Residing at the base of every cell tower is equipment that is critical to the cellular network. That equipment is exposed to extreme weather elements on a daily basis. Tower site enclosure solutions from Charles Industries, LLC, offer all-season protection for high-density installations of network equipment. These equipment refuges also allow for easier management and maintenance of the cables by technicians. This accessibility reduces the risk of downtime, ensuring that network infrastructure stays up and running efficiently.
Charles Industries is a “great American success story” made successful by Joseph T. Charles, founder and entrepreneur, who started his business out of his Mt. Prospect, Illinois basement in 1968. He is the developer and patent holder for single-entry load coils, a device used to improve voice quality and reduce noise for the telephone industry. This eventually became the standard for telephone service providers’ copper plants throughout the world.
Charles was acquired by Amphenol in 2019, which resulted in tremendous growth for both companies. Charles now has access to Amphenol’s extensive network and resources, which include a global network of manufacturing facilities and a large customer base. As a result, Charles has expanded its product offerings and entered new markets, achieving a stronger presence in the telecom industry.
Enclosures Have Evolved to Meet Carrier Needs
Advancements in technology have led to ongoing changes for the equipment that Charles encloses, with a focus on higher density, greater power, and tighter thermal requirements. As technology continues to evolve, these requirements are constantly being refined and improved to meet the demands of modern industries.
Charles offers several enclosure products for the telecom industry, including Charles CUBE Enclosures, Concealment Shrouds, CFRS Fiber Rack Solutions, CPAD Mounting, Platforms and CFIT Fiber Interconnects. “The solutions are designed for all types of wireless applications, including backhaul, in-building, macro site, small cell, DAS, site support and adjuncts for space-exhausted cabinet installations,” explains Dominic Imbrogno, VP of Operations at Charles Industries. “Pad mount equipment cabinets are ideally suited for macro cell site and centralized radio access network (CRAN) applications. Its walk-in cabinets (WIC) are protective walk-in enclosures for housing an integrated system of electronic components and equipment that can serve fiber and copper interfaces.”
Battery Backup Enclosures
Battery technology has advanced tremendously, leading to the development of different types of enclosure designs to accommodate different characteristics and safety requirements for these batteries.
Power requirements at various sites have also increased, which has driven the need for enhanced cable management to handle higher counts of larger gauge cables. To address these challenges, Charles works closely with its customers to review and develop optimal solutions.
4G and 5G Equipment
5G equipment is small in profile and does not require separate connected antennas, thereby reducing the need for concealment. Nevertheless, there are still cases where concealment solutions are necessary, and Charles has been working to develop innovative enclosure solutions to meet these needs. The solutions are designed to optimize space, provide effective thermal management, and support battery backups to ensure the reliability and durability of the 5G network infrastructures.
Edge Compute Creates a New Need for Enclosures
“Charles provides a diverse set of enclosure solutions that are scalable from small to very large, making Charles an ideal partner for the dynamic edge compute marketplace,” said Minesh Patel, VP of Product Management and Engineering at Charles. With over 55 years of experience as a successful enclosure company, Charles has a large portfolio of enclosures that can support both “walk-in” as well as “walk-up” enclosures.
Its flexibility allows them to meet the diverse challenges of Edge Compute applications. “The challenges of providing reliable and secure enclosures in these environments are significant, requiring careful design for thermal management, structural integrity, and cost optimization,” Patel explained.
FTTX Creates More Enclosure Needs
With fiber optic deployment growing rapidly, Charles has added a full complement of fiber hubs, housings, sealed closures, pedestals, and terminal housings for all types of fiber deployments. These enclosures are designed to protect fiber equipment in below-grade enclosures, above ground (i.e., pedestals, cabinets, etc.), or in aerial implementations, in addition to solutions for fiber distribution hubs, fiber splice enclosures, optical network terminals, and fiber management systems.
Even EV Charging Stations Need Enclosures
With the expected rapid growth of electric vehicles (EV), Charles has expanded its focus to reliable and economical enclosure solutions for EV Charging Stations, such as the WIC, CUBE Modular cabinet series, CUBE PM series, and CPAD.
About Amphenol Charles Industries
With over 55 years of experience, Charles Industries, led by General Manager Cristina Cristea, has been providing innovative enclosure solutions for telecommunications, wireless, broadband, utility, EVC, Edge Compute, and municipality markets. It has expanded and established itself as the industry leader in both passive and active enclosure solutions, according to the company. As telecom equipment evolves, Charles continues to innovate to meet challenges of maintaining the smallest possible footprint for keeping costs low, particularly in applications that require deployment of multiple enclosures. With the support of Amphenol and the leadership of CEO Adam Norwitt, Charles has endless potential to continue its growth and success in the industry for years to come.
For more information, go to www.charlesindustries.com, email [email protected] or call (847) 806-6300.
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