Towers

With the pending acquisition, Crown Castle will own or have access to 60,000 route miles of fiber Shared network infrastructure provider Crown Castle announced plans to nearly double its fiber optic holdings with the acquisition of Lightower for $7.1 billion. …

A new network architecture Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is a new option for network providers challenged to meet consumer demands for improved coverage and greater bandwidth. MEC is a network architecture that enables IT and cloud-computing capabilities at the edge …

American Tower, which has more than 147,000 communications sites–including towers, distributed antenna systems, rooftops, colocation facilities and other infrastructure sites–in 15 countries on five continents, reported strong first quarter financial results this week, beating estimates and showing growth on key …

As new fiber networks are rolled out to meet the capacity and speeds required by access technologies and high-value services, ensuring quality installation is crucial. In challenging field testing environments, test process automation is one of the most valuable tools …

Fiber will enable next-generation networks, smart cities and the internet of things. Fiber to the tower has already separated radio heads and antennas from base station equipment, and now that same architecture is being leveraged for centralized radio access networks, …

Fiber will enable next-generation networks, smart cities and the internet of things. Fiber to the tower has already separated radio heads and antennas from base station equipment, and now that same architecture is being leveraged for centralized radio access networks, …

Global investment firm KKR Group will pay $1.35 billion to Telefónica for a stake in Telxius. Telefónica reached an agreement with global investment firm KKR Group to sell up to 40% of Telxius Telecom, Telefónica’s telecommunications infrastructure division, for 1.28 …

The Spanish telco reportedly aims to sell 49% of the infrastructure firm for $1.56 billion Spanish telecommunications operator Telefonica has received several offers to acquire a stake in its infrastructure subsidiary Telxius, according to a statement filed with Spanish market …

The National Wireless Safety Alliance launched two new certification programs for tower technicians. The new certifications are part of the NWSA’s efforts to standardize technician training within the telecom industry, based on input from industry experts to put together personnel …

Panasonic’s Green Tower solution flips energy infrastructure management paradigm for mobile network operators Physical infrastructure investment and maintenance is one of the largest recurring costs for mobile network operators tasked with constantly increasing coverage and capacity to keep up with …

Qualcomm is staking out an early lead in 802.11ad territory for Wi-Fi in the 60 GHz band, and early testing shows the technology can deliver on its promise for more speed as part of a multiprotocol Wi-Fi solution that makes …

One of the biggest challenges the mobile industry faces is how to accommodate the extraordinary increases in data volume and performance expectations over the next couple of decades. It’s clear that no single aspect of the technology needs to be …

Representatives from CommScope and Kathrein note 5G is still in early days, though industry is prepping for new technology models. DALLAS – With the first official “5G” standards still not expected until the end of next year, the topic of …

Streamline troubleshooting to maximize RF investments and cut opex RF interference, whether it’s PIM, electrical or out-of-band emissions, wreaks havoc on mobile networks. Interference hunting and troubleshooting take up valuable and costly man hours while generating dropped calls and poor …

As CPRI and OBSAI gain traction, stay competitive while cutting costs To keep up with data-hungry customers, carriers are working to add capacity and flexibility to their networks. This trend has resulted in a movement to centralized Radio Access Network, …

Small cell and DAS deployments require careful planning and coordination of a number of different processes. Zoning, permitting, lease agreements, backhaul, power, and “negative assets” all need to be evaluated when a site is chosen. A new site’s planned performance …

3M, formerly Capital Safety, has released yet another safety recall for tower climbers. The recall forced the National Association of Tower Erectors to send emails to its members encouraging them to consult the official recall notice. The subject of the recall, …

Telefónica planned to raise up to $1.68 billion with the IPO Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica has abandoned plans to launch an initial public offering of its infrastructure unit Telxius. “Telefónica and the joint global coordinators have decided to abandon the offering, …

Learn how to pinpoint uplink interference while reducing tower climbs and saving money Interference can make or break a cell site commissioning. From the macro tower layer to indoor small cell deployments, interference costs time and money while creating the …

3M today posted an official recall notice of its original tower climber Lad-Saf sleeve. After 30 years of use, the popular fall protection equipment has been replaced by a redesigned “next-generation” Lad-Saf sleeve. According to the recall, 3M and its …

Simplifying tower test and measurement saves time and money while driving safety and industry competitiveness From installation and commissioning to ongoing maintenance activities, cell towers require a great deal of capital and operational expense. Coupled with the incredibly competitive service …

AT&T, SBAC, EXFO and Kathrein share perspective Modifications to cell towers and cell tower equipment are known as tower amendments. Although new tower builds have declined somewhat in recent years, tower amendment activity continues to be robust. “There’s a tremendous …

Westek’s focus on technicians and quality helps streamline operations and reduce costs Driven by the move from LTE to 5G, macro builds, metro fiber deployments and in-building wireless solutions are ushering an evolution in the telecom industry. Underpinning this increasingly …

AT&T said its recent trials of drones as surrogate tower climbers have been highly successful, and that it plans to be using drones in its tower operations by the end of September. “Every time we use a drone it’s just …

This webinar presents an overview of tower technology and tower investment trends, followed by a discussion of drone usage on cell towers and fiber testing. Three of the four major carriers now have processes in place to enable drones to …