Great cities are marked by distinctive neighborhoods that have grown up over the years, each with their own look. Some are forever identified by the architecture of a certain era. StressCrete Group has been working with a major carrier in a major metropolitan area since the fall of 2019 to develop a small cell pole solution for its 4G/5G network buildout, and faced challenges in satisfying the multiple different pole specifications of various neighborhoods and boroughs.
“With our long-standing relationships with utilities, municipalities, and other stakeholders, through our large install base across North America, we were uniquely positioned to design a solution that meets all the structural requirements, while blending with the aesthetic requirements of the installation site,” said Luke van Vliet, StressCrete Group’s Chief Growth Officer.
StressCrete Group’s engineering and sales teams participated in meetings with municipal officials, contractors and telecom engineers to develop the small cell pole designs and ensure the deployment was as easy as possible for the carrier and its contractors.
“In this city, the look and feel of the neighborhoods change from the urban core of the metropolitan area out to the suburbs, which were developed over the years,” Van Vliet said. “The look of our small cell poles has to follow that evolution.”
StressCrete Group provides a solution that makes sense on both the large scale of the complete area network deployment, while also being flexible enough to account for the intricacies and nuances of the individual pole requirements within the network.
“In order to design the ideal network deployment, we needed to place poles throughout several different municipalities across the larger metropolitan area. StressCrete Group was invaluable to this process,” said Patryk Stelmaszak, Director at Concordia Wireless. “The team at StressCrete Group was familiar with municipal requirements and how to satisfy their particular aesthetic needs, but they also understood how to adapt the pole to accommodate all of our client’s network equipment. The entire process was much smoother, thanks to their knowledge and input.”
As the longest-operating manufacturer of spun concrete poles in North America, StressCrete Group doesn’t have to work too hard to make its small cell poles fit into the cityscape. It is the cityscape in many cities across the continent.
“Carriers will come to us when they run into a concrete pole specification and they want to match it as closely as possible. In our case, we are matching concrete with concrete, not concrete with a metal pole with a concrete finish on it,” Mitch Fasken, Smart Infrastructure Sales, StressCrete Group, said. “With our poles, we’re definitely in the business of blending into the streetscape, helping everyone maintain their streetscape aesthetic.”
Founded in 1953 in Ontario, Canada, StressCrete Group has a long history of manufacturing power distribution poles, substation structures, and traditional and historic outdoor lighting. In 1986, StressCrete Group acquired ornamental luminaire manufacturer King Luminaire Co. Inc., which is based in Jefferson, OH. When wireless carriers began to densify their networks, the company pivoted and made their light poles capable of being small cells.
Today, StressCrete Group produces a line of high-performance LED decorative outdoor lighting fixtures, decorative spun concrete and metal poles, plus pole arms and other accessories. Fasken described the company as a one-stop shop for all the components of light poles and small cell poles.
“We actually have quite literally hundreds of poles of different specifications across North America. We’ve taken our street lighting poles, and we’ve geared them toward the telecom market,” Fasken said. “A 5G pole typically needs a larger tip size, larger diameter, and space in the raceway for fiber and power. It just allows them to keep that look and feel of a streetlight but still be a functional 5G small cell.”
StressCrete Group offers two material options when it comes to small cell pole products: concrete and metal. The spun concrete pole series includes multiple models, each allowing custom, discrete, and seamless integration of 5G small cell technology, regardless of the implementation hardware or carrier. Concrete options include tapered fluted, tapered square, tapered octagonal and tapered round poles, according to Fasken, but StressCrete Group can tailor its products to individual needs.
Because of StressCrete Group’s custom capabilities and flexibility, carriers are confident the company will come as close as possible to matching the existing poles, according to Fasken.
“We’re set up to do everything on a made-to-order basis, because we’re providing a unique solution to every one of our customers,” Fasken said. “Our manufacturing process is variable, and we can do that economically.”
StressCrete Group can also create a full metal light pole solution for the carrier’s small cell equipment. Some of the options include round or fluted poles made from either steel or aluminum. Additional features such as banner arms and flower pot holders can be added. Its small cell poles have been adapted for telecom cabinets and other 5G technology.
With an eye toward closing the homework gap, cities are approaching StressCrete Group to help put WiFi in their neighborhoods as part of the smart cities effort. The company works with them hand-in-hand to come up with their new pole specification to make sure that it is capable of holding their fiber and WiFi nodes, as well as fitting into their neighborhoods.
StressCrete Group is dedicated to finding a solution that pleases all parties, whether it is a WiFi or cellular pole, according to Fasken.
“We know what’s going to satisfy the requirements of the cities from a design perspective, and we’re always willing to help our carrier partners out with their deployment needs,” Fasken said. “There’s room for everyone to win in these public/private partnerships. If the carrier’s happy and the city’s happy, we’re going to be happy, so we’re always willing to do anything to help them out and in any way possible.”
For more information about StressCrete Group, visit: https://www.scgrp.com/.
By J. Sharpe Smith Inside Towers Technology Editor
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