Our appetite for high-speed mobile devices and services shows no sign of slowing. Smart phones and tablet computers are flying off shelves, promising consumers high-speed data services. In fact, The International Telecommunications Union reports that mobile broadband subscriptions reached 1.2 billion in 2011, and millions of new customers continue to sign up each week. As the world begins to access the Internet at these higher speeds offered, there will be no turning back.
Now, operators are faced with the need to quickly update and fortify their networks. They must ensure that their network evolution is well architected and accurately implemented to provide the exceptional experience, that is 4G LTE, to their customers.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is also known as the 4th generation of wireless technology, hence the names 4G LTE. Long Term Evolution is just a fancy industry buzzword for adding capacity to their already robust wireless networks. The goal of LTE is to increase the capacity and speed of wireless data networks.
New 4G market launches are hardly cause for headlines and LTE is pretty much standard in any new smartphone or connected tablet. But as a result, network capacity has been increasingly strained and mobile carriers have been busy working to upgrade their infrastructure and provide the bandwidth their customers demand. Prior generation systems such as GSM (Global System for Mobile) were designed in a voice-only era which is not very efficient when delivering data. LTE is the natural upgrade path for carriers with GSM networks and is set to become the first truly global mobile phone standard.
Tower mounted amplifiers (TMAs) have seen renewed interested to enhance LTE signal performance and improve quality of service while using the existing network infrastructure. And increasingly, mobile service providers are now in need of technicians who are more knowledgeable and skilled in this fiber cable installation, testing and repair. Proper fiber handling techniques must be followed to ensure reliable FTTA (Fiber to the Antenna) installation and performance. By following best practices, tower hands can bring their knowledge of fiber installation and handle the upgrades happening for today’s mobile networks.
Implementing technologies like these to modernize the wireless network is a sound investment for improving operations in all of its forms, from energy efficiency to maintenance.
KMB is a leading provider of Design & Build tower modifications and reinforcement services. We combine expert structural engineering services with our fabrication and construction services to maximize the structural capacity of our clients’ vertical real-estate. KMB is an approved vendor with the leading tower owners throughout the USA.