The telecommunications industry is thriving like never before. Equally, however, the challenges associated with its operation and growth are enormous. For example, managing vast and complex remote infrastructure in hard-to-reach and dangerous terrain is a real challenge. Even more difficult is the need for carriers to keep their network equipment