May 15, 2019
Telecom OSP engineers play a crucial role within the constantly evolving telecommunications industry. Considered the backbone of service provider companies, telecom OSP engineers are the primary source of antenna designs and deployment strategies — which are heavily depended upon for the future of 5G.
Let’s take a look at the role of telecom OSP engineers as we approach the next generation of wireless data networks.
Role of Telecom OSP Engineers on New Antenna Designs for 5G
In today’s digital age, businesses worldwide are hungry for new ways to innovate and experiment with emerging technologies. As connected experiences and the consumer demand for faster speed increases, the successful implementation of 5G strategies moves beyond the scope of most company’s internal resources. Forward-thinking business leaders are leveraging external telecom OSP engineers to deliver innovative solutions that engage customers and improve productivity.
OSP, or Outside-Plant Engineers, assume responsibility for the construction and maintenance of plant infrastructure, innovative design and engineering, permitting, safety and handling issues as they relate to fiber networking, routing and network management. Hiring external OSP engineers eliminates network expansion problems that arise from using “learn-as-you-go” internal management resources.
Through this strategic collaboration, businesses benefit from a clearly defined plan to add much-needed capacity to their network.
5G Requires New Antenna Designs to Deliver Faster Speeds
According to ABI Research’s Rise & Outlook of Antennas in 5G report, 5G standards will require more complex antenna designs and deployment strategies in order to deliver faster speeds to subscribers.
While plans are in place to utilize small cells, the report states, “Particularly crucial will be fixed wireless access, and the ability to reach out to residential communities and small businesses in urban and rural communities, providing coverage that is effectively equivalent to fiber optic.” As mobile network operators begin their initial rollouts of 5G network services, challenges are surfacing.
Enter: MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output).
As a key part of 5G, MIMO deployment uses multiple antennas designed to increase throughput (bandwidth). They are linked and located at both the source (transmitter) and the destination (receiver) to minimize error and boost efficiency of a network.
According to the report, MIMO adoption will also be driven by “active antennas,” which include active components, not just metal rods, capacitors, and conductors. These active antennas are expected “to grow from nearly 6% in 2017 to more than 10% by 2021,” driven by MIMO and Massive MIMO configurations.
Boasting benefits such as reduced latency, increased data rates, and cost-effective and increased basic link signals, we can expect to see MIMO technology increasing alongside the rise of 5G.
Supporting 5G Rollouts with Responsive OSP Engineering Solutions
KMB has been the engineer of record for the design and permitting of more than 17,000 small cells, spread across 48 states, within the USA and Puerto Rico. With an experienced in-house small cell team handling site acquisition, design, structural, traffic engineering, permitting and custom small cell design services, our telecom OSP engineers are prepared to meet the varying requirements of any municipality.
From small cell technology to engineering design element considerations and telecom OSP strategies, KMB Design Group provides the turnkey 5G solutions for enterprises nationwide. Our in depth understanding of these requirements can help to keep permitting schedules and deployment on time and on budget, preventing drastic delays. As a leading telecom firm with decades of experience in responsive telecom OSP engineering, our team is prepared to help businesses transform their networking ecosystems for future 5G applications.
Unsure which technology is right for your enterprise to stay ahead of 5G demands? Connect with the team of telecom OSP engineers at KMB to help you strategize and design the right solution for your organization.