here, here, here, here, and here.

When you install the equipment, make sure that you still do the grounding, it matters. Follow what the OEM has told you to do. Chances are you could be mounting not only the radio but the antennas on the strand.

Also, bucket trucks will be used! You will need a bucket truck, it seems like the best way to reach that height and be stable. Make sure you have the proper training for the lift that you are using and that you have the proper PPE to be up in the bucket. It matters and I will do a post on bucket truck safety. Finally, stay out of the power zone with the bucket, pay attention and be careful up there.

If you’re running the bucket on a busy street then you will need traffic control. Otherwise you risk a fine and it looks bad for your company. Remember that you want the drivers to be safe as well. In the past we would do a lot of this at night because most cities were lax on traffic control between 11:00PM and 5:00 AM local time. In the cities there are generally plenty of street lights so it really is a nice time to work. I did the work in the south, Alabama and Florida and it was so much cooler to work at night. Know the rules of the road about traffic control! If you are going to have your people work in a city or town, they need to know if they need to just put cones in front of and in back of the truck or if they need to have a flag person waving traffic around. Build time into the SOW and charge for what you need!

What about backhaul? Usually strand mounted units rely on DOCSIS, which is the cable interface. You should expect the power and backhaul all to come in from the cable company. The unit may need an interface that will take the incoming cable connection and breakout the power and backhaul into 2 separate connections. This is what you need to be ready to connect. This is something that would be of great interest to some cable companies. I know that Cox has been testing with some of the OEMs to make sure the interfaces work. One more thing, not all cable companies use the same power, so it matters what interface you will be using.

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Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Small Cell Deployment Prep and Background

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For the record I have been involved in small cells for the last 2 years, and it has been tough. The numbers didn’t ramp up like we thought they would. However, it looks like 2016 may change all of that. Let me explain.

It appears that the carriers have driven the deployment pricing down to a reasonable price. Originally all the models were based on a normal cell site. Let me put that into perspective. The carriers were going to be charged for site acquisition and installation and backhaul in the neighborhood of $50,000 to install a $5,000 unit. Does that make sense to you? The fact it may only serve 100 people or so at any given time also hurt the model. That is one of the problems they had to overcome. The payback in 3G just didn’t make sense, but now with LTE (4G) coming things are changing. Also, 5G will be higher frequencies making coverage circles even smaller. Plan ahead!

This is probably why AT&T Wireless pulled back on their outdoor small cell deployments, the economics and payback didn’t make sense, but ask them for the real reason. They still deploy indoor small cells from what I see.

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Now that we have 4G, LTE, it is making more sense to make sure that the carrier can supply broadband, especially the carrier’s broadband to use up all of that data each month. Wi-Fi is great for coverage at home but in the public it can be hit or miss or sometimes unreliable or not free! So the small cell is a great way to extend coverage as long as the economics make sense. Maybe even collocate it with Wi-Fi, although if they share the backhaul that doesn’t make a lot of sense, so backhaul planning is essential. Give people the coverage they want and need and also provide decent bandwidth for downloads! Stay connected! Now this could be indoors or outdoors, the name of the game here is to keep the customer connected as much as possible.

With LTE-U and LAA, Wi-Fi will become an important part of the Het-Net system and will be key to providing bandwidth. So make sure that they do not share backhaul! Otherwise they will have a common bottleneck.

Now the deployment costs are starting to make sense and the price of the small cell is dropping too, well under the original $5K that it started at. Most of them will be under $2,500 each and indoor units will be way cheaper. Femto cells are already dropping under $500 per unit.

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So what has changed that the deployment costs have dropped? Education and planning! Now that all teams are beginning to understand that small cell coverage should be cost-effective, the site acquisition costs have dropped considerable and the installation charges are reasonable. Backhaul, still an issue in the USA, but even that is being resolve. You have more options like DOCSIS, wireless, E band, 60GHz, sub 6GHz, and UE Relays to be used. Suddenly there are alternatives to fiber and copper.

With DOCSIS connections cable companies could really play a big part in backhaul if they want to. Some cable companies, like COX, are already doing testing with some of the OEMs and carriers. This is a great start to helping a mass deployment.

