From customized steel fabrication, welding and painting, to small cell design, installation, commissioning and integration, Fulton Technologies offers a long list of turnkey wireless infrastructure services. As the demand for coverage and capacity grows exponentially, so too does the need for their temporary tower solutions.
FULTON began engineering temporary towers thirteen years ago, according to Michael Hay, Senior Project Manager, who has been with the company for eleven of those years. FULTON originally purchased a PiRod® 24’ model for deployment. That was just the beginning. Next, they began engineering their own base frames. “Our proprietary design continued to progress as the demand for this type of application increased,” he says.
FULTON Technologies handles all facets of the temporary tower process including rapid deployment, engineering, site acquisition, permitting, decom, custom fabrication, transfer and re-install services.
FULTON offers two types of towers, according to Hay. The ballast frame tower leverages a frame design and concrete ballast blocks for counterweight. FULTON uses 24 ballast blocks, totaling 90,000 pounds, allowing for a 100-120’ monopole with “reasonable loading.”
The direct bury structure accommodates towers up to 160’ and requires more leg work. After meticulously reviewing a geo report outlining soil classifications, holes are drilled, up to 5-6’ in diameter and up to 24-25’ in depth. A direct bury stub is placed into the ground with a flange, so a monopole can be bolted in.
FULTON specializes in public events and municipality water tank work. While FULTON’s special event resume boasts big names including Lollapalooza and PGA, they also cater to smaller-scale gatherings like regional fairs.
Most recently, FULTON helped Milwaukee prep for the Democratic National Convention. With 50,000 expected attendees, network reliability is at risk which is a threat to public safety. FULTON created ‘north’ and ‘south’ temporary tower sites and solved for multiple challenges.
On the south site, “The customer provided several large antennas that were not able to be mounted on a typical monopole tower.” Fulton was able to fabricate and install a unique support structure, provided by the customer, and then mounted each of the cumbersome antennas.
On the north site, space was restricted. “Mounting all of the antennas would have required two poles within a tight footprint. We couldn’t get more space.” As a result FULTON designed, built and obtained the necessary engineering approvals for a custom tower. “It’s the most unique tower we’ve ever created and it was a huge success.”
Water tank work is also imperative. FULTON transfers cellular antennas off the municipalities’ structures and onto a temporary tower while the water tank is being painted. While it may seem simple, if mishandled, the ramifications can be dire. “We keep up the 911 and first responder service for the town when the water tank maintenance is being done,” explains Hay. “That’s highly critical and sensitive.”
What’s next? More complex technology means more complex deployments. “Antennas and equipment have become larger, so the temporary towers seen just five to ten years ago, were small, utilizing a crank up tower. You don’t notice it because it’s not a huge visual impact.” More loading requires a heavier tower, “which is where we come in.”
FULTON’s solutions boost coverage and capacity but what truly sets them apart? “Our turnaround time,” explains Hay. While there are multitude of variables that determine the rollout time — how many carriers are deploying, how many platforms are needed – FULTON can complete both ballast and direct bury tower installations in under a week nationwide.
FULTON Technologies is wholly owned by ADDvantage Technologies Group and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
For more information or to contact a representative, visit http://www.FultonTechInc.com
To become a subcontractor of FULTON, visit https://fulton.prosysvms.com
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