The FCC has opened an investigation into whether some wireless carriers falsely reported information about the coverage areas to the agency, therefore violating mapping rules pertaining to the Mobility Fund Phase ll reverse auction. In halting the $5.4 billion program, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, said in a statement, “My top priority is bridging the digital divide and ensuring that Americans …
Towerco stocks on a roller coaster as Canada arrests Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou for extradiction to U.S.
News of the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada sent the Dow plummeting as much as 785 points today before the index staged a huge comeback and was just down 78 points at closing. However, some analysts believe it was also fueled by a looming trade war with China. Meng faces extradition to the United States. Towerco stocks tanked …
FirstNet hits one-third completion mark, AT&T’s network capacity to grow by 50% in 2019
According to AT&T CEO Randolph Stephenson at a UBS Communications Conference yesterday, the carrier is six months ahead of its contracted FirstNet deployment schedule, and the public-safety initiative will result in increasing the capacity of its network by 50% by the end of 2019. “We made a full-court press to pursue the FirstNet bid and win it. And there were …
3Z’s antenna alignment tool with built-in camera is ideal for all carrier networks
A new antenna alignment tool that includes a built-in camera can now provide a visual line-of-sight image for each antenna in a mobile network is proving to be extraordinarily valuable for RF engineering teams when making coverage and capacity decisions for more exacting 5G networks, and to ensure that unseen challenges will be immediately known. 3Z Telecom, Inc., a leading …
CTI Towers’ employees give generously to support tower workers in need
The Tower Family Foundation was the recipient today of a $13,000 donation raised by the employees of CTI Towers. October was designated as “Charity Month” at CTI, where employees were able to donate personal funds to the Cary, N.C. company’s designated charity for 2018. “We are always amazed at the kindness of our employees to assist those in need. They …
Fewer contractors entering wireless construction as requirements increase and profits head south
A Wireless Estimator survey recently completed by 263 wireless infrastructure contractors has provided a wealth of information regarding carrier payment terms and other industry concerns that will be detailed in additional reports next month. However, the first evident troubling or possibly beneficial data unveiled is that new contractors are not entering the business as they did four years ago when …
U.S. patent application pushes credibility of Swiss Army knife cell tower drones
Commentary – Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are assisting the wireless infrastructure industry with great tower mapping, 3D modeling, close-out documentation and other capabilities that have proven in some cases to be more accurate and safer for the workforce. However, a recent patent application for a UAV is so technologically advanced that the applicant’s inventors will inevitably displace tower techs that …
Tower mods video emphasizes exacting sequences required
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today unveiled a video entitled “Tower Modifications: It’s All About the Sequence” that focuses on the dos and don’ts of performing proper tower modifications. The video was unveiled as part of Volume 3 of the Association’s acclaimed Climber Connection series. The informative video includes an interview with an experienced industry construction manager who …
T-Mobile asking for ruling as to the legality of an additional insured certificate
In a Nov. 9, 2018 filing, the Ninth Circuit has asked Washington state’s Supreme Court to consider whether an insurer must cover a carrier’s costs in a lawsuit alleging its subcontractor’s rooftop antenna installation caused damage to an apartment building in the Bronx, N.Y., stating that Washington state law is uncertain on a critical issue in the case. The Ninth …
Split House and Senate bodes well for NATE’s wireless industry lobbying efforts
Wall Street’s bulls were cheering midterm election results yesterday that saw Democrats on Tuesday take control of the House and Republicans hold control of the Senate, delivering a split Congress and prospects for legislative gridlock over the remaining two years of President Trump’s term. Today, enthusiasm was a little subdued and the market remained flat, although the communications sector was …
Concrete seen as a culprit in Corning’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium DAS design failure in IBM lawsuit
Successfully teaming with Corning Optical Communications Wireless, Inc. to build a strong fiber-based WiFi and DAS network for Texas A&M’s Kyle Field in 2015, IBM again partnered with Corning to provide a DAS and WiFi system in the new 71,000-seat Atlanta Falcons Mercedes-Benz Stadium that opened Aug. 26, 2017. But the short-lived relationship began to unravel following the inking of a …
Hurricane Michael mauls cell service in three states after cutting through Georgia
When Hurricane Florence slammed into North Carolina on Sept. 17, it kayoed 718 cell sites, according to the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) which listed the counties that could suffer service interruption in four states. Hurricane Michael, the third-most powerful storm on record to hit the U.S., and the worst in 50 years, has almost doubled the number of …
Whether Dish Network builds 50,000 towers or collocates, contractors will benefit
Although media headlines state that Dish Network is considering building 50,000 towers throughout the nation at a cost of $10 billion to launch a new 5G network, it’s doubtful that they will, but collocations are a strong possibility for towercos. FierceWireless broke the story that Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said at an investor’s conference that the company could spend up …
Some site acqs might have to confront ‘colo in a can’
In the past, site acquisition professionals had to debunk the belief that cell sites were going to be so small in the future that communities would be left with an abundance of unnecessary rusted, teetering macro sites. The newest hurdle they might face is that Drexel’s College of Engineering has published research that they have found a method for spraying invisibly …
Industry’s first-ever influential contractor survey’s deadline is October 10
Make your company’s concerns count As wireless contractors are acutely aware, contractor firms in the industry have experienced trends that have seen payment terms go from 30 days to 60 days, and now are settling in at 90 to 120 days, placing an undue financial burden on contractor companies. It’s not whether these terms could potentially compromise safety and hinder …
Maintaining top tower talent, NWSA, and small cells best practices at NATE WIN Florida conference
The NATE Wireless Industry Network (WIN) will be hosting its Southeast Regional Conference on Oct. 29, 2018 at the Hilton Garden Inn Pensacola/Medical Center in Pensacola, Fla. The conference will focus on key industry safety initiatives as well as other educational presentations, and offer tremendous networking and professional development opportunities for attendees, according to WIN Director Scott Krouse. The conference …
Techs’ irrational Wyoming bar shooting might have been racially motivated
Two tower techs were arrested early Saturday morning after they allegedly shot a man outside of Mingles Lounge, a popular night spot off of South Douglas Highway in Gilbert, Wyo. According to a police affidavit, D’Marco Lee Jones, 23, of Detroit, Mich., has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and felony destruction of property in the case. His co-worker, Andreas …
Thanks to nation’s unsung tower techs, Florence’s NC cell site outages are down 77%
When Hurricane Florence’s full tally of cell site outages was identified in North Carolina on Sept. 15, tower crew restoration companies had already been servicing many of them, and the 1,063 outages were reduced dramatically to 787 the following day. Restoration efforts in North Carolina have brought the total of sites out of service to just 245, a 77% improvement …
Infrared LED obstruction lighting is not required: FAA Obstruction Evaluation Manager
An ambiguous recent change to the FAA’s Obstruction Marking and Lighting bible left some obstruction lighting managers with the impression that the Advisory Circular (AC) now requires towers with a new FAA determination to include infrared (IR) LEDs in the L-810 and L-864 systems to make the red lamping more visible to Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) and Night Vision …
Florence’s aftermath will see how hardened networks actually were
As the country’s wireless workforce marshals logistic resupply bases, for the next two days the nation’s carriers will extol the virtues of their hurricane preparedness capabilities’ public relations campaigns as to why they – and only they – can ensure a strong and reliable network when Hurricane Florence decimates the East Coast. As if they all used the same Word …
