Electrical Surge Protection: June 2022

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Cell Site Surge Protection Systems

The telecommunications industry is invaluable to nearly everyone in our modern and connected society. Over the years, telecom companies have attempted to compete in the market, only to be swallowed up or purchased by the major corporations. This has eventually led to an industry dominated by several prominent players who build and control their networks. All the remaining cell providers use the networks created and maintained by the majors. These networks essentially interconnect nearly everyone in the United States and feature a connection point to most people in major metropolitan areas. This is accomplished through the presentation of towers every few miles to every few hundred feet within these regions, needing to be within a short distance to devices on the ground to provide basic connectivity. Enhanced speeds and clear signals are dictated by the strength of the tower signals, communications equipment used, and proximity to the user. As the speed of connectivity increases, the expenses associated with deploying and maintaining that tower or installation are also increased. This increased cost must be paid for by the consumers subscribed to the service, consumers who have proven that they are not happy with increasing prices. As a result, alternative methods of reducing prices must be developed, the most obvious being the reduction of operational costs. One of the main methods of accomplishing this goal is the integration of surge protection devices for cell sites installed at critical pathways within the system.

Surge protection is one of the most critical aspects of telecommunications, as the expensive equipment necessary for the process is positioned in harm's way to achieve the connectivity needed for users' devices. Within each tower or installation resides thousands of dollars’ worth of radios and associated equipment, all of which are subject to damage that can occur from various methods. One of the most common damage threats is lightning strikes to or around that equipment, resulting in a chain reaction of destruction with several dire implications. The first and most apparent is the need for repair or replacement of that equipment at a cost to the operational budget of the network provider. The second implication is the potential consumer dissatisfaction while that equipment is offline.

For this reason, robust Class I surge protection devices must be implemented on cell sites to reduce the damage that typically occurs from a lightning strike. The power surge that follows these strikes travels along with the wiring that interconnects the devices necessary to the process, ultimately damaging both the devices at the strike point and those connected to it. Surge protection devices installed along the pathways this power surge can travel will reduce the amount of damage beyond the point of the strike, keeping equipment intact and towers functioning. This in turn keeps customers happy and loyal to the provider.

Driving Down Costs With Surge Protection

One of the most obvious ways to reduce the charges that customers must cover to remain profitable is to extend the life span of equipment. This means that when a piece of equipment is placed into service in any industry, it will have an operational life span that is relatively predictable. This measurement is not necessarily based on the expected life span that the manufacturer predicts, considering the wear and tear of normal operations. Instead, each industry must create their own expectations based on the ways that the equipment is used, and the environment it is used in. For example, the radios and transmitters used in the telecommunications industry atop cell towers will have an expected life span that considers normal wear and tear. However, when communication companies consider the equipment's longevity, they must also assess the risks from lightning surges. These threats produce damage that can both not be and can be avoided. Effective protection of cell sites in exposed regions must consider an entire suite of potential destructive elements. For example, lightning strikes to the tower or anywhere around it can allow a massive power surge to couple into the structure itself and the cables and wires that join equipment together. To function properly this equipment is interconnected in order to enable normal power flow to be supplied and for data to travel from component to component. These pathways are also used by the resulting power surge that comes from a lightning strike to move electricity from the strike point to adjacent structures. These induced surges can overwhelm any piece of equipment in their pathway. The result is damage to equipment that is potentially far from the strike point itself and a loss of functionality within that equipment chain. This results in customers not being able to connect to that tower and the need for repair and replacement of that equipment before its time.

Cost reduction in the telecommunications industry is necessary to keep customer prices low while still evolving to the latest technologies to remain competitive. The equipment in any tower costs thousands of dollars, which is only increasing as new technology is rolled out. In order to maintain the lower prices that consumers demand, telecom companies have needed to integrate surge protection equipment into the systems so as to avoid the lightning strike and surge threat. Through the redundant installation of devices along all pathways a surge can travel, we find that costs can be reduced over time. Extending the expected life span of equipment in the field is the best method for companies to remain competitive in the current telecom market. Ultimately, the evolution of even better surge protection devices and systems will further that cause. Saving capital expenditures through equipment protection is an essential part of the future network.

Surge Protection Is Critical For Telecom

The telecommunications industry is unique for a few reasons. The most obvious is that most people need a cell phone connected to a high-speed network to accomplish most of the tasks on their plate. Additional unique aspects of the industry are that the equipment utilized to make that connection of the customer phone to the persons or websites on the other end is all at risk 24 hours a day. The extreme expense that the major providers undertake to facilitate the most competitive customer satisfaction situation is constantly in need of repair and maintenance, as well as growing more obsolete every minute it is in use. Technological developments make the latest and greatest features only relevant for a few years afterward they need to be replaced or risk their customers moving to a competitor. As the transition to 5G started, there were already rumblings of the next iteration of high-speed data transfer that would replace it. This means that all the investment into 5G equipment being positioned in the field will also need to support the next-level networks within a few years. Even during that time when it is not obsolete, the positioning of equipment out in the field constantly puts it at risk from lightning strikes and the resultant surges that will damage or destroy the electronic circuitry inside the cell sites. This constant need for ongoing maintenance and replacement makes the operation of these networks very expensive, with the costs needing to be paid by customers in order to maintain profitability.

