Carriers captured high grades for competitiveness, according to the FCC’s Twentieth Mobile Wireless Competition Report, an annual analysis of whether there is effective rate rivalry with wireless operators Although the 34-page report provides a wealth of additional information to support competitiveness, according to Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), anybody who has turned on a …
SEMC’s mission: Create commonality in wire rope climb terms, inspections, loading design
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) recently applauded the work of the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Consensus group (SEMC) when it met at the USA Telecommunications Insurance Services facility in Atlanta, Ga. to finalize the first revision of the Wire Rope Climb for Antenna Supporting Structures Guide. SEMC has been working with the staff and leadership from the Telecommunications Industry …
HetNet Expo will focus on connected realty, densification and smart cities
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has announced highlights for its annual HetNet Expo, Oct. 10-11, 2017 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. HetNet Expo brings together professionals from across the entire wireless ecosystem to share valuable information and opinions about the latest mobile communications technologies and the overall state of the wireless industry. HetNet …
Puerto Rico’s horrendous cell site outages complicated by generator/fuel theft concerns
Puerto Rico’s cell service is still devastated today with over 91% of its sites out of service, basically the same as yesterday. The horrific outages caused by Hurricane Maria are also being felt in the U.S. Virgin Islands where 60.4% of cell sites are out of service, slightly down from yesterday’s 61.3%. In San Juan, P.R., subscribers saw a poor, …
T-Mobile and Sprint marriage announcement is imminent according to romance reports
In February, Reuters broke the news that Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Mobile U.S. was reportedly planning a renewed bid to acquire rival Sprint after a previous reverse attempt was thwarted by regulators. Joined by CNBC, Reuters is again reporting that the romance has fired up again and a deal could be expected by the end of next month. But it’s not …
Technician rescued after he passes out on California emergency tower
A 24-year-old tower technician was rescued by Long Beach, Calif. urban search and rescue experts yesterday afternoon after he became too weak to lower himself from a self-supporting tower in Long Beach. According to Jake Heflin of the Long Beach Fire Department, the man was about 50 feet up on the tower at the Long Beach Emergency Communications and Operations …
Northeast wireless regional safety summit features all-star speakers
Turnkey Safety Solutions has announced the lineup for its exciting keynotes and panels for the Northeast Wireless Safety Summit (NEWSS). Many of the speakers are safety professionals, insurance experts and other prominent members of the wireless community interested in promoting the importance of safety, training and the most modern techniques for protecting workers from the inherent hazards. The event is …
Texas’ FirstNet agreement brings a total of 21 opt-ins to the network
Texas is making another major move to strengthen public safety and enhance emergency preparedness across the state. Governor Greg Abbott has announced his decision to partner with FirstNet and AT&T to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state’s public safety community. The FirstNet network will provide Texas with modernized devices, apps and tools for first responders to boost their communication abilities on …
Carriers’ cell site outages to the FCC will not match their marketing hype
Commentary Although the nation’s four major carriers are reporting cell site outages in affected areas of Hurricane Irma to the FCC, and the Commission is providing daily compilations for a snapshot in time, such as today’s outages in Florida of 13.4%, carrier public relations officials are beginning to spin their hardened site assets at speeds off the Saffir-Simpson scale. On …
Slow Hurricane Irma cell site recovery expected as cable and wireline outages increase
Although the FCC said that cell sites out of service in the affected area of Hurricane Irma decreased in Florida from 24.6% yesterday to 18.1% today, according to a contractor providing disaster recovery in the state the healthy 26% drop is unlikely to be a daily event since a number of sites have physical as well as refueling issues that …
New task force to address smart city infrastructure needed for 5G
The Wireless Infrastructure Association(WIA) and the Smart City Council (SCC) announced today the creation of the Smart Communities Infrastructure Task Force with a primary objective of educating and empowering communities and stakeholders as they work to deploy the wireless and wireline broadband networks that are essential to smart city applications. Key Focus Areas of the Smart Communities Infrastructure Task Force …
NWSA begins development of Telecommunications Tower Foreman worker certification
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) today announced that a group of nearly 40 subject matter experts, representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications industry, are convening in Dallas, Tex. this week to begin the development process for the Telecommunications Tower Foreman certification program. NWSA made the announcement at the 2017 GSMA-CTIA Mobile World Congress Americas event in San Francisco, …
Irma cripples communications in its destructive path through Florida
There was little improvement in cell service today in the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma’s destructive path with 54% of affected areas without service, only a 1% decline since yesterday. Florida saw a slight drop of approximately 2% at 24.6%. Alabama fared well with only 1% of cell sites out of service. Georgia, according to the FCC, has 10.5% …
Tower techs’ repack role and frontline disaster activities heralded before Congress
National Association of Tower Erectors Chairman Jim Tracy provided key testimony today before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing, taking the opportunity to stress the important role that tower technicians play in maintaining America’s communications. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), conducted the hearing (video below) entitled “The Broadcast Incentive Auction: …
Hurricane Irma’s cell site outages could dwarf Hurricane Harvey’s maximum 4.7%
As Texas is still dealing with Hurricane Harvey’s areas of flooding, failures of water plants and prolonged toxic chemical concerns, the cell sites out of service in the affected areas hit a new low yesterday at 1.73%. However, when Hurricane Irma sweeps into Florida this weekend, industry observers believe that outages will far exceed Harvey’s highest total of 4.7% on …
Rivada teams up with U.S. Cellular to entice New Hampshire to opt-out of FirstNet
Rivada Networks announced this morning that New Hampshire’s first responders “deserve a dedicated, purpose-built and statewide public-safety broadband network, and Rivada has teamed up with U.S. Cellular to ensure that mission is accomplished.” In Sept. 2016, Rivada Networks, Herndon, Virg., signed a no-cost, no-obligation contract with the state of New Hampshire to develop an alternative radio access network plan for …
TIRAP on pace to achieve 1,000 registered apprentices, finalized new occupations
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) announced that the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), which serves as the National Sponsor for the program, is on pace to sign up a total of 1,000 registered apprentices through participating companies. “This is exciting because the employers are not only utilizing the existing program but supporting the creation of new occupations and endorsements …
One third of the nation has now signed on with FirstNet
More than a third of the country has moved to modernize communications for the fire, police, emergency medical services (EMS) and other public safety personnel who bravely protect and serve their communities. Alaska, Hawaii, Nebraska, Puerto Rico and Tennessee are the latest to announce decisions to opt-in. Twenty states and territories have announced their decision to opt-in to the FirstNet network – America’s …
Harvey-crippled cell sites are on the mend with 19% back as FCC adds nine new counties
According to the FCC, there are 3.8% of the cell sites out of service in the affected area of Hurricane Harvey, down from 4.2% yesterday. There are no counties with greater than 40% of cell sites out of service. There are no cell sites reported out of service in La. Since the peak of 365 cell sites out of service …
Hardened sites and resupply keep downed cell sites from Hurricane Harvey at 365
Even though flood waters are rising, there was only one additional cell site out of service today from yesterday as a result of Hurricane Harvey’s relentless rainfall in Texas and Louisiana. Carriers are attributing it to hardened cell sites and their disaster recovery plans that have intensified following previous hurricanes such as Sandy in 2012. There are 4.7% of the cell …
