So if you are going to mount small cells outside on poles, there are some things that you should think about. It’s more than what hardware you need. Follow along.
Before going to do the installation, have a good understanding of what you are mounting to. Don’t just grab the parts and go. I’ll go over the common types of mounts and explain. Many lessons learned here were from the Wi-Fi deployments that were done in the past 5 years or so. Many of the same issues creep up over and over again.
This could be a telephone or power pole. Just because you see a power line doesn’t mean there is power at the pole. They still need to install a meter and electric. It also will need to get through zoning and permitting. All still issues with the poles.
Then you need to know what backhaul, or front haul connections you will be working with and make sure that they are at the pole and that they have power. Whether it’s wireless or fiber or cable modems, you need to be sure it’s ready prior to the small cell installation.
Make sure you have all of the parts to mount to a wood pole. You may need to anchor into it or drill through it to mount the equipment. You will need the tools and part. Also, to tie down the cables you probably need screws. Make sure you wear gloves because you could get splinters. It sounds funny to say it but if you ever worked a wood pole, you know it’s no laughing matter.
What about the power and telecom zones? Do you know the height that they want to mount the equipment? If it’s in the power zone and you’re not qualified or certified to be in that area, then it’s a show stopper. Better be prepared to understand the height requirements and what’s on the pole.
Finally, grounding, you will need to ground the small cell if the OEM requires it. That means running copper down the side of the pole and maybe a ground rod. Read the scope, but also question it if they don’t have any grounding requirements before you get on site!
So, you think a lamp-post is easier? Guess again. If you expect to use the power from the lamp then you had better do your research. They may be on a timer, they may run on high voltage, they may be on a dusk to dawn. Do you know for sure? I don’t think the carrier only wants the small cell on-line at night, but hey, it’s your reputation.
You have all the other issues that I mentioned above. You need to be aware of zoning, permitting, power, backhaul, and hardware to mount it.
Make sure that you understand the issues with the metal pole. Do you need to do a structural study on the pole? The owner may require it. It sounds like no big deal but if it topples over in the wind, guess who is to blame?
I want you to be aware of 2 really important things. If you are in a city, where most lamp posts are, then it needs to look good and be quiet. If the small cell is an eye sore, the city or municipality will not be happy and chances are you will need to make it blend in. I painted many antennas and put on red brick stickers to make the antennas look like a pole or building. If the small cell or the cabinet has loud fans, guess what, residents complain. Maybe not in the day, but if it’s residential and people live near there, then it’s complaints to the city or carrier.
Signs
Another place you may be able to mount the small cell and/or antenna is on a sign. There are ways to use signs by extending a pole or mounting the small cell in a cabinet and the antenna up on the sign. This could be a common way to mount in a city. You may need to install a new sign post. If you mount on a stop sign and someone knocks it over, then you will be dispatched to replace it. Just a word of warning.
Remember like all the rest, you must make it look good. You need to be sure the cables are secure. You also need to be sure you have a solid ground. All the same rules but on a sign post.
Deployment
Make sure that you plan out when you need to do the installation. Do you need traffic control? Do you need to alert the city that you will be rolling a bucket truck through the city? Do you need a city employee escort? Do you need to coordinate the installation with the power company? Is the backhaul turned up and tested? Is access an issue? Do you have a copy of the permit?
I remember that one time in Montgomery, Alabama, I was doing Wi-Fi and public safety broadband installations in the city. It was a great setup because we were able to pick poles that had power and data attached! They had a great setup, all of it came from underground where they had lines running up to the poles! So in the 105 degree heat, in the sun, I was happy! Meanwhile the city workers were thinking that this damned Yankee was crazy. The one guy was so hot he said, and I quote, “ I got so much sweat running down my back into my crack that I would run a grain mill!”.
So remember to be smart, be safe, and plan ahead! Pay attention to what you’re doing!
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So, have you ever mounted to a building or on a building? Small cells and the densifications are going to really rely on buildings. There are several ways to mount to them. Mounting to a building can be done several ways, find out more below.
Do you expect to mount the small cell to a building? Well, make sure you understand where it needs to be mounted. Is it the rooftop or the side of the building or in an office somewhere pointing out the window? Did you ask? Did you read the SOW? Let’s look at all the options.
Mounting options may include on the side of the building, on the roof, or in a window or office and facing outside to cover the street.
