After a brief hiatus, The Wireless Water Cooler, a podcast hosted by Inside Towers Managing Editor, Jim Fryer, and WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein, restocked and met with Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH). Latta is the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and has prioritized innovation in the telecommunications industry while pushing for increased access and deployment of high-speed broadband. He was first elected in 2007 to the same northwe...
Nov 29, 2021•22 min•Season 4Ep. 48
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of November 15, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Nov 22, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 47
Market projections are robust for small cells that will be needed in coming years as mobile network operators densify their networks, particularly in populated metro markets. Small cells typically are deployed on street furniture such as utility poles, streetlights, and custom-built poles installed along city streets. The challenge for network operators is to figure out where to place these small cells, how to power them, and how to connect them back into the network, all in a cost-effective and...
Nov 18, 2021•25 min•Season 4Ep. 46
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of November 8, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Nov 15, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 45
The notion of private wireless networks has gained prominence with concepts such as Industry 4.0, smart cities, campus networks, and Enterprise IT/OT integration and critical communications. Private wireless networks are enabled by cost-effective, open-standard radio and core equipment that can be programmed for specific user needs, built to 4G and 5G specifications, and having access to shared-spectrum such as CBRS or dedicated licenses. What is a private network, which vertical markets are can...
Nov 09, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 45
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of November 1, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Nov 08, 2021•18 min•Season 4Ep. 44
This Tower Talks special edition highlights the Inside Towers Intelligence Q2 2021 issue that is jam-packed with high-quality information and analysis that can be readily used by decision makers and investors in the wireless infrastructure business. Feature articles “Inside the Tower Business” and “Dish Network: a Strategic Analysis” dive deep into the tower business models and dish’s strategic opportunities and risks. Contributed input from thought leaders and outside experts includes: M&A ...
Nov 02, 2021•8 min•Season 4Ep. 43
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 24, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Nov 01, 2021•16 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Deploying cell sites is complex. Radios, antennas, cables, and power must be installed properly, then tested to verify the site is functioning as designed before the installation crew leaves. Herein lies a problem. Whether testing RF, fiber, PIM or other parameters, test equipment is very sophisticated, and proper testing takes time. Contractors working on tight deployment schedules, may or may not have sufficient training to conduct the required tests. This means tests often are incomplete or c...
Oct 25, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 41
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 18, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Oct 25, 2021•18 min•Season 3Ep. 40
A key aspect of building and maintaining advanced wireless networks is that everything must be tested - RF, fiber, PIM, and other parameters. Network operators must demonstrate to the FCC and to their customers that the network is performing to design specifications. Portable test equipment used in the field and benchtop instruments used in development labs are very sophisticated, can be very expensive, and must be calibrated periodically to maintain accuracy. Electro Rent , a leading supplier o...
Oct 18, 2021•18 min•Season 3Ep. 39
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 11, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Oct 18, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 38
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of October 4, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Oct 11, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 37
Helios Towers, one of the leading tower companies in Africa, recently announced acquisitions that will expand its operations to 11 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The deals include buying existing towers and a commitment for build-to-suit sites over the next several years. Helios Towers counts Africa’s leading mobile network operators as tenants that are expanding and upgrading their networks. Managing towers in the region is not easy, though. The carrier networks cover vast territory t...
Oct 04, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 36
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 27, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Oct 04, 2021•22 min•Season 3Ep. 35
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 20, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Sep 27, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 34
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 13, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Sep 20, 2021•15 min•Season 3Ep. 33
The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s annual Connect (X) conference is billed as “the only business technology event in North America uniting the industry to deliver infrastructure solutions for universal connectivity.” After running a virtual show last year due to the pandemic, WIA will be hosting Connect (X) 2021 as an in-person event on October 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL. Connect (X) this year promises to be a lively session with many people looking forward to the presentatio...
Sep 15, 2021•15 min•Season 3Ep. 32
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of September 7, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Sep 12, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), a 3.5 GHz mid-band shared spectrum, offers a low-cost, high-speed broadband option for rural and underserved communities, and for cost-effective private network deployments. As the demand for this type of wireless infrastructure increases, so does the demand for a trained and certified workforce. And importantly, CBRS installation and performance are governed under FCC Part 96 rules. To meet this need, Federated Wireless and Learning Alliance Corporation ...
Sep 08, 2021•23 min•Season 3Ep. 30
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 23, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Aug 27, 2021•16 min•Season 3Ep. 29
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 16, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Aug 22, 2021•16 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Join Inside Towers Managing Editor Jim Fryer in this third installment of “Tower Masters”. This series focuses on the men and women who, for decades, have not only survived, but thrived as independent operators in the wireless infrastructure field. Inside Towers talks with longtime developer in the wireless infrastructure space, Jimmy Chiles. Although Chiles is now an Operating Partner with Digital Bridge, his career spans the gamut from 600-site towerco owner to founding and developing several ...
Aug 18, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 27
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 8, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Aug 13, 2021•11 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Do you know what it really takes to build wireless and wireline networks? Bringing together equipment and workers, whether installing fiber optic systems on the ground or activating cell sites on towers, must be well choreographed to meet installation deadlines and service delivery schedules We see videos of tower climbers in their safety harnesses and helmets high up on structures. But in fact, it’s when they get to that height the real work begins – everything from assembling steel structures ...
Aug 11, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 26
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 2, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Aug 06, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 25
The telecommunications industry is in a high cycle of demand for broadband infrastructure. 5G network builds, fixed wireless access deployments, fiber to the home, and digital divide solutions are all happening at the same time. In this environment, questions often come up about the capability of the supply chain. Is there adequate equipment inventory, or are there shortages that will create long delivery times? How will installations and new service activation be affected? There are misundersta...
Aug 04, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 24
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of July 26, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Jul 31, 2021•14 min•Season 3Ep. 23
This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of July 19, 2021. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here . Support the show
Jul 25, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 22
As wireless service providers deploy more frequency bands on towers, the incidence for interference increases dramatically. While we refer to interference from radios at other cell sites as active interference, signals reflected from RF transmissions within a tower site create harmonics that are equally of concern. This type of RF interference is referred to as passive intermodulation interference or simply, PIM. PIM can originate from poor or worn cable connectors at radios or antennas. We are ...
Jul 19, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 21
