Siting wireless antennas : an introduction

136 Pages·1997·36.6 MB·English

by  CTIA--the Wireless Association

11
BLM LIBRARY
88068845
Introduct
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Federal Land Managers Version
Produced by
CTIA
U.S. Department ofInterior
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Department ofAgriculture
United States Forest Service

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Federal Land Managers Version
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Bureau ofLand Management
U.S. Department ofAgriculture
United States Forest Service

contents
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Why Are We Here? 7
A Dimensions of the Wireless Market 7
B How Customers use Wireless Services 9
C Legislative and Regulatory Changes Call for Cooperation
Between Carriers and Federal Land Managers 12
D Dimensions ofFederal land management policies 12
Chapter Two
Wireless Industry Background 25
A Wireless Telephone Systems 25
B Common Characteristics ofWireless Telephone Systems 28
C Cellular History and Topology 30
D PCS History and Topology 32
E ESMR History and Topology 34
F Comparison of Cellular, PCS, and ESMR 35
G Current Industry Commercial Structure 42
Chapter Three
Federal Land Management Agencies Background and Structure 47
A Bureau ofLand Management (BLM) 47
B United States Forest Service 49
Chapter Four
The Anatomy of a Wireless System 53
A Theory of Operation 53
B Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
C The Subscriber Unit 55
D The Cell Site 56
Chapter Five
The Anatomy of a Cell Site 57

Chapter Six
The Site Selection and Development Process 61
A System Design Drives Site Selection 61
B Factors Driving System Design 62
C Factors Driving Site Selection 63
Chapter Seven
Site Approval and Authorization Process 67
A Pre-Application and Preparation ofMaterials 67
B Preparation ofMaterials by Agency 68
C Coordination 69
D Forms Required for Application 70
E Authorization Timetables 71
Chapter Eight
Project Implementation & Construction 73
A Site Construction 73
B Maintenance ofand Operational Site 75
C Decommissioning the Site 76
Chapter Nine
Frequently Asked Questions 77
A Why can’t the same sites be used? 77
B Why can’t all wireless service be provided by satellite 79
C Will this interfere with my TV reception or cause other interference? 80
D What does the public perceive as health risks associated with wireless devices? 80
Appendix
A General Contacts 83
B BLM Contacts 84
C USFS Contacts 85
D Wireless Glossary 105
E Relevant Forms 109

Why We
Are Here?
.
.
A. Dimensions of the Wireless Market
Past, Present and Future Growth Wireless Subscribership: June 1985-June 1997
The wireless industry has witnessed incredible growth 5300.,000000.,000
in its short history as a commercial service. The first 25.000.
statistics compiled by CTIA in late 1984 showed
15.000.
approximately 92,000 subscribers nationally. By the
000
end of 1990, there were just over 5 million subscribers,
000
and from the most recent statistics of mid-year 1997, 20000000
.
there are now over 50 million subscribers. To put this 000
in perspective, there are now far more wireless sub- 10.000000
5,000,000
scribers in the United States than there are people in
Canada. The industry has continually posted annual 85 86 89 90 91 95 96
subscribership growth rates ofover 30%, and with the Source: CTIA
recent introduction of Personal Communications Cell Sites in Commercial Use: June 1986-June 1997
Services (PCS), this trend shows no sign ofslowing.
40.000
35.000
Industry “experts” have historically under-predicted
30.000
the growth ofthe wireless industry. That said, howev-
25.000
er, some industry observers are forecasting anywhere O
20.000
from 70 to 80 million subscribers in the United States in
15.000 .in
by the year 2000. This growth is coming from a new
10.000
set ofsubscribers. In the past, the typical wireless sub-
5,000
scriber was seen as the busy executive whose business
might pay the tab. No longer: now, most new sub- 95 96 97
scribers indicate that theywill be using their phone for Source: ctia
personal use. Furthermore, a large percentage ofusers subscribe to wireless service solely for safety and secu-
rity reasons. Finally, the wireless subscriber is becoming increasingly “mobile,” in that subscribers are now
purchasing more portable, “pocket” phones than vehicle-installed mobile phones.
The infrastructure ofwireless networks has grown in step with subscribership. By the end of 1990, the wire-
less industry had invested over $6 billion in its infrastructure; as ofmid-year 1997, cumulative capital invest-
ment by the industry stood at over S37 billion. A great portion of this money goes toward construction of
the antenna sites that are the backbone ofthe wireless network. At the end of 1990, there were approximately
5,600 cell sites in the United States, and most recently, the number of cell sites had risen to over 38,000.
Clearly, the surging demand for wireless services has driven the growth in cell site placements.
C O
7
Cumulative Capital Investment: 1985-1997 Average Local Monthly Bill: June 1988-June 1997
UNITED STATES WIRELESS DEMOGRAPHICS • MARCH 1997
Cellular Users PCS Users
GENDER Male 50% 66%
Gender Female 50% 34%
AGE 18-34 31% 36%
35-49 34% 45%
50 and over 35% 19%
ANNUAL INCOME Less than $30,000 16% 14%
$30,000-$50,000 27% 24%
$50,000-575,000 22% 24%
More than $75,000 25% 29%
OCCUPATION Professional/managers 36% 42%
White Collar 25% 28%
Blue Collar 20% 20%
TYPE OF USE Business 25% 30%
Personal 58% 49%
Both 17% 21%
Conductedfor CTIA by Peter D. Hun Research Associates
Wireless Local Loop
The future ofthe wireless marketplace will likely involve non-mobile subscribers. Although wireless networks
wrere initially intended to provide the user with unlimited mobility, wireless technologies can also provide local
phone sendee to fixed locations. Wireless Local Loop (WLL) senice is simply a connection to the public tele-
WLL
phone networkvia radio frequencies rather than via traditional copper wires. In many cases, may be the
only means ofreaching a subscriber. It can also provide the telephone customer with an additional choice for
local phone senice. In the near future, wireless phones mayindeed replace wiredphones for ones primary tele-
phone senice.
Geographic Dimensions of Wireless Service Coverage
During the earlyyears ofthe industry, wireless companies sought to provide senice where their customers
traveled, i.e. along major roadways. Ofcourse, this level ofsenice was also bom ofnecessity as the size of
the phones limited them to being installed in vehicles. As the industry matured, phones became smaller
and more portable, while the senice providers expanded coverage areas. In addition to city centers and
CHAPTER
ONE