On the rooftop is going to be an efficient way to go. You will need to make sure you have all of the hardware like a roof top mount or if you are mounting to the elevator penthouse then you need to have your wall mounts. Also, the lease will need to be in place prior to the mounting. You may even need to look at zoning and permitting. Especially if you are attaching to the building! It used to be better to put a non penetrating rooftop mount up because you could bypass zoning in many ordinances because you were not attaching to the building. However, I think that loophole might be closed!
The non-penetrating rooftop mount is pretty straight forward but you will need to make sure you have a way to weigh it down, like blocks, and mats to put under it to protect the roof, especially if it’s a rubber roof. Also, you will need power, where is it coming from? So you have to run data cables or fiber inside the building? Where exactly? Do you need to core drill once inside? Do you have a way to get inside? Will you have to seal the hole to make sure it is whether proof? Think about what you’re going to do. Read the SOW,write your own!
On the side of the building you will need to make sure the permitting process is complete along with the landlord’s lease. They need to know exactly where you intend to mount. You probably need a bucket truck to attach the unit but maybe a ladder will work. I have seen some guys descend off the side and mount but that takes a long time and is not efficient, but sometimes the only way. Just get a bucket truck and install. Make sure your drill is a hammer drill and that you know what the wall is made of. Chances are it will be block, but know that ahead of time. Read the site survey document to know what you are going to be working on.
Finally, inside an office or stairway pointing out the window. This is more common than you may believe. It’s easy and the backhaul is easy to access, unless you need to core drill. You can probably mount it to the ceiling or if you’re in an office then use a non-pen mount near the window. Straight forward for mounting and power should be nearby if it’s not PoE. Make sure you know where power and data are going, so you know how to finish the job properly. Inside you should not have to worry about weather proofing, one less thing to worry about. However, if it is an office then you will need to be sure everything is clean and tidy. Don’t mess up the carpet!
If you want to know more or get more detail, let me know, maybe I can help.
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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!
A strand is the steel cable that you see running from pole to pole supporting other cables, like telephone and cable company cables that run from pole to pole. This is often where the cable companies will mount their equipment. Why you ask? No rent, no permitting, and no hassles. They can do this anywhere and if someone owns the pole, chances are the small cell owner won’t have to pay rent because it is not physically attached to the pole. It is in mid-air on the strand. Zoning allows for this as well because they overlook the strand since the equipment is not mounted to anything except a wire. Currently it is a big loophole, but that may change in the future.
Remember that you want the strand in the telecommunications space, stay out of the electrical space on a utility pole. This is very important for you to remember because you don’t want to be killed or start fired with your lifts! There is no reason to be in the electrical space. I know that some carriers want to mount at the top of these poles, but it is a real hassle to do work in the hot space. I would recommend having the electrical workers, the linemen, do that work because they need to coordinate an outage. They know what to do, who to call, and have the expertise to work in that area. Just let them have the work. After all, safety first. If a carrier thinks it will save them money, then let them coordinate work in the power space!
So when mounting to the strand you need to be sure you only connect to the strand and don’t pinch any other cables in the clamps. The strands also need to be able to support what you are attaching to it. Don’t forget that the clamps in the pole need to be able to support what you are mounting as well. For information on loading and cable types go here, here, here, here, and here.
When you install the equipment, make sure that you still do the grounding, it matters. Follow what the OEM has told you to do. Chances are you could be mounting not only the radio but the antennas on the strand.
Also, bucket trucks will be used! You will need a bucket truck, it seems like the best way to reach that height and be stable. Make sure you have the proper training for the lift that you are using and that you have the proper PPE to be up in the bucket. It matters and I will do a post on bucket truck safety. Finally, stay out of the power zone with the bucket, pay attention and be careful up there.
If you’re running the bucket on a busy street then you will need traffic control. Otherwise you risk a fine and it looks bad for your company. Remember that you want the drivers to be safe as well. In the past we would do a lot of this at night because most cities were lax on traffic control between 11:00PM and 5:00 AM local time. In the cities there are generally plenty of street lights so it really is a nice time to work. I did the work in the south, Alabama and Florida and it was so much cooler to work at night. Know the rules of the road about traffic control! If you are going to have your people work in a city or town, they need to know if they need to just put cones in front of and in back of the truck or if they need to have a flag person waving traffic around. Build time into the SOW and charge for what you need!
What about backhaul? Usually strand mounted units rely on DOCSIS, which is the cable interface. You should expect the power and backhaul all to come in from the cable company. The unit may need an interface that will take the incoming cable connection and breakout the power and backhaul into 2 separate connections. This is what you need to be ready to connect. This is something that would be of great interest to some cable companies. I know that Cox has been testing with some of the OEMs to make sure the interfaces work. One more thing, not all cable companies use the same power, so it matters what interface you will be using.
