Tower Talks With Inside Towers

Deploying cell sites is complex. Radios, antennas, cables, and power must be installed properly, then tested to verify the site is functioning as designed before the installation crew leaves.Herein lies a problem. Whether testing RF, fiber, PIM or other parameters, test equipment is very sophisticated, and proper testing takes time. Contractors working on tight deployment schedules, may or may not have sufficient training to conduct the required tests.This means tests often are incomplete or conducted improperly. Dispatching another crew to complete the testing just adds time and costs to get cell sites on the air.Kashif Hussain, Solutions Marketing Director at VIAVI Solutions discusses with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor these testing issues and ways to streamline them.Support the show

A key aspect of building and maintaining advanced wireless networks is that everything must be tested - RF, fiber, PIM, and other parameters. Network operators must demonstrate to the FCC and to their customers that the network is performing to design specifications.Portable test equipment used in the field and benchtop instruments used in development labs are very sophisticated, can be very expensive, and must be calibrated periodically to maintain accuracy.Electro Rent, a leading supplier of test equipment from a variety of manufacturers, offers rental and leasing options while providing calibration and logistics support services.Jim Platner, VP-Business Operations at Electro Rent speaks to John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor on how a test equipment rental/leasing model benefits carriers, tower companies and their contractors.Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 11, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 4, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

Helios Towers, one of the leading tower companies in Africa, recently announced acquisitions that will expand its operations to 11 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The deals include buying existing towers and a commitment for build-to-suit sites over the next several years.Helios Towers counts Africa’s leading mobile network operators as tenants that are expanding and upgrading their networks.Managing towers in the region is not easy, though. The carrier networks cover vast territory that includes dense urban centers and sparsely populated rural areas. More important, electric power to many tower sites is not always available.Kash Pandya, CEO, Helios Towers speaks with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, about the opportunities and challenges to operating a tower company in Africa.Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 27, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 20, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 13, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s annual Connect (X) conference is billed as “the only business technology event in North America uniting the industry to deliver infrastructure solutions for universal connectivity.”After running a virtual show last year due to the pandemic, WIA will be hosting Connect (X) 2021 as an in-person event on October 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL.Connect (X) this year promises to be a lively session with many people looking forward to the presentations and exhibits and getting together again with friends and colleagues.John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor discusses with Jonathan Adelstein, WIA President & CEO this year’s Connect (X) program, show highlights, and what attendees can expect. (Jonathan promises some rockin’ tunes on his harmonica!)For more information about Connect (X) and how to register, visit: https://www.connectivityexpo.com/ Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 7, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), a 3.5 GHz mid-band shared spectrum, offers a low-cost, high-speed broadband option for rural and underserved communities, and for cost-effective private network deployments.As the demand for this type of wireless infrastructure increases, so does the demand for a trained and certified workforce. And importantly, CBRS installation and performance are governed under FCC Part 96 rules.To meet this need, Federated Wireless and Learning Alliance Corporation have partnered to provide a CBRS Certified Professional Installer (CPI) certification program. Mobile network operators, wireless internet service providers or even individuals seeking a career in telecom now have access to CPI training that Learning Alliance and Federated Wireless have created to help spawn the market for shared spectrum connectivity.Kurt Schaubach, CTO, Federated Wireless and Cesar Ruiz, CEO, Learning Alliance Corp. discuss the partnership’s goals and objectives with John Celentano, Inside Towers Busin

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 23, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 16, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

Join Inside Towers Managing Editor Jim Fryer in this third installment of “Tower Masters”. This series focuses on the men and women who, for decades, have not only survived, but thrived as independent operators in the wireless infrastructure field. Inside Towers talks with longtime developer in the wireless infrastructure space, Jimmy Chiles. Although Chiles is now an Operating Partner with Digital Bridge, his career spans the gamut from 600-site towerco owner to founding and developing several fiber and data center operations. Chiles began his career in the late ‘70’s with Motorola and went on to found Netlink, a facilities based 850 MHz CMRS operator which he sold to Sprint in 1999. He then started TPI, a provider of metro fiber and enterprise data centers he later sold to ExteNet Systems. Next was his towerco venture, Broadcast Towers, which sold to Global Signal (now Crown Castle). Following that, Chiles founded Aspen Communications, an ethernet based metro fiber business in Dallas, then Alpheus, a provid

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 8, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

Do you know what it really takes to build wireless and wireline networks?Bringing together equipment and workers, whether installing fiber optic systems on the ground or activating cell sites on towers, must be well choreographed to meet installation deadlines and service delivery schedulesWe see videos of tower climbers in their safety harnesses and helmets high up on structures. But in fact, it’s when they get to that height the real work begins – everything from assembling steel structures to installing and testing RF, fiber, and power systems.Craig Snyder, Founder and CEO of VIKOR Teleconstruction (he’s climbed 2,000 feet!) talks with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor about the intricacies of constructing the network infrastructure that makes wireless work.Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 2, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

The telecommunications industry is in a high cycle of demand for broadband infrastructure. 5G network builds, fixed wireless access deployments, fiber to the home, and digital divide solutions are all happening at the same time.In this environment, questions often come up about the capability of the supply chain. Is there adequate equipment inventory, or are there shortages that will create long delivery times? How will installations and new service activation be affected?There are misunderstandings about how the supply chain works, the companies involved, and the important role they play in enabling broadband deployments.John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor discusses the wireless supply chain role and challenges with Chris Pleibel, Vice President-Infrastructure and Scott Stekr, Vice President-U.S. Engineering at PerfectVision.Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of July 26, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of July 19, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show