Sevana: Top 3 Wireless Infrastructure Service Company Trends

What are the top 3 trends in the wireless infrastructure service company sector? Check out this week’s episode of Inside Telecom Careers featuring Martha DeGrasse, Editor for RCR Wireless News, who recently published a report on wireless infrastructure service company trends.

This episode of Inside Telecom Careers is sponsored by Nexius: Accelerating Network and Business Transformation

Upcoming Programs:

Tracy Nolan, Sprint President for Midwest Region, will join RCR Wireless News next week on Inside Telecom Careers. Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 10:00 central time.

Bob Metcalfe, Inventor of Ethernet, will be joining Sean Kinney, Managing Editor for RCR Wireless News, for a live broadcast discussion on the future of ethernet technology in IoT, connected cars and small cell networks. Register to watch complimentary broadcast or stop by the RCRatx Studio Lounge located in East Austin, TX, just minutes from downtown. Monday, September 21, 2015 at noon central time.

Top 3 Wireless Infrastructure Service Company Takeaways

CAPEX investments dipped in 2015: According to Martha DeGrasse, editor for RCR Wireless News, 2015 has been a challenging year for the wireless infrastructure company sector. This trend has been driven largely by:
- AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless completing the bulk of their LTE macro deployments during 2013 and 2014
- AT&T’s recent allocation of capital to the DirectTV, Iusacell and Nextel Mexico acquisitions
- delays in small cell network densification deployments due to technology, pole attachment lease cost and scalable deployment processes

Improving network densification economics: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have been diligently preparing to densify their networks by:
- testing various technology configurations that include base station hotels and multi-band radio technologies
- buying metro dark fiber capable of connecting base station hotels to in-building DAS systems, outdoor DAS systems, and small cell networks that include Wi-Fi
- negotiating economical pole attachment agreements with municipalities directly or via third party, neutral host providers
- streamlining site acquisition, design, construction, test and acceptance process

Wireless infrastructure service company professionalism: In order to massively and safely scale small cell deployments, mobile operators need partners, personnel, technologies and repeatable processes that will scale. Given the challenging economics associated with small cell deployments, carriers will require near flawless execution. Examples of the wireless infrastructure service company industry “growing-up” include:
- Industry association-led (PCIA And NATE) training and safety programs coupled with Warriors4Wireless and community college career development and apprentice programs.
- Consolidation of service companies that can provide nationwide, turnkey site acquisition and construction services. Examples include Nokia’s acquisition of SAC Wireless; Mastec acquisition of Dynis and WesTower Communications; H&M Networks acquisition of In-Building Wireless, and Goodman Networks acquisition of several regional service companies
- Software driven solutions that streamline and automate process to ensure that field technicians plan, execute and document completed work – the first time, to reduce truck rolls and overall cost of small cell deployment and ongoing operations.
- Plug and play installation and testing technologies. Ericsson, Nokia and Alcatel Lucent all have announced improved mounting technologies to simply installation process. In addition, companies like 3M and JMA Wireless have developed fiber splicing and connector technologies that fundamentally reduce the skill level (and cost) required to install and maintain small cell networks

Industry News Updates

Big week in the device sector: Workforce takeaway – Device companies and the sectors supporting them will continue to see ups and downs in the year to come.
- Samsung appears NOT be be reducing headcount by 10,000. Rather “freezing salaries”
- Apple and Samsung launched new phones. Apple following Samsung’s lead with larger screens and “pencils”.
- Apple taking on carriers by offering phone leasing programs directly to consumers.
- Blackberry purchased Good Technologies. This acquisition less about devices and more about Blackberry serving core base of enterprise customers
- HTC delisted from Tawain Stock Exchange

CommScope continues acquisition spree by announcing the acquisition of Airvana, a small cell and Wi-Fi company. Announcement comes on heels of CommScope’s recent TE Connectivity acquisition.

Nokia announced a gigabit small cell radio during CTIA this week

Sprint announced investing $150 million in Chicago network and plans to hire 1000+ people. It is worth noting that in 2014, Nokia acquired Chicago based, SAC Wireless, and continues to add staff while other wireless infrastructure service companies cut back on hiring. Check out our interview with Don Bach from SAC Wireless week a couple weeks ago, where he discusses the process of designing and building small cell networks.

Ericsson announced during CTIA this week, the acquisition of Envivio, a video compression technology company, to further bolster media and TV offering for mobile operators and over the top broadcasters.