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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.
Now that we have 4G, LTE, it is making more sense to make sure that the carrier can supply broadband, especially the carrier’s broadband to use up all of that data each month. Wi-Fi is great for coverage at home but in the public it can be hit or miss or sometimes unreliable or not free! So the small cell is a great way to extend coverage as long as the economics make sense. Maybe even collocate it with Wi-Fi, although if they share the backhaul that doesn’t make a lot of sense, so backhaul planning is essential. Give people the coverage they want and need and also provide decent bandwidth for downloads! Stay connected! Now this could be indoors or outdoors, the name of the game here is to keep the customer connected as much as possible.
With LTE-U and LAA, Wi-Fi will become an important part of the Het-Net system and will be key to providing bandwidth. So make sure that they do not share backhaul! Otherwise they will have a common bottleneck.
Now the deployment costs are starting to make sense and the price of the small cell is dropping too, well under the original $5K that it started at. Most of them will be under $2,500 each and indoor units will be way cheaper. Femto cells are already dropping under $500 per unit.
So what has changed that the deployment costs have dropped? Education and planning! Now that all teams are beginning to understand that small cell coverage should be cost-effective, the site acquisition costs have dropped considerable and the installation charges are reasonable. Backhaul, still an issue in the USA, but even that is being resolve. You have more options like DOCSIS, wireless, E band, 60GHz, sub 6GHz, and UE Relays to be used. Suddenly there are alternatives to fiber and copper.
With DOCSIS connections cable companies could really play a big part in backhaul if they want to. Some cable companies, like COX, are already doing testing with some of the OEMs and carriers. This is a great start to helping a mass deployment.
Companies like Crown Castle have also figured it out by offering everything at some of their small cell assets, like power and fiber already at the pole along with an existing box to avoid zoning issues. They really put a lot of thought into it. I think they understand 2 things, speed to market and to have a complete solution. They, along with many other asset providers, are taking this very seriously. They are providing a one stop shop for the small cell deployment. They also understand you can’t go into site acquisition for small cells with the Macro mentality.
So people ask me questions all the time about small cell deployments. They ask where they should start. I tell them to learn what is out there and what they want to deploy. The OEMs train people to properly install their equipment, that is a great place to start. Research what you can about the deployments because it may not be what you expect. For indoor deployments you need ladders and indoor tools and cabling tools. You may need to terminate fiber or CAT5 or CAT6. Make sure you’re teams are qualified to do what is needed. Also, make sure you understand the grounding requirements. Learn what PoE means, (Power over Ethernet). Make sure you know what permissions you need from the landlord and if any permitting is required.It’s a good idea to know the local zoning laws.
If you are deploying indoor systems, make sure the small cell is PoE because if it’s not then you need to run outlets wherever you mount the cell or you need to run extension cords or mount near outlets. Any way you look at it, costs go up without PoE! Also, make sure the router you’re running to has PoE ports available and make sure that they match up to the power required by the small cell. There are high power units and low power units, and the router needs to be able to handle the power rating. Don’t assume the small cell (or the connecting switch) has PoE or you may look very stupid running extension cords at the last-minute.
If you bid the job, are you just installing or are you also required to help commission and test? This could add another 30 to 60 minutes to each visit. If you have 2 guys installing and you didn’t add in the extra 60 minutes, then you are going to lose 2 man hours on every small cell along with the schedule being impacted because you’re losing an hour at every installation. It adds up! Especially in lost revenue and lost time on the schedule. Read and understand your SOW.
What about logistics? Where are you getting the hardware? Where will it be shipped? Do you have to pick it up or will it be shipped to your shop? Did you look over the drawings? Is there any RF Design information you need to be aware of? Do you need a device dedicated to test the cell once it is installed? Who did the site survey? Do you have documentation from the survey?
Make a kit of potential mounting hardware you may need. It is pretty common and keep the kit stocked to the farthest you have to run is your truck or van because there may or may not be a Home Depot or Lowes nearby.
Review the survey and verify the questions that you need to answer. If you have more questions reach out to me, I am here to help. I do consulting for people that feel they need help. Let me know your thoughts. I am also writing some papers and training on the different aspects of deployment.
Interested? Let me know about it. I will add you to my email list for more information.
