Cell Tower News: NATE Unite focuses on safety, looks to future

Safety and skill diversification the focus of this year’s conference

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – The National Association of Tower Erectors‘ NATE Unite 2016 conference wrapped up this week in New Orleans with a continued focus on safety but also an eye toward the future. One of the first largely attended events of the conference was a welcome luncheon/brainstorming session. The goal was to get feedback from NATE members in order to improve NATE and NATE Unite in the future.

While some of it was constructive nuts and bolts, near the end it got a little intense when someone asked why the conference had keynote speakers such as Sarah Palin and this year’s guest, New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Peyton. Some felt this could be put to better use with someone within the tower industry, but NATE officials argued guests like this raise more general public awareness of its conference, which in turn amplifies its message of safety to a wider audience than it would be able to otherwise.

Another concern came from a member who felt that their voice wasn’t heard as much in the organization, and it was pointed out that events such as this are for exactly that, plus a reminder that NATE dues or not compulsory, so members cannot say there is taxation without representation.

Safety was of course a primary concern, with discussions centered around the newly created National Wireless Safety Alliance, with key members of the NWSA organization giving an insightful panel explaining its purpose, and how it will lead to safety sites and less climber injuries thanks to standardized training. This includes a card climbers can carry that assures employers of their level of training.

Here’s that entire panel so you can learn all about the NWSA:

One would expect safety to be a big focus, but in addition to that and the typical climber training seminars, the conference held more high-level, future-facing panels. This included discussions about the future of the wireless industry; “5G” speculation from the guys who would be responsible for eventual deployment; how the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction will impact the tower industry; and discussion of how drones can make the tower industry safer and more data driven.

The important takeaway from these discussions is how none of this will make the climber obsolete, rather it will allow climbers to perform more precision, mission-based climbs instead of speculative climbs to “see what’s going on.” Climbers of the future will also have a diversified skill set, not only being trained on how to do macro tower work, but also how to do small cell and distributed antenna deployments. Todd Schlekeway, executive director for NATE elaborated on this point:

Overall, the NATE Unite 2016 conference looked to be a success. For more information on the conference, read this overview of the press-worthy points. Not only did it draw a reported record number of attendees and exhibitors, it also showed NATE as an organization is capable of being agile in an ever-changing industry. Rather than just keep NATE members and attendees up to speed on what’s going, NATE said it was determined to keep its eye toward the future. With panels on 5G, drones and the future of the industry, NATE showed it was adapting and making a concerted effort to prepare its members for the future.