As cellular and wireless networks become more integrated indoors, network architects are designing systems that can work together, and recruiters are looking for engineers and installers who have skill sets in both areas.
American Tower is hiring distributed antenna system RF optimization engineers to maintain Wi-Fi networks as well as distributed antenna systems and small cells. The job description calls for individuals who can troubleshoot Wi-Fi network issues that are reported by alarms, outage reports or customer complaints.
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AT&T lists 3GPP and Wi-Fi as the top two wireless standards that will be used by a principal technical architect the company is hiring for Cricket Wireless’ enterprise operations. AT&T acquired the Cricket brand when it bought Leap Wireless last year.
Lightbridge Communications, which calls itself the largest independent telecom services company in the world, is hiring Wi-Fi systems engineers for Comcast, and has recently hired RF engineer David O’Hanlon to manage a major project for C Spire at The University of Mississippi’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“I’ve actually gotten certified on Xirrus,” said O’Hanlon, adding that he’s been on the “macro/DAS/small cells side of the house” since 1996. He received certification to work with Xirrus Wi-Fi equipment in response to a request from C Spire.
“I’m managing a system that is on the air and a system that is being built,” O’Hanlon said. “The system that is on the air is in the Ole Miss Stadium and they’ve got in excess of 800 [access points].” The stadium is adding new box seats and this has required some demolition.
“They’re doing renovation [so] we have to remove the Xirrus equipment and then reinstall it,” said O’Hanlon. “At the same time they’re building a new arena next door so I’ll be doing project management to install a new system of a little more than 300 APs.”
O’Hanlon thinks Wi-Fi certification is a smart move for RF engineers, but said that most of the engineers he knows have not done it yet.
“I think if they don’t, that they will not be as valuable in the future,” he said. “I believe that Wi-Fi will integrate into the fourth layer of wireless. Within the next few years it will be a necessity. It is so cost-effective.”
For more on carrier-grade Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi offloading, read the complimentary RCR Wireless feature report and watch the on-demand webinar featuring Republic Wireless, InterDigital Communications, Ixia and Senza Fili Consulting.
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