I don’t know how many of you know but for the last 2 years I have been pretty focused on small cell deployment, indoors and outdoors, as well as Macro deployment. The HetNet deployments are going to start next year. I see the upgrades on the existing tower as well as deployment of the stand alone sites, mostly small cells but some higher power, 10 to 20 watts, cell sites for “densification” of LTE systems to help offload Macro sites. So let’s talk about that.
All the small cell names can be confusing. It adds a great deal of confusion to the deployment teams as well as some of the carriers.
I worked on some AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless offers where they were very careful to use the proper names for the proper small cell. They made sure that a Femto Cell was used for home use and that a Metro Cell is used for outdoor areas and the Pico Cell was used for small to midsized businesses.
Of course I dealt with a few other carriers that just called them all small cells or pico cells, no differentiation at all.
I thought I thought it might be a good idea to put this chart together to help you out. Eventually they will all be indoor or outdoor small cells, but until then let’s look at the naming nomenclature. This will also cover some usage applications.
Small Cell: First off, there is the small cell where the unit has everything, except maybe the router, but the BBU, (broadband unit) and the Radio Head are all in one unit. These are very common now. Generally small cells are under 5 watts. Many times if they are indoors they are 1 watt or less. Similar to Wi-Fi but on a licensed band.
Femto Cell: This is usually the private small cell. It may be something that a person would put in their home or a small business to improve coverage. Small loading and usually just for a few connections. Most of the time it just connects to the internet, like someone’s cable modem.
Pico Cell: This is slightly bigger than the Femto, usually for a mid-sized business, bus station, or a smaller stadium to connect maybe 10 to 100 connections at any given time. Possibly more, depending on the application.
Micro Cell: This is usually a bigger unit that can handle larger stadiums or a train station or airport. This term is not used so much anymore because they just call it a small cell.
Metro Cell: This term was used for larger outdoor metro areas where the loading could be greater than 100 users at any given time. But let’s face it, they are commonly called small cells.
Indoor small cell: Just like it says, it is a small cell that is mounted inside a building. It could be the small cell or a RRH that is mounted somewhere it is needed. In today’s world it is about coverage and loading. Loading is very important in the LTE systems.
Outdoor Small Cell: It is a small cell mounted outdoors, same reason, to help with coverage and loading.
Distributed radio system: Then there is the RRH, (Remote Radio Head), that’s part of a distributed radio system. The RRH could be at the top of the tower, other parts of a building, or a few miles away mounted on a light pole. The BBU may be located on a different location than the RRH. This is pretty common in today’s world. You know that on the towers they put the BBU on the ground and the RRH is up on the tower with the antenna. So just imagine now that they put the BBU in a basement and the RRH’s are spread throughout the building. They may also have the BBU in a closet at a building and spread the RRH’s all over town to get the RF where the people are, to distribute the radio heads and antennas. This could be part of a DAS system where they rely on the CPRI, (common public radio interface), to be connected to fiber for the “front haul” which is like the backhaul but to go from the BBU to the RRH, forward! Currently there are several limitations which mostly have to do with timing. They can only travel so far before they would time out. That limits distance at this time. The cloud may change that soon. When they locate many BBUs in a remote location for widely distributed RRHs, they call that a BBU hotel, a term that means that many BBUs for multiple locations are in one spot. I believe that with the cloud this may change because BBUs will be located farther and farther away.
DSCS: Distributed Small Cell System is where you would deploy small cells, (and maybe Wi-Fi) like you would with a DAS system. These would be stand alone all-inclusive small cells with integrated antennas. They would be connected with fiber or CAT5 or some type of wireless backhaul.
So as you can see small cells serve as a solution in many cases and there were many names for them. Today most people just say small cell for everything except the Femto. The Femto is a specific use small cell.
I did not bring up DAS too much because it is something that could be a separate solution or this could be part of a DAS solution.
I would think that when CRAN takes off and is common then all you will need is a decent backhaul connection to connect anywhere. And there it is, backhaul, one of the major deployment problems with small cell.Sprint is trying to drive down the price of backhaul so they can reasonable deploy CRAN and small cells everywhere. Also because they probably don’t sell backhaul anymore!