Companies like Crown Castle have also figured it out by offering everything at some of their small cell assets, like power and fiber already at the pole along with an existing box to avoid zoning issues. They really put a lot of thought into it. I think they understand 2 things, speed to market and to have a complete solution. They, along with many other asset providers, are taking this very seriously. They are providing a one stop shop for the small cell deployment. They also understand you can’t go into site acquisition for small cells with the Macro mentality.

So people ask me questions all the time about small cell deployments. They ask where they should start. I tell them to learn what is out there and what they want to deploy. The OEMs train people to properly install their equipment, that is a great place to start. Research what you can about the deployments because it may not be what you expect. For indoor deployments you need ladders and indoor tools and cabling tools. You may need to terminate fiber or CAT5 or CAT6. Make sure you’re teams are qualified to do what is needed. Also, make sure you understand the grounding requirements. Learn what PoE means, (Power over Ethernet). Make sure you know what permissions you need from the landlord and if any permitting is required.It’s a good idea to know the local zoning laws.

If you are deploying indoor systems, make sure the small cell is PoE because if it’s not then you need to run outlets wherever you mount the cell or you need to run extension cords or mount near outlets. Any way you look at it, costs go up without PoE! Also, make sure the router you’re running to has PoE ports available and make sure that they match up to the power required by the small cell. There are high power units and low power units, and the router needs to be able to handle the power rating.  Don’t assume the small cell (or the connecting switch) has PoE or you may look very stupid running extension cords at the last-minute.

If you bid the job, are you just installing or are you also required to help commission and test? This could add another 30 to 60 minutes to each visit. If you have 2 guys installing and you didn’t add in the extra 60 minutes, then you are going to lose 2 man hours on every small cell along with the schedule being impacted because you’re losing an hour at every installation. It adds up! Especially in lost revenue and lost time on the schedule. Read and understand your SOW.

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What about logistics? Where are you getting the hardware? Where will it be shipped? Do you have to pick it up or will it be shipped to your shop? Did you look over the drawings? Is there any RF Design information you need to be aware of? Do you need a device dedicated to test the cell once it is installed? Who did the site survey? Do you have documentation from the survey?

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Make a kit of potential mounting hardware you may need. It is pretty common and keep the kit stocked to the farthest you have to run is your truck or van because there may or may not be a Home Depot or Lowes nearby.

Review the survey and verify the questions that you need to answer. If you have more questions reach out to me, I am here to help. I do consulting for people that feel they need help. Let me know your thoughts. I am also writing some papers and training on the different aspects of deployment.

 Interested? Let me know about it. I will add you to my email list for more information.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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Smart Small Cell Deployment Backhaul Efficiencies

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One thing I have noticed about the large carriers is that the small cell deployments are planned out very differently. Indoor is one division and outdoor is another division and getting them to work together is frustrating! When you work wireless deployment you are always looking for ways to improve, all of you reading this know that. Let’s add our years of experience to this process.

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Indoor teams and outdoor teams don’t talk much. So why should they? Really, who cares? Well, if they want to maximize their backhaul and limit expenses they will start looking at the deployment system, not the individual cell. What needs to be done is to have synergies working between the small cells locations and how they can be worked together, unfortunately they are not always located close. Location matters, but first, let’s makes a distinction.

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Let’s compare DAS to Small Cell. One big difference between DAS and Small Cell is that the small cell usually stand alone whereas the DAS may include a full BTS or small cell or repeater and even more. DAS systems are more complicated. However, when DAS is installed, there is a clear goal for coverage and loading. When small cell is installed you are usually alleviating a loading or coverage problem based off data you see or to make a customer happy. DAS is a specific solution to serve a specific audience. Small cell is going to be treated as a fill in most cases, for passing traffic. Small cells are usually strategically located to fill holes where DAS will fill one large hole and provide a large solution. DAS is big bucks and small cell is supposed to be cheaper, (which it is right up to the backhaul). They both are made to work together in on beautiful Heterogeneous Network. Het-Net rules!

So where can companies save in the small cell deployment? By sharing the indoor links with the outdoor small cells. If they would plan the deployment of both indoor and outdoor up front they could run the backhaul to the building then be sure to run a wired or fiber link to the roof, or a data room with a window, and shoot it outside to the outdoor links. The bulk of the price is the backhaul, and the wireless backhaul is a great solution, so take advantage of both. Plan ahead and see if you can work the locations together. From the rooftop you may be able to shoot the links to the poles. Find a solution that works best.

