(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/neilkendall)
Many assume that installing a small cell or an RRH (Remote Radio Head) is as simple as mounting a unit on a pole and moving on. In reality, site selection and preparation drive the complexity of the deployment. Below are common challenges and practical considerations to ensure a successful small cell or CRAN rollout.
Selecting Mounting Assets
New deployers often believe small units can be mounted anywhere, but multiple hurdles must be cleared before installation. First, identify who owns or manages the prospective mounting asset. Tower companies and infrastructure owners may already offer approved locations, which simplifies acquisition—provided the asset aligns with RF design requirements.
Ownership can be complicated. In urban areas, poles may be owned by the city, a utility, or a private manager. Confirm the structure can support your radio, antenna, and mounting hardware. You may also need room for a ground-level cabinet while placing antennas higher on the pole. Owners commonly require a structural analysis to verify the pole will remain safe under load and in storm conditions.
If you plan to mount on a building, rooftop access is not always the best option. Alternatives include side-of-building mounts or discreet installations inside an office with an outward-facing window (provided the window materials don’t block signals). Installing in unconventional locations may require negotiating leases or permissions with different parties, such as a tenant or a separate management entity responsible for building façades rather than the roof.
Strand mounts over streets or alleys are another option, but verify the strand’s tensile strength and its connections to anchor poles. Strand is essentially steel cable; check both the cable integrity and the anchor hardware to ensure they can safely carry the added weight.
Permitting and zoning are critical. Municipal rules determine where and how you can mount equipment; failure to secure proper approvals can result in fines or removal orders. Always check local ordinances before installation—this is a key function of site acquisition teams and saves significant time and cost downstream.
Before mounting any equipment, confirm structural, legal, and access requirements. A thorough pre-installation checklist avoids surprises on the deployment day.
Backhaul Solutions
Backhaul availability is a major factor when selecting a site. Whether you choose wireless or fiber, the chosen site must have a reliable connection to the network core. For CRAN deployments, consider both backhaul and fronthaul requirements: BBUs (baseband units) and RRHs require appropriate fronthaul links in addition to general backhaul connectivity.
Solutions often blend technologies—fiber, microwave wireless, and sometimes copper. Conducting a physical site survey is crucial; drawings or maps can mislead. Surveys reveal practical issues such as obstructed line-of-sight for wireless links or unexpected street-side placement of fiber conduits. Treat surveys as indispensable: they identify constraints and opportunities missed on paper.
Be prepared to mix fiber and wireless to create cost-effective and robust topologies. Map your network, identify anchor or macro sites to connect through, and propose deployment options that balance performance and cost for your customer.
Fiber Accessibility
Fiber is commonly used for backhaul. You may have fiber at every small cell location or connect multiple cells wirelessly back to a fiber-fed aggregation point. If dark fiber is required, choose sites near existing fiber rings to avoid costly trenching, permitting, and construction. Where trenching is unavoidable, factor in traffic control, permitting, and civil works—these are often the most expensive elements of a deployment.
To minimize cost, place nodes near existing fiber or route wireless links to buildings that provide straightforward fiber access. Careful planning around fiber availability reduces both deployment expense and schedule risk.
Power
Power availability is commonly misunderstood. A streetlight does not automatically mean usable power for telecom equipment. Many lights run at higher voltages or on proprietary systems controlled by the pole owner and cannot be tapped without permission. Even when power exists on a utility pole, accessing it for your radio may be prohibited.
Power can be a significant expense if you must route new feeds. Building installations may require core drilling, additional permits, or landlord approval. Confirm power feasibility and costs early in site evaluation to avoid surprises. In many cases you will need to provision a dedicated power source and coordinate any required electrical work before installation.
Cost to Deploy
Historically, hardware dominated deployment costs, but today services, backhaul, power, and leasing drive expenses. While small cell hardware prices have fallen, recurring costs and the complexity of civil works, fiber, and permits can be substantial. Detailed research and experience are essential to estimate total cost of ownership accurately.
Early adopters learned lessons through pilot programs and trials. Large carriers ran trials to balance time-to-market with cost-effective backhaul choices—wireless versus fiber—and to negotiate leases that sometimes included utilities like power and backhaul. These efforts helped refine site acquisition processes and lowered costs industry-wide over time.
Ultimately, thorough planning, flexible design choices, and experienced site acquisition teams reduce deployment risk and expense. Expect unexpected challenges; continuous risk management and adaptability are essential when scaling a small cell or CRAN network.
In short: plan comprehensively, conduct on-site surveys, verify ownership and structural capacity, confirm power and fiber availability, and design backhaul/frounthaul with flexibility. With solid preparation and the willingness to be creative, you can streamline installations and achieve successful deployments.
Have you faced issues with Small Cell and CRAN deployments? Share your experience in the comments.