Speaking of backhaul, another solution that could be rendered is a UE relay. (UE is User Equipment like your smart phone.) A way to use a carrier’s bandwidth to provide backhaul to a MACRO site. Think of it working like one of those devices that provide Wi-Fi using the carrier for the connection. I think it is a great idea, if you have spare bandwidth. I was hoping the FCC would push through the light licensed 3.5GHz band with more bandwidth;remember the citizen’s broadband radio service? We could use that for backhaul, if there is enough bandwidth, then we could see small cells in that band to be utilized for backhaul for other small cells. That’s my dream to see one system support the many other systems in this ecosystem. Sign me up to build that out, a backbone system of fixed wireless to support the mobile wireless systems. Just a thought about how to affordably extend the last mile without using the precious bands that the carriers paid so much for.
Interested? Let me know about it. I will add you to my email list for more information.
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.
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?
I will be speaking at theIWCE conferenceon March 17th, 2015!
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.
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OK, not the best title but HetNet systems will love DAS with small cells for a few reasons. I have seen many types of DAS systems out there. Some of them are just passive using the outside signal to work inside while others have a full-blown eNodeB set up to feed the DAS in a building. That is for iDAS, oDAS could be something setup to feed a street or an arena or it could be a mixture of the two. These systems can be complicated.
Just to let you know I got my new microphone and now the podcast sounds 1000% better. I no longer sound like I am in a shelter at a tower site with all the fans running. It is much cleaner. Thank you for putting up with that until now.Just listen!
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By the way, the next time you see a DAS RF engineer, thank him and say he’s a good man. The good DAS engineers are truly artists, only using RF to back up their artistic ability to get the system to work with minimal self and cross interference. Not an easy task.
So why would the DAS love a small cell? Well for one thing you can feed a DAS system with lower power, thereby eliminating all the attenuators that a full-blown eNodeB would need. Why do they need attenuators? Because most DAS engineers learned that some eNodeB will reset and come back at full power blowing the DAS system up, causing a huge expense in parts and labor. So, set it at full power and attenuate it down. If you worked with these systems then you can feel the heat, and you hope the cooling system does not fail! So the Small Cells will help eliminate that problem. Lower power, fewer attenuators mean lower costs and lower cooling costs. One more thing, fans fail often and need to be cared for or replaced regularly. Removing the fans removes a point of failure.
So the HetNet love will happen between the small cell and the DAS system because with the growth of LTE and heavy data system we can start to see system improvements and cost reductions. LTE is changing everything because smart phones have increased our data dependency to a point where we are all addicted. Don’t feel bad because with machine to machine (M2M) communications even machines are data dependent. By the way, they are also including this in the Internet of Things (IoT) so when you read about that just think of terminator and how the machines could all talk to each other without human intervention. I know, not the same thing, or is it?
To be clear, DAS is more than one frequency normally, they could include the several carriers and Wi-Fi. A Small Cell is usually dedicated to one carrier and may or may not be one frequency, usually it is one band within the carriers arsenal. They have several but they will dedicate the small cell to that one technology, normally. Each small cell is dedicated to that specific technology. Meaning LTE, 3G, TDD, or FDD. Remember that the small cell is usually a very small cell site so it has limitations. Whereas DAS will have flexibility for the customer to use any cell phone and get Wi-Fi access all at the same time. Small Cells probably will have Wi-Fi co-located in them or near them, but really, let’s take a small cell for what it is, a small cell site and Wi-Fi for what it is, a hot spot. I was reading Martha DeGrasse’s RCR article about HetNet and DAS, foundhere, and it reminded me how much work they have for big venues, like the Super Bowl. You can see the last Super Bowl results in Fierce Wirelesshere. Fierce Wireless wrote about the deployment issueshereif you want to see the limitations out there. While Joe Madden does a comparison, I see more of a marriage between them. It just makes more sense to me.
Again, next time you talk to a DAS deployment team, shake their hand and say “Good job!” so they know they are appreciated. It is no easy task to plan and deploy and test. Upgrading is even more of an issue!
I need DAS and small cell pictures, I can’t share most of what I have. So if you have some I can post, send them my way or put them on Facebook, Wade4Wireless, wade4wireless@gmail.com!
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! So feel free to buy one of my books and maybe they will help you learn something that you didn’t know or teach someone who needs to know.
I am going to go over the HetNet, what it is, and how it will mean more work for the entire industry. I have more information in the podcast but I do ramble a bit. I also put come rigging and cling videos at the end of the blog. The first video is really good at explaining how slings are made and the difference between them Please take the time to look at them. No, I am not promoting anyone, I just thought it was a good overview of slings and Jim Steele did a great job. My opinion!
