VIAVI Solutions Inc. today released the results of its 13th annual State of the Network global study of enterprise networking and security challenges. The study shows that IT teams critically require better visibility into the network driven by a number of factors, including tremendous disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, relentless technological advances, remote working reaching an all-time high and the …
Major stockholder activist blasts Crown Castle’s fiber line of attack
Although Elliott Management Corp. doesn’t make Crown Castle International Corp.’s top ten list of institutional investors, a $1 billion investment in the Houston, Texas-based communications infrastructure giant could allow the tail to wag the dog, especially when Elliott pounds the public relations pavement as it did yesterday in a press release, castigating Crown for its underperformance in its $16 billion …
Environment oftentimes weaves dangerous webbing, a Planning Advisory Notice explains why
Equipment exposed to the environment can have an effect on technician safety, effective use, and longevity. The focus of this Planning Advisory Notice (PAN), published with permission by the Telecommunications Industry Foundation, is: Best safety practices for slings, ropes, harnesses, and hard hats to help technicians identify and prevent environmental exposure and ultraviolet degradation. In 2017, Brigham Young University conducted …
Huawei and ZTE officially designated ‘national security threats’ by the FCC
The FCC has formally designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats to the United States, moving to disrupt the Chinese tech firms’ American operations by declaring that federal subsidies from the Universal Service Fund won’t cover their equipment. “Both companies have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus, and both companies are broadly subject to …
Thousands of carrier layoffs will not impede 5G buildouts and might increase contractor opportunities
This week it was announced that AT&T plans to cut 3,400 jobs, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and T-Mobile is laying off hundreds of Sprint employees, as reported by TechCrunch. However, the wireless infrastructure sectors of the two carriers building out 5G will not be affected since Sprint’s cuts are largely from the carrier’s sales division, and AT&T’s …
VIAVI and 3Z deliver comprehensive fiber toolkit for wireless contractors
As Viavi Solutions Inc. completes the one-year anniversary of its acquisition of 3Z Telecom, the company has unveiled a unified solution set to address the critical needs of wireless contractors in North America. Adding to the well-known RF Vision Antenna Alignment Tool, the Fiber Installer Kit includes all the instruments needed to test, inspect, and clean fiber and connectors while installing …
Prestigious ANSI accreditation accorded NWSA and its proud Tower Technician 1 & 2 cert holders
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced it has been awarded accreditation by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), for its Telecommunications Tower Technician 1 and Telecommunications Tower Technician 2 programs. ANAB’s decision to accredit these programs came after thorough analysis of test data and rigorous audits of NWSA’s …
Sprint’s unauthorized use of NYC townhouse’s wall should be worth over $2 million lawsuit claims
A New York City husband and wife filed a lawsuit against Sprint and T-Mobile on Monday, alleging that they installed 5G antennas without their permission and violated the terms of a contract they made with Sprint eight years earlier. According to the complaint, Sprint allegedly had previously installed a cell site on a residential townhouse immediately adjacent to the one …
An Alabama miracle: Two men are alive after a rigging failure collapses the 349-foot tower they were on
UPDATE: June 15, 2020 — OSHA has identified that the company decommissioning an AT&T sector in Seale, Alabama when the structure collapsed was Strong Tower Enterprises of Brownwood, Texas. According to individuals knowledgeable of the incident, the tower techs that miraculously survived when they rode the tower down from about the 225-foot level were Qualyan Moore and an unnamed minor, …
Wireless workers asked to be vigilant Saturday due to possible attacks against infrastructure
Some activist groups have declared Saturday, June 6, 2020 as Global 5G Protest Day, resulting in associations and carriers as well as contractors warning the industry to be extra vigilant to ensure worker safety and protect the nation’s infrastructure. One key contractor is warning the industry to not take the situation “lightly”. Ericsson, in an “abundance of caution” to ensure the …
T-Mobile touts that it is the first with 5G in all 50 states
T-Mobile and GCI announced a historic partnership, immediately allowing T-Mobile customers with 5G smartphones to tap into 5G while roaming in Anchorage, Alaska, making T-Mobile the first and only wireless provider to offer 5G coverage in all 50 states. The new partnership also gives GCI customers roaming access to T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network, America’s largest, covering more than one million …
NATE’s 5G video highlights government and industry collaboration
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today unveiled a News Bulletin video highlighting how collaboration between the wireless industry and stakeholders at the federal, state and municipal levels can expedite the 5G deployment process in communities across the United States. The video’s release is timely since the FCC is slated to vote on Commissioner Brendan Carr’s 5G Upgrade Order next …
Rig operator dies after falling into a 35-foot drilled pier foundation for a Verizon monopole
A foundation drill rig operator died yesterday morning in South Lake Tahoe, California while in the process of completing a drilled pier foundation for a 115-foot Verizon monopole to be erected off of Al Tahoe Boulevard just south of Lake Tahoe Community College. According to authorities, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue received a call at about 9:45 a.m. and enlisted …
Access to critical infrastructure authorization expires, extension expected shortly
The National Communications Coordination Branch’s leadership is aware that their current access letter for critical communications infrastructure facilities issued March 16, 2020 is expiring today and they are working to finalize the details and distribution process of an updated access letter to support any recovery/restoration activities. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is …
Attorney’s lawsuit claims Verizon’s contractor put him at risk and a 5G pole cheapens his realty by $128K
An Atlanta attorney representing himself and 110 of his neighbors in a class action has filed a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless claiming that the carrier sent unmasked contractors to his City of Sandy Springs, Ga. home, in a “corporate invasion,” that put his family and neighbors at risk of contracting COVID-19 as well as diseases rumored to be linked to …
Top towerco execs enthusiastic about the industry’s future
Executives gave upbeat assessments of the tower industry on the “View From the Top: Tower Executive Roundtable,” moderated by Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Industry Association during its virtual Connect (X) All Access conference yesterday afternoon. Panelists included Jay Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Castle; Alex Gellman, Chief Executive Officer, Vertical Bridge; Jeffrey Stoops, President …
FCC Commissioner Carr announces order to upgrade wireless infrastructure, reduce bottlenecks
Yesterday at the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) free, virtual conference, Connect (X): All Access, Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Brendan Carr announced the FCC’s plans to clarify its rules to promote network upgrades on existing towers and other wireless sites. His comments are available here. The ruling will address state and local approval of wireless equipment modifications and clarify the definition of “substantial change”. …
If found to be “essential” workers, tower techs would get a $13 hourly pay boost under HEROES Act
Yesterday, House Democrats unveiled their coronavirus assistance bill, which will include measures to keep families online through the duration of the pandemic and possibly provide a huge pay increase to telecom field workers. It will also provide a new direct cash stimulus check for $1,200. The 1,800-plus page HEROES Act with $3 trillion in funding, will have about $5.5 billion …
Legacy’s tower techs lauded in video that can be applied to all of the nation’s techs
With yesterday being Tower Technician Appreciation Day, Legacy Telecommunication went the extra mile to thank their technicians by airing an excellent tribute to tower techs video that was introduced during an all hands safety call. The company has over 75 climbers and approximately 35 support staff members. Legacy is a member company of Enertech Holdings which also includes EasTex Tower, …
Officials unsure whether Canadian cell tower fire was the work of anarchists industry was looking for
Fire officials in Laval, a city north of Montreal, Canada, have not yet identified whether a multiple-tenant Rogers Communications monopole was purposely set on fire early Friday morning by anarchists protesting misguided beliefs that 5G transmissions are dangerous, although it has been rebutted throughout the world, especially in Canada where a private/public collaboration recently published an excellent report to dispel 5G …