For cell network providers to make money without continually raising fees, they have turned to the conservation of the maintenance budget to bring down monthly operational expenses. This focus means they are exploring new ways to extend the life span of the equipment positioned in the field, trying to get every possible minute out of a component before it needs to be removed or replaced with a new version. The longer a component can functionally perform a relevant task, the more money is saved in the budget. Because lightning strikes cause power surges that damage equipment used in the process, the main push for life span extension methods is surge protection equipment. These devices are mounted along the pathways that power surges travel within the cell towers when a lightning strike happens, attempting to stop the surge before it encounters the next piece of sensitive equipment. As the technology behind surge protection devices themselves progresses, we are finding that cell network providers can get longer functionality periods out of the equipment costs already invested. The towers themselves also stay online for more extended periods. This is the one two punch that helps networks remain competitive, provide the latest and most significant services that lure new customers, and retain the ones that they currently have. The best surge protection systems equal the most customer loyalty, and the most profits.

Surge Protection Devices In Cell Towers

Most people using cellular devices do not think much about the technology that goes into making calls and connecting to the internet. They probably think even less about the extreme challenges that the industry faces to make that convenience happen, all the while doing it affordably. For your cell phone to connect a call or retrieve information from the internet, it must connect to the network with which a consumer is registered and contracted. That network equipment is positioned everywhere. A cell tower operating on the average speed technology will be able to serve people for about a mile around it, and the installations that provide higher speeds can only provide service to people with devices within a few hundred feet. Each of these installations has tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, ranging from receivers to transmission devices that relay that signal and data back to the network hub. All this equipment is placed into a pole or installation that is generally higher in position to most other things around it to give a clear signal to the devices on the ground. Being positioned at such height makes them prime targets for lightning strikes, lightning generally seeking the path of least resistance to the ground. When lightning strikes a cell tower, it damages at the point it hits in the form of fire and explosion, but the damage does not stop there. A massive power surge then follows, traveling along conductive surfaces and materials within the tower. This surge will often couple into the power and data transfer lines that interconnect the equipment within that installation, overwhelming and damaging the circuitry of components even great distances from the strike point. These dangers illustrate the extreme amount of installation costs as far as equipment necessary to connect calls but also the amount of cost that goes into upkeep. Any time a component is damaged, it will need to be repaired or replaced before the tower will regain full functionality. This costs the company operating the network as far as equipment but also costs them in the form of potentially lost customers. Patrons who cannot connect to the cell tower near them because it is damaged are forced to rely on the weaker signals of towers further away, reducing their ability to have the experience they expect. All of these issues must be solved in a way that does not increase the customers' monthly bills.

To keep monthly bills low cell network operators rely on surge protection devices installed within their towers and installations. These devices can stop surging electricity and prevent it from coming into contact with equipment downstream. Through this investment, most of the equipment in a tower or installation can be salvaged after a lightning strike, ultimately keeping that tower functioning longer for less money. That translates to a happy customer and a strong signal.

Surge Protection To Save Cell Customers Money

Reducing costs to conserve operational budget is nothing new, and most companies will engage in some form of it. The more competitive the industry, the more attention will need to be paid to saving money. In a hyper-competitive industry like telecommunications, it can be the difference between success and failure as a company. There are only a handful of telecommunications companies that operate their own networks. The rest are simply leasing space from the leading industry players. The network you are connecting to is the most important thing regarding the quality of your calls or access to the latest technologies that will enhance your experience. This means that when you choose a cell phone carrier, you ultimately choose the network they operate on over the few other available networks. Most people will make that decision because of the reception and data transfer speeds available at their home or place of business. Most calls and internet access occur within only a few miles of the home or business, so the number of towers the provider has positioned in that area is crucial to that user’s experience. The more towers positioned in an area and outfitted with the latest technology, the better experience an end-user will have. The costs associated with accessing that network through the chosen provider will depend on many things. Still, the network operating costs will be the majority of that bill. Simply put, it costs a great deal of money to keep those cell phone towers updated and functional, and you as a consumer are the one paying that bill.

Most cell phone networks invest heavily into surge protection to conserve operational budget. This is because one of the greatest threats to repair and maintenance budgets as well as customer retention rates is lightning strikes. The lightning is attracted to the tower because it stands alone as the tallest structure in the region. It strikes the tower or around it, allowing a massive power surge to travel through the conductive materials and connectivity wires, overwhelming the circuitry of any component that it touches. The way to protect that equipment is to provide a method of stopping the inevitable surge when it happens, limiting the number of components it comes into contact with. The integration of surge protection along these pathways allows the equipment to be salvaged for continued operation for longer periods while also keeping that particular cell tower operational. The outcome is less operational expense and happier customers that stay with the company they have chosen because of satisfaction with the service. If costs can be kept low, they also experience a feeling of “getting their money’s worth,” which retains them for longer as customers. Surge protection may be the most important aspect of cellular operation you are unaware of.