OK, so what is a HetNet? Well, Wikipedia definition is here. Let me break it down for you and explain.HetNet is short for Heterogeneous Network which when you break it down in the wireless world it would be a combination of connecting Macro and Micro cells and several technologies into one network to create a better overall network. That would include LTE, CDMA, and Wi-Fi. Just think that several different devices all working together combining different technologies into one beautiful seamless network! Look up HetNet and you see it’s a combination of Macro, pico, and femto cells. Multiple systems, multiple frequencies, and multiple technologies all working in one harmonious system so you can play Angry Birds on your smart phone. LTE, CDMA, and Wi-Fi, all working to make sure that you can use your phone to look up directions to the nearest bar.
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What does this mean to the wireless deployment industry? Billions of dollars from carriers and Public Safety. In the USA I am hoping that FirstNet realizes that if they deploy Macro and Micro together they will be starting with a better network giving better coverage. Why not build the best network possible from day one? If you have time read thisarticle from Mission Critical. It shows you that the small cell deployment will really start to get rolling. They expected more in 2014, but there are too many deployment issues to be worked out. I think that most of the research people totally overlook deployment and backhaul. They need to understand that Site Acquisition and backhaul will be similar to that of a cell site. It is not going to be quick and easy. It needs to be well thought out and designed and cost-effective. All three are hard to align.
So what does this mean to the tower worker, the tower technician, the field engineer? Well, it will mean more work. The small cell deployment will create a good bit of work for the deployment people. It will be large deployments for work that probably won’t be more that 15′ off of the ground. It will also be changes to the antennas and equipment on the towers. This is going to shape the industry as we know it.The tower work will not only include improvements to antennas, but the outdoor units, the RRH or RRU, will be improved, changes, fiber will be run on the tower, like it is now, and will the primary cable used. The Hybriflex cable and how it will be common place. Then, to make the network complete, the small cells will complement the network. The wireless worker who has the fiber skills and understands antennas will be the one who has the experience to terminate fiber, understand azimuth, and power up the unit to make sure it is installed correctly and working properly. Make sure you have the proper training and you will bid on the work and hopefully win the large deployments locally. There will be a lot of work so if you win in your hometown, great. I don’t see people traveling far to do this work so this is a great opportunity for you to get some local work. It should only take 2 people to do this work.
Just because it is smaller and lighter doesn’t mean you should not think about safety! You need to know about ladder safety while you are there. Also, remember that you will be on the street and in businesses and malls. What I mean is you will be around people who will complain if you talk like you talk at the tower. This means limit the swear words, specifically the F word because if there are complaints that get back to the carriers then they will remove you from the bid list for something stupid. Trust ,me, I know. I had complaints about one of my crews that took hours of apologies to many people who I had to personally deal with because the crew forgot that “normal” people were around. Be safe and be courteous. Think about the people around you when you are working. For more on ladder safety go to OSHA Ladder Safety Quick Card.
Anyone who thinks we don’t have dead spots must live in an awesome area because I still drop calls on the highways and in the cities and in my house. Maybe it’s just me, right? So when you look at the HetNets being deployed, currently by AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless you will see that the changes and upgrades to the networks are massive. They are not only going to repair dead-zones but improve the download capabilities of the devices. Someday they may compete with the cable companies for internet access.
So who will deploy a HetNet? Everyone! It is a combination of Macro work by the tower climbers and the Small Cell deployment people rolling out the large numbers. Small cell deployment will be broken down into 2 segments including indoor and outdoor. Indoor should be very straight forward where you deploy several in a building or a mall but it still takes RF design and site engineering and backhaul. However, then you will have a stadium where you will have a mix of indoor and outdoor. This is where the engineering will really be precise. Not only the RF engineering, but you will have site design and backhaul that will be taken into consideration.
Small Cells will really improve coverage to the customers who will appreciate having not only a good connection but also great download speeds. Ubiquitous coverage will be closer than ever, at least in populated areas. It will really start to become a solid reality that we have wireless coverage no matter where you are at in populated areas. HetNet will become the norm in the industry. I don’t think the OEMs and carriers look at it with any curiosity now; they are looking to roll it out.
What do you think about this or what I should do next?
I kept this short; more in the podcast, here are some links.
2 books. One for the new tower climber, the green hand, to understand that will be expected. The other is a handy aid to help out when you are at the site. I am writing a new book to go over all of the paperwork that you could encounter on the job so you understand what you are working on and what you should be doing. You may expand to other jobs in the industry. This can be the beginning of a great career path in the wireless industry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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;
Remember that theHubble Foundation needs your support. 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!
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
