Commentary — In 2006, after exhaustive research, Wireless Estimator identified cell tower climbers had the most dangerous job in America, exposing a death rate per 100,000 workers of 115.2 based upon approximately 8,700 workers within the industry. The data was obtained, in part, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lagging 2004 data, based upon ten fatalities, later revised to …
Astronaut Massimino mesmerizes attendees at NATE UNITE 2023, but insists ground level is his preferred height
Fifty-four years ago, six-year-old Michael Massimino was riveted to his TV as millions of Americans were, as they watched the blurry black-and-white images of a man walking on the moon. On Tuesday, approximately 1,500 industry professionals were also transfixed with admiration, this time on that now-grown man who had lifted off in 2002 and 2009 to service the Hubble Space …
Civil engineering major Emily Wiebe receives NATE’s Ernie Jones memorial scholarship
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today announced that Emily Wiebe, a junior Civil Engineering major from Mequon, Wisconsin, has been named as the 2023 recipient of the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. The official announcement was made at the NATE Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, February 22 during the annual NATE …
Pat Moore is presented with the prestigious Bill Carlson Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 others are honored
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association on Wednesday honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2023 Awards Luncheon sponsored by DISH in Orlando, Florida: Bill Carlson Lifetime Service Award Pat Moore (Broadcast Construction Services, LLC) Pat Moore, a Navy Vietnam Veteran, has been …
SBA’s Jeffrey Stoops to retire at the end of the year, passing the reins to Brendan Cavanagh
SBA Communications Corporation. a leading global owner and operator of communications infrastructure, announced today that Jeff Stoops will retire from his positions as President and Chief Executive Officer on December 31, 2023. SBA’s Board of Directors has appointed Brendan Cavanagh, SBA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to succeed Mr. Stoops as President and CEO, at which time Mr. …
NWSA’s new testing mode will allow exams to be done in almost any home or office setting
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced during NATE UNITE 2023 that the organization will be unveiling a new Candidate Management System (CMS) and Online Remote Proctoring (ORP) testing mode targeted for the second quarter of 2023. The NWSA’s new CMS will provide the industry with two online portals, the NWSA Candidate Portal and the Group Application Portal. The NWSA Candidate …
SAC Wireless is the first company to equip all of its tower crews with powered rope ascenders
SAC Wireless, a Nokia Company and leading provider of communication network infrastructure, announced today at NATE UNITE 2023 a nationwide partnership with Ronin Revolution Corp., a developer of power rope ascenders and rescue equipment. The wireless industry’s continued 5G rollout and federal commitment to infrastructure projects have increased the need for skilled technicians to deploy sophisticated communication technology on a …
Tower Family Foundation benefits from Military of NATE and a NATE UNITE 2023 work trailer raffle
At last night’s NATE UNITE 2023 welcome reception, the Tower Family Foundation was presented with a $12,000 check from Military of NATE The Military of NATE Committee enables all service men and women of NATE, including Veterans, Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves, to achieve their full potential and help support their success in the communications infrastructure industry. A limited …
Victor Drouin is NATE’s new chairman, with leadership support of Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty
NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that Board of Directors’ members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty were elected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association made the announcement on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2023 Conference and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. Victor Drouin, …
Lightning bolt-bending laser prevents communications tower damage, but it’s not ready for prime time
Scientists have developed a rapidly firing laser that can divert lighting strikes to prevent infrastructure damage. Its effectiveness was shown when it was tested using a 407-foot communications tower on top of Säntis mountain in northeastern Switzerland, a structure in the Swiss Alps that is struck by lightning about 100 times a year. The Cliff Notes of their success is …
WISPA-developed white paper rips apart the NTIA’s love affair with fiber, possibly a $60 billion boondoggle
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding program (BEAD) will fall short of connecting all Americans online because it is not based on sound economic and other policy principles, concludes Dr. Bill Lehr in a white paper released today. By designating fiber as a “priority broadband project” for Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) deployments and …
Private wireless forecasts slashed, but Verizon and Dell’Oro still believe it’s a massive opportunity
Verizon CFO Matthew Ellis signaled during an earnings call last month that their anticipated 5G private networks growth was “a little slower than we would have liked,” blaming it on businesses adopting the technology. Still, he said when the adoption curve changes, the upside “looks very good.” A newly published forecast report issued today by Dell’Oro Group agrees with Ellis …
Plaintiffs: T-Mobile/Sprint merger resulted in soaring prices and decreased innovation
In a motion by T-Mobile and SoftBank on December 5 to dismiss a lawsuit to overturn T-Mobile’s Sprint acquisition, the seven plaintiffs representing the class action said that the defendants claim that the “lawsuit seeks to turn the antitrust laws on their head.” However, plaintiffs argue that the “case involves no gymnastics.” Instead, it advances claims that go to …
Austin ice storm’s power outages complicated by 500-foot tower that decimated transmission lines
Over 96% of Austin Energy customers in Austin, TX, currently have power after last week’s ice storm, and the utility expects to have close to full service by Sunday, February 12. Restoring power in some areas can be a multi-day effort, especially when utility equipment is in hard-to-reach areas, such as a greenbelt, or buried under extremely heavy debris. One …
DigitalBridge steps slightly outside its digital lane with a $316 million infrastructure buy
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. has announced that its operating company, DigitalBridge Operating Company, LLC, has completed its transaction to acquire AMP Capital’s global infrastructure equity investment management business, which has been rebranded as InfraBridge in a transaction valued at $316 million. A considerable amount of InfraBridge’s assets are outside of DigitalBridge’s flagship digital infrastructure equity business. The deal was announced last …
Federal agencies offering $7 million in prizes to create a greater interest in Open RAN
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the launch of the 2023 5G Challenge in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD). The 2023 5G Challenge is a $7 million prize competition conducted by NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. The competition aims to accelerate the adoption and development of an open, interoperable, secure, multi-vendor 5G ecosystem. Such an ecosystem will spur a more competitive …
Strand shatters Open RAN CAPEX savings myth, stating panacea for carrier capital isn’t ready for prime time
A fresh report from the well-respected research firm Dell’Oro Group states that the Open RAN (Radio Access Network) movement is being supported by stronger-than-expected O-RAN progress in North America. As a result, open RAN is now projected to account for 15 percent to 20 percent of global RAN by 2027. The paid research shows that preliminary data suggests that Open RAN …
