Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.
You’ve heard them all on television and radio: “AT&T, the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, is getting faster with 4G.” “Rule the air with Verizon Wireless, home of the fastest, most advanced 4G network in America.” “T-Mobile, running on America’s largest 4G network.”
The heated competition among the major carriers to build the biggest, fastest and best 4G network seems to be driving the pace of the telecommunications tower infrastructure build-out. Whether it’s AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. or Verizon Wireless, carriers are indicating they are working around the clock through rain, snow and heat to bring nationwide 4G to smartphones, iPads and computers. So, how does this push to deploy 4G impact tower erectors? While more work is always viewed as a good thing, concerns arise when safety is compromised.
Carriers and their general contractors want to make sure tower projects are accomplished quickly and on budget just as much as any other company. However, a company’s commitment to sending tower climbers home safely every night should be, without a doubt, the most important thing at the end of the day. One way to address this concern is to hire only those contractors capable of doing the work right, and doing it safely. Finding those qualified contractors isn’t always easy; but it’s worth it.
Speed of installation
According to their marketing and advertising campaigns, Verizon Wireless plans to cover 147 U.S. cities with its LTE network by the end of 2011; Sprint Nextel currently has 70-plus markets covered by WiMAX through its partner, Clearwire Corp., and AT&T Mobility has pledged to cover 95% of Americans with various 4G technologies soon.
Carriers’ all-out push to get more smart phones in their networks has accelerated antenna and tower deployment, and tower service companies are often expected to meet aggressive deadlines. The pressure is on contractors to do quality work at a fast pace; but in reality, when construction and installation are done right; they take an investment of time. A qualified contractor will work more efficiently as the result of their experience, and they know taking their time with installation is vital in order to keep safety top of mind while producing quality work.
Safety = performance
A company that invests in high safety standards indicates its professionalism and commitment to quality work. Contractors who dedicate the time and money needed to train their employees, adhere to safety protocols and provide proper equipment are also contractors committed to doing the job right. Qualified contractors place a premium on efficiency, safety and reliability because that’s what makes a business successful through attracting and retaining customers.
On the other hand, a contractor who operates without concern for a human life certainly cannot be expected to provide dependable installations. If network reliability is viewed as inadequate, cellular customers will become dissatisfied and – as the current ad campaigns indicate – seek service with a more reliable carrier.
Attention to detail is without a doubt one of the top requirements to ensure quality networks. Consider that, on a single antenna set, there are dozens of connections between the antenna and the base station that must be installed correctly to ensure flawless performance without feedback. Or look at coax cable, the spinal cord of the tower, which must be hauled into place correctly. It can’t be pinched or stretched, and the 100-plus connectors must be installed according to specifications to ensure proper transmission of customers’ texts, calls and Facebook posts.
A qualified contractor will take the time to do every task precisely, no matter how big or small, but there are companies out there who do not live up to this standard. History tells us that following major build-outs, there are many qualified contractors who make a good living fixing the mistakes made by their unqualified competition; inadequate contractors who often got the job with a cheap bid. In the end, the carrier gets exactly what they paid for – cheap network performance.
Qualified contractors are also the ones who invest in the latest safety training practices for their employees. They maintain a current written safety program to govern their employees and produce site safety plans for each job. Qualified contractors will make these documents and training certification information available to clients to demonstrate that they have policies in place and will enforce safety practices on every job site.
Multiple layers of sub-contractors water down the dedication to safety on a job site. The primary contractor typically will meet safety qualifications, but by the time the work is sub-contracted to contractor B, then contractor C and then to contractor D, the safety requirements can get lost in the shuffle. It is critical that carriers have controls in place to ensure the contractor that actually does the job meets all safety requirements. The same checklist that governs the general contractor hiring should apply and be enforced for every contractor on every tower site.
Cheaper is not always better
In many cases, price rules when it comes to choosing a contractor. Unfortunately, unqualified contractors often have the advantage of maintaining low overhead due to their lack of investment in training, safety practices and proper equipment for their employees. Not only do these contractors increase the possibility of accidents, which may cost human lives, they also place the timely and reliable completion of sites in jeopardy. Their attitudes toward professionalism will spill over into the quality of work they perform; likely costing far more to repair after a carrier’s system develops problems from substandard work practices. In the long run, you will save money by hiring tower erectors who will do the job right the first time.
When determining costs the job will pay for the contractor who actually ends up on-site doing the work, keep in mind that cheap does not always equate to the least expensive. Pay to have the job done right. If that means eliminating a layer of subcontractors and the “management fee” they take off of the top, to ensure you have a qualified contactor performing the work on the tower will ensure the reliability of your network and carriers and general contractors will benefit from taking that step.
To help ensure all your tower work is done as designed and safely, hire only contractors who meet established safety, performance and insurance criteria and can prove they are capable of performing the jobs required while keeping their crews safe.
The National Association of Tower Erectors provides a free Qualified Contractors Evaluation Checklist to serve as a resource to carriers in evaluating a contractor’s abilities and commitment to safety. A key tool for improving safety on the job site, the checklist provides a wide range of contractor requirements to evaluate. Below is a partial list:
–Obtain insurance coverage appropriate for the job at hand.
–Have a written safety program in place and conduct regular safety audits.
–Have a competent and qualified person on-site at all times.
–Use properly trained tower technicians who understand OSHA regulations in fall protection and rescue.
These recommendations from NATE’s Qualified Contractors Evaluation Checklist are based on safety principles that owners should evaluate to ensure they are hiring qualified contractors who measure up against a core set of criteria.
Conclusion
The economy has left many contractors struggling to stay afloat. When faced with the need to tighten budgets and redu
ce costs, safety and work quality can suffer. While it’s important to complete projects within budget parameters, price should never compromise the safety of tower technicians and ultimately, the quality of work. It’s about hiring the companies willing to commit to doing the right thing, like taking safety precautions and doing the job right the first time.
The demand for 4G presents great opportunities for carriers, consumers and tower erector contractors. With competition heating up beyond what many thought possible, it’s more important than ever for carriers to only hire qualified contractors to perform work on their sites. Their smartphone customers will reward them for it, their budgets rely on it and the lives of tower technicians building out 4G today and 5G tomorrow depend on it.
Patrick Howey is the Executive Director of the National Association of Tower Erectors. You may contact Howey directly at: Patrick@natehome.com with any questions you may have about NATE.