This all takes engineering and planning, but I see so many companies are not looking at the deployment holistically. This is where you, the deployment team, should be ready to offer a solution. If you win the bid in a region then show your value by offering them solutions. They may not listen but if you have a better solution, at least volunteer to improve what they have that will save them monthly cost. The upfront cost, (CapEx) may be more but if you can lower the monthly recurring costs, (OpEx), then it may have a reasonable return on investment, (ROI). Another advantage is that wireless links can speed up the deployment until the fiber “right of way” is ready. If that is the case make a point to offer to remove the wireless backhaul so they can use it in future deployments.

Think through the deployment from a high level, and then focus on the specific tasks. One thing that they are doing is adding the full spectrum up front. I don’t really understand the point unless they know it needs to be ready up front. Remember that bandwidth costs money, so let’s be efficient with the option to grow. Whether its fiber or wireless, plan for growth.

I will tell you from experience that small cells are placed for a need, but usually the need is a best guess. This is very different from DAS because there is a predetermined need usually for specific events like a football stadium where you will have heavy loading over a short period of time. Very specific designs for DAS, that is why they are more complicated. Small cells on the other hand usually are there to fill an “offload” need based on statistics, usually per call measurement data, (PCMD), provided from the carrier.

So if there is a need in a building and you can’t hit it from outside, then start inside and work your way out. It is not easy because you need to work site acquisition with the building owner (that is another story), but if you’re already installing equipment there, then take the time to secure roof rights. Use all your assets. Plan ahead to weigh out the costs so when it’s time to deploy you are ready to complete the system inside and out.

OK, it was high level, but I tried to keep it shorter this week and remember to be smart, be safe, and pay attention to what you’re doing. Planning will help you prepare so plan the deployment, plan to be safe, and plan to be successful!

 Tell me, what do you think?? Questions? Agree or disagree?

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Is Small Cell Deployment Cost Prohibitive?

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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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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?
  1. 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.
  2. Is it the antenna, cable, hardware, parts, and pieces? No, much more cost-effective because it is so much smaller.
  3. Is it the rent? Probably not, because leasing on a pole is much more reasonable.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention.

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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

Small Cell Deployment – 8 tips on partnership.

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Hello all,

Small Cell deployments will present you with many issues. Make sure that you have the right partnerships in place. What partnerships do you think you need? Well, I made a quick list to help you deploy. Remember that this is high level but I wanted you to know what to think about before bidding on this work.

  1. Site Acquisition partnerships. Remember that the site acquisition teams will be critical in this industry because they are going to find hundreds to thousands of poles and buildings to hang these things on. You should be clear who you are working with and make sure you know all the details of where you are mounting. If you are mounting on poles it would be great to be consistent with the height and cable runs. This will save you so much time in the long run. More on this in the future.
  2. Original Equipment Manufacturers will be the equipment makers and if you don’t know how to install, ground, and power the unit, things will get ugly. If they have a certification program make sure that you take it. If they have installation documentation make sure you get it and look at prior to the installation. If the installation is done wrong it has serious implications causing you to go back out to repair or the carrier to replace or the warranty to be void. You should know what is expected way before you drive to the site.
  3. Deployment vendors. I know you may think this is crazy because you are a deployment company, but chances are for you to be competitive you will work in a region. So you may have to work with a vendor that interfaces with the customer on a nationwide deployment. You will need to be clear with what territory you cover. Make sure they are clear on what you can install and what you can maintain. Maintenance will be something that you can make recurring revenue if you sign up for it.
  4. End customer. By end customer I mean the actual carrier that you are installing for. Your customer may be a large vendor or a site acquisition firm or maybe the carrier itself. Whoever it is make sure you know all of their install requirements. Remember that each company has different rules for installation and testing and sign. It is nice to get paid for what you have done and if you didn’t follow a proper process they could withhold payment or make you go out to each site again to do something that would have taken 5 minutes the first time. It’s your costs that get hit!
  5. Backhaul companies. This is something that you may not have direct contact with but you should know what they want you to install and how to install it. Know what fiber is expected and where they terminate and what connectors they may want on their end. If you don’t think it matters, you may wind up making a second trip when you need to get more fiber connectors. Also, just because it’s a cable company doesn’t mean that it’s going to be DOCSIS. You really need to make sure you know the backhaul provider and type of backhaul. Remember that it could even be wireless backhaul. You could be in one city connecting up 5 different backhaul companies and 5 different types. Make sure you look it over before you go out to do the installation.
  6. Distributors and suppliers. Make sure you are able to get more connectors if you need them. It’s not likely that Home Depot or Lowes will have fiber connectors that you need, (Graybar maybe if one is close but don’t count on it). If you need RG6 or RJ45 connectors, great. Make sure your distributor of choice will overnight something to you even if you are in a hotel. Make sure you know what to order so you don’t wind up waiting another day when you get the wrong part. You probably have been there and it really sucks.
  7. Lift rental companies. If you don’t have your own bucket trucks or JLG lifts, then you may want to know who the local company is to rent. Look at rates and locations and support. If you can pick it up locally maybe you save some money. Also, if you rent a bigger truck, do you need to have a CDL to drive it? You will look pretty stupid showing up to get it and they ask for your CDL and you don’t have one. I had to get one to drive our trucks and buckets where I worked. Also, know the difference between the CDLs, I had the basic without the air brake certification. By the way, if you’re reading this and asking what a CDL is, maybe you should start looking into other work. You may not need it but you should know what it is. A ladder will only be one of your tools and a bucket truck may be another.
  8. Project managers. I am not sure what project manager you will be working with, it may be a PM company hired to manage the deployment, it may be the vendor who hired you, the site acquisition company, the OEM, or the end customer. Make sure you have a good relationship with the PM because they will be directing you and managing your work. They may control your signoff to get paid. They may be the ones who have all of the paperwork about the sites from the surveys. Remember that the PM wants you to complete all the installations quickly and without errors. So you both are partners with an interest in success.

