Raycap Realizes Proactivity Pays Off in the World of Wireless Infrastructure

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Raycap is a worldwide manufacturer of products for telecom and industrial applications. “In our North American telecom division, we’re focused on providing mainly infrastructure products for wireless applications including concealment, connectivity, overvoltage protection, and small cell and macro site structures,” says Trey Nemeth, SVP, Small Cell & R/D, Raycap. This includes light poles, mounts, toppers and shrouds.

Small cell is a hot topic, says Nemeth but the macro build is still “very robust, and not just new builds, but also upgrades to existing sites.” Raycap offers products that are involved in the upgrade and optimization process. “It’s still very much the backbone of the network.”

Recently, the majority of small cell requests are for 4G/5G on the same node. However, that’s not always the case. “We still handle a number of 4G-only and we’re starting to see more that are 5G-only,” explains Nemeth. It’s all based on carrier preference and strategy, he says.

Meanwhile, multi-tenant operators are trying to maximize the potential lease space on their assets. “We’re designing poles for example, with multiple elevations of 5G radios, that have radios that support multiple 4G operators as well, in many cases, transmitting through the same antenna.”

Raycap works with carriers, counties and utilities, so there are always several perspectives to weigh. With every new project, comes new specifications. Concealed poles in particular have to balance municipality size requirements, structural capacity, space needed for technology, thermal performance and design parameters.

“We also get into the softer concerns like manufacturability,” says Nemeth. It may look nice on paper, but can it be built, and can it be built on a scale that meets the clients’ needs? What is the ease of installation? These are questions Raycap takes into consideration during its design and development process.

Raycap differentiates itself through a large engineering staff in various disciplines, history and familiarity with an extensive product line, and resources of a large company that allow it to be agile. “A pole that we build in Houston is far different than one we build in Salt Lake City, or New Orleans,” says Nemeth. “In most cases, cities want something they can put their signature on; something that is custom to that specific area. We’re able to participate in projects that have highly customized requirements and relatively small quantities but also stay competitive on large volume projects.”

Take for instance, Arlington County, which is considered the second-largest “principal city” in the Washington D.C. area. Raycap was approached to design a small cell streetlight pole based on the county’s specifications. The scope of the effort quickly grew, requiring the company to satisfy county, local electric utility and all three tier-one wireless carriers’ requests. After nearly a year in the design phase with multiple stakeholders’ input, the design was ready to be realized and a prototype pole was developed for final approvals. Raycap received that approval with its first prototype. “That’s not unusual for us. Our recent small cell pole design for the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting was also approved with its first prototype,” says Nemeth. Ultimately, the customer deployed and activated the poles by the end of the year and may deploy the small cell poles to around 200 sites across Arlington.

Raycap acquired STEALTH® in 2018 and Apelio in 2020. Nemeth was with STEALTH for about 20 years prior to the Raycap acquisition and has seen the evolution of concealment – from 3G fake trees to 5G street furniture. “These two acquisitions enable Raycap to supply an extremely robust catalog of products across different requirements for all cell sites.” STEALTH paved the way for concealment in the industry, according to Nemeth, and Apelio brought manufacturing prowess in shrouds, mounts and other products that were previously outside of Raycap’s portfolio.

A new line of concealment products, InvisiWave® ,“has enabled us to provide products that conceal the mmWave radios,” says Nemeth. Fabricated from a heavy-duty, RF friendly material, it has been thoroughly tested to minimize beamforming impact, from sub 6 GHz frequencies up to 52 GHz bands, making it backward compatible. Raycap developed a test program that would ultimately help it gain product approval by all carriers for mmWave applications. “We’re using that same ‘know-how’ to provide products for upcoming C-band sites.” These types of deployments are ongoing and forthcoming. “We’re taking those head-on and we’re going to continue interfacing with our customers and solving their problems.  Similar to mmWave deployments, the C-Band installations will take the form of both new builds and retrofits or additions to existing sites; either way, the concealment material for concealed sites has to be carefully considered and carrier-approved,” says Nemeth.

An often-overlooked issue: power management and protection systems. While it may not be top of mind when it comes to 5G small cell sites, it can have a significant impact on installation and aesthetics. To provide reliable power to multiple 4G and 5G radios, every site needs a power connection, meter, AC disconnect and load center-mounted on the streetlight pole (or other surface). The typical power meter products are not wireless-industry specific and “space is at a super-premium,” according to Nemeth. One strategy is to combine different products that are already in the pole.

Raycap’s Combination Meter/Disconnect enclosure “was sized specifically to fit into a concealment pole,” explains Nemeth. “This helped us save space vertically because everything is integrated in the same cabinet, but also enabled us to design the cabinet itself with a form factor that was more appropriate for fitting into a small cell pole.” This, he says, results in a more visually pleasing pole since the meter can be installed in the interior of the pole without dramatically increasing the size. Plus, it ensures consistent quality and safety.  The same assembly can be mounted in a “sleek exterior enclosure” added to existing wooden and steel poles, “eliminating clutter in pole-mounted wireless sites,” according to Nemeth.

Raycap’s nimble nature isn’t limited to products. It’s reflected in its culture and customer service. When COVID hit, Nemeth says, “We had to adapt, and we invested in technology to facilitate virtual tours,” says Nemeth. The company is now hosting digital visits to its facilities to audiences of fifty to over one hundred people.

For more information about Raycap, visit here.

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