Adding Wireless Facilities
Consumer Demand for Services Means New Wireless Sites are NeededWhat are “wireless facilities” and why do they matter to you? Every day, more people are using more wireless services in more places. Americans use approximately 4,000 percent more minutes than they did even 9 years ago. They’re also using more advanced wireless services - like text messaging, email, digital photography and high speed Internet access. All these new users and new features mean that more wireless facilities are needed to handle the load. It’s similar to expanding the highways as more drivers take to the roads. In the case of wireless, providing more customers with better service in more places means adding more wireless antennas.
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Perfectly Placing New Wireless Sites
In order for new wireless facilities to do their job – improve coverage and capacity for wireless consumers – they have to be placed in a specific area. Whenever possible, wireless providers will simply add new equipment to existing facilities.
So, does “new wireless facility” or “wireless sites” mean a new tower? If new wireless equipment is needed, it can blend into its environment like never before – on trees, church steeples, rooftops, water towers, or billboards. Preference is always given to adding it onto existing structures.
Local zoning laws and building codes often dictate when and where new wireless facilities can be added and generally include specific requirements for location, height and aesthetics. Wireless companies work closely with local communities to reasonably balance aesthetics, historic preservation, environmental concerns and the need to add wireless facilities to keep pace with consumer demand for wireless services. Constructing new facilities is often the last resort, because it requires customers to wait longer for improvements and is more expensive.
The Science of Wireless Siting
Wireless providers determine when and where to add new facilities based on continual monitoring and research. Engineers constantly analyze their wireless networks, to improve quality and coverage for wireless users.
Engineers review network statistics to measure performance. They will gauge the amount of traffic on wireless sites and the number of failed, dropped or blocked calls.
Consumer surveys and customer feedback are used to help wireless providers gauge the quality of wireless services wherever customers are using them.
Drive tests are used to simulate the customer experience and provide critical signal strength, call quality, and clarity data to wireless providers. Field technicians and engineers collect real-time data by canvassing service areas with wireless phones, mobile data computers, and other equipment to test network quality.