 

You can’t do it alone! You need more than you think, just ask Navin from the movie “The Jerk”, (Steve Martin) who didn’t think he needed anything;

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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. Show me you care, Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Small Cell Deployment: 10 tips you need, especially #6 Podcast

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Hello wireless workers in the wireless world! OK, this is long but filled with good information!

Small cells, small cells, small cells! Are you tires of hearing about small cells? They have been hyped but they are slow to roll out. However, many of the obstacles, mostly permitting and leasing, will be overcome at the end of 2014, yay! So now what, will the carriers go to the lowest bidder? Maybe, because they need to have the learning curve, that is except maybe Verizon and AT&T. They already learned that there are skills involved in deployment. So they should have the requirements listed when they put the installations out to bid. Why? Because they want to do it once, not twice! Luckily they learned a lot in their trials. So let me share some of what I know with you.

I want to give you some insight as to what will set you apart from other deployment companies in the business. It all comes down to skills! Skills that make you valuable so your company can honestly answer the RFP or RFQ without saying, “We can learn that if we win”. Now, don’t be naive, it will come down to price if you qualify. The key thing is that they will try to hire crews in local markets to save any per Diem costs. Remember that they put it out to bid to serve their purpose, not yours.

  1. Mounting options – knowledge of mounting options. I am talking about wall mount on a building, pole mount on a wood pole, light pole mount on a light pole, and strand mount on a cable. Know what you are mounting to and how to properly mount to each of them. It matters that you know what you are getting into and that you do a quality mount job. If the unit falls down in a year due to weather or vandals then you may not get another chance to deploy for that company again. Remember that they invite you to that bid offering.
  2. Antenna options – knowledge of how to mount antennas will play a key role in deployments. What does that mean? Do you know that the antenna will need to be vertical or horizontal? Will you need to point it at a bearing of 187 degrees? Does it matter? Yes, use your head and be aware of what you are mounting and how you mount it. Make sure it’s weather proof.
  3. Fiber termination – do you know how to terminate fiber. It will matter. You will need to connect the fiber to the router and or the small cell, it will need to have the proper connector and it will need to be done on site. Make sure your fiber skills are up to date.
  4. Training on the product – did you get trained on the product? Do you know the OEM? Do you have a clue or do you think you will wing it. Training matters, it will be so important if something goes wrong and the warranty is impacted. Do you think the customer will be happy if you do anything wrong? Do you see the payment from the customer fading away because you were not certified to mount that product and now someone else has to go out and fix your screw up? Training will matter!
  5. Backhaul connection options – do you know the difference between fiber connections? Do you know how to terminate CAT5 copper? Do you know what the DOCSIS interface is? I expect the cable companies will play a part in small cell deployment. Why? Because they have access to so many poles that they will be ready to assist in deployment if they don’t decide to deploy their own systems which would mean more work for you! So make sure your team has all the right tools, what will they be terminating? Will it be fiber, copper, or cable? It could be all three depending on the situation. Don’t show up with only fiber tools when you may need to be ready for CAT 5 and coax? Read the SOW!
  6. Street pole mounting locations – do you know the difference between a telecom zone and the power zone on a street pole? If you want to deploy, don’t be stupid and know the mounting locations and the rules. Strand mount has size and weight limitations, know them. Just ask the owner and do some research. Small cells are being designed to meet these specifications, so it may be in your best interest to know what can be mounted so if the OEM sends you the wrong unit then you can point it out once instead of replacing it later. If you mount something too big and too heavy the problems start with permitting and maybe a citation from the city and they could grow into the strand coming down or a truck catching the small cell and ripping the small cell and the strand out of the pole (it happened). That would be ugly and involve a lot of finger-pointing. It pays to arm yourself with some knowledge. Size and weight matter, in this case. Poles are filling up quick, or they will so if you see someone else on the pole then you may want to let everyone know. I don’t know how many small cells can be mounted on the pole but it seems to me that the first one to mount there wins.
  7. Router skills – this may be important to the deployment people in case there is a problem or if they have a script file that you need to load. It will help if you can do it. You may be able to do this in the warehouse prior to deployment, but it is something that can set you apart from your competition. If you do it in the warehouse make sure you label the units for the designated location if they each have a unique IP, it matters to the NOC so they know where you installed it. That is usually determined ahead of time. When they integrate it into the network they need to know exactly where it is if it doesn’t have a GPS or if it is in a large building.
  8. Grounding – so do you think because it is a small cell that it doesn’t need to be grounded. You should learn in your OEM train how to ground each unit properly because if anything is wrong they will blame grounding. They just do because no one really knows how it affects the base station, so do the grounding per the specification.
  9. RF knowledge – this will help in case they try to mount a small cell in a metal box, (this did happen) and then they wonder why it doesn’t work. It was a small cell with integrated antennas. This is something you could point out immediately. Not rocket science, but when the NOC is working on it they can’t see it, you can. Point that out.
  10. Acceptance testing – chances are they will ask the deployment team to do the testing when they turn it up. The plan is to have them come live immediately and with SON (Self Organizing Network) systems taking over along with plug and play technology, the installers should be able to use a special phone for the final test. This is something that you should be ready to learn and familiarize yourself with this. The OEM training should cover this so pay attention in class!

 

OK, that’s all I have for small cells. I have some cool things coming up. I have an interview with Vicky Kaseorg who wrote the “The Tower Builder” available on Amazon and it’s about the towers that were taken out by a hurricane and rebuilt by a tower builder and all the effort put into it as well as the life of Tony, the tower builder, and beacons. Yes, beacons, read it to learn more!

I also have an interview with a guy who is turned his toy drone helicopter into a tool to do tower inspections. He has a camera on it and he has the soft touch to control it around towers to take pictures. It’s really cool and when I get the information I will have Greg on my podcast and some of his pictures on my blog.

Someone reached out to me about rigging tags, http://www.certags.com/lifting-rigging-rigg-tag.php and they offer free samples on that site. I am not getting anything for this word of mouth but I thought some of you may be interested. Someone sent me the link on LinkedIn and I thought I would share. It seems like a good way to mark your cables, shackles, and wire rope as well as your safety gear. They have guides here, http://www.certags.com/free-guides-gifts.php if you’re interested.

If you’re interested, my books are “Field Worker’s Aid for Tower Work” and “Tower Climbing: An Introduction”.

Be safe, be smart, and pay attention! Robert T. Kiyosaki said focus – follow one course until successful which I think really applies to the communications work on the tower and off the tower. We all need to focus until the job is complete. Each job requires us to focus on it until it a success. Unfortunately many of you blame the schedule but if you look at the schedule and not the job at hand something may slip. If something slips on the tower then it may hit someone below. Then the schedule just doesn’t seem important anymore.