Masts, towers and poles are the essential components of a telecommunication network and account for the majority of investments in the network. Design requirements for these components have changed over time, from heavy constructed frameworks to optimised structures. As customers demand more cost-efficient solutions, there is a need to explore technological solutions to improve the capabilities of the existing structures. Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) telecom towers and portable masts/towers are two such innovations that offer several advantages over the current deployments.

FRP towers

FRP is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The reinforcing fibres form the primary structure of the material while the polymer protects the structure from the operating environment. Telecom towers made of FRP have the following advantages:

  • They are significantly lighter than other telecom towers. This results in lower costs for tower transporting, lifting and installing, thus making them the most suitable for rooftop telecom sites.
  • They exhibit exceptionally high impact strength, which reduces the potential for damage. There is no permanent deformation under high stress.
  • FRP has low thermal conductivity, which reduces installation thickness and eliminates condensation problems. It also reduces operational energy requirements.
  • These towers are not affected by exposure to a wide variety of corrosive chemicals. This ensures minimum maintenance costs and longer life.
  • The dielectric property of FRP helps predict insulation values for a wide range of frequencies.

So far, no FRP tower installations have been made in India and the technology is currently being validated.

Portable mast/tower systems

Going forward, more data is expected to be consumed outdoors ow­ing to the rising use of smartphones. There­­fore, in order to provide seamless wireless connectivity to consumers outdoors, there is a need to deploy portable mast/tower systems.

Apart from enhancing wireless signals during congestion, portable towers perform several other functions. For instance, they can be used as an interim deployment till a permanent tower is installed, as acquiring land for smaller periods is easier as compared to permanent land acquisition. They can also be used as a standby in the event of repairs of the existing infrastructure. In addition, they can be deploy­ed at temporary sites established for specific events, shows, campaigns, festivals, etc. They can also be used as an emergency network set-up during disasters.

Portable tower systems have several benefits over ground-mounted structures. For one, as the name suggests, they can be easily transported to different sites and be installed quickly. They can also be deployed in the smallest possible area because of their minuscule footprint, thereby enabling re-mapping of networks. Further, they are able to overcome objections from resident welfare associations. They are user-friendly and have a life of around 25 years.

Going forward, there is a need to further evolve the structure of the existing portable masts and towers to make them more versatile. For instance, they can be customised to provide lighting and surveillance, and be made lighter so as to mount them on rooftops. They also need to be secured from pilferage, theft, sabotage and vandalism and should be made more aesthetic. Finally, the use of bio-degradable materials should be encouraged for the manufacture of these structures. s

Based on presentations by Ashok Dube, Chief Executive Officer, Composite Division, Arvind Limited; and Atul Kotkar, Director, Business and Operations, Kotkar Energy Dynamics