Composite Small Cell Lowers Cost, Increases Speed of 5G Buildout

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Sometimes you need to turn something on its head to see something new. At least, that was how Pete Chase, CEO of EasyStreet Systems, got the inspiration that eventually led to the development of a composite small cell tower.

About two and a half years ago, Chase reached out to Kent Harrison to discuss a local polyurethane coatings company startup that was seeking applications for its product in the telecom space. The two explored options like using the insulating material to waterproof connections, but the “aha” moment came when Chase was looking at a pipe insulation cover, turned it on its end and said, “This could be a tower!”

After testing, the polyurethane didn’t have the properties needed for a tower, but the seed had been planted. After further testing, Chase and Harrison opted for composite pultrusion, which converts reinforced fibers and liquid resin into a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) via a pulling method.

In 2019, Chase and Harrison, who had previously worked together for Purcell Systems, a telecom enclosure company, formed EasyStreet Systems in Spokane, WA. 

Harrison, EasyStreet’s CTO, has 40 years of experience implementing wireless and wireline networks for AT&T Mobility. He knows firsthand the tight budgets carriers operate under and how a lightweight pole could save time and money. “At AT&T, I was always looking for cost-cutting measures so I could maximize the number of towers I could build,” Harrison explained. “At EasyStreet, we started thinking about how lightweight this can really be and how it affects the ease of installation. Our small cells are a tenth of the weight of a similar size steel tower, so we can put up a 20- to 40-foot tower with two people and light tools.”

To prove that point, Harrison and Chase got permission and installed the first towers themselves on the Gonzaga University campus. “It took Pete and me two and a half hours to put a pole up, and we did it by ourselves,” Harrison said.

This technology provides the strength of steel in terms of deflection, load-carrying capacity, and wind-load capacity, at a tenth of the weight of steel. At a time when the cost of civil work is high and the technician labor force is tight, this product lowers the cost and time to deploy each small cell, according to EasyStreet’s field studies. 

It is common, especially with wood and steel, to see deterioration in towers. Because the EasyStreet tower is composite and it is attached to an aluminum base using an adhesive, the threat of corrosion or rust becomes essentially non-existent for the pole and the base connection. Another advantage of the composite construction is small cells are immune to passive intermodulation (PIM) that is caused by the use of disparate metals.

The materials used in EasyStreet’s solution are particularly good in salt air environments and are a huge improvement in sustainability over steel/concrete solutions. Companies seeking to improve sustainable metrics in their supply chain will be impressed by the difference.

For the foundation of the tower, EasyStreet uses a two-part foam that is poured into a hole. Within 30 minutes, the foundation sets and is ready for the tower and equipment – a faster alternative to concrete. The foam also uses non-volatile organic compounds, so it can be shipped anywhere. The company is also exploring foundation applications using a unique single, helical anchor.

Why Small Cells?

Taller macro cell towers demand thicker walls, which would be too expensive for EasyStreet to fabricate with composite materials. The sweet spot for its towers is up to 40 feet tall. Macro cell structures remain best served by monopoles and lattice towers.

This opens the market for users including Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, which have a lot of demand in the 20- to 40-foot space. Another potential market is wireless carriers as they rollout fixed wireless access to the home. Harrison and Chase are keeping an eye on the deployment of Verizon Home in Spokane, which is using a pole topper that is nearly 9 feet tall and weighs 332 pounds. EasyStreet’s tower design will handle a topper of similar size and weight.

EasyStreet’s poles can be easily deployed in the field. But how do they make it through the municipal zoning and permitting process, which often takes longer than physical deployments? To be more readily accepted by cities, EasyStreet has chosen the colors most often seen in streetscapes: grey, black, white, green, and the silver of stainless steel. Poles can be made aesthetically pleasing through fluting or a custom base covering. The color and texture can be matched to what the city desires, from smooth to glossy, or even textured to look like sandpaper. Also, since construction can be performed by two people with light equipment, the need for traffic control may be eliminated in many cases.

The wireless industry is taking notice of this new design in small cells. The first live EasyStreet small cell has been deployed by AT&T in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, Crown Castle International is testing them, and poles have been shipped to the U.K. and are being tested by Liberty Global and British Telecom. At these test sites, a 70% reduction in site installation cost was quantified.

“We’ve not found one person in the wireless space, be it construction company, carrier, WISP, or radio manufacturer that has not said, ‘Man, that’s a great idea,’” Harrison said.

The wireless industry is still at the beginning of what is expected to be an expensive buildout of hundreds of thousands of small cells for 5G and 6G wireless coverage. EasyStreet endeavors to meet the demand for a lower cost alternative to allow carriers to get a return on investment. “We really fit into that cost curve that operators are dealing with, in a very good way,” Harrison said. “It appears that our timing is right on target.”

EasyStreet Systems will be at booth 226 at Connect(X) to exhibit its 10-foot composite small cell tower. Stop by and see for yourself how lightweight their towers really are.

You can also visit their website, find them on Twitter, or on LinkedIn.

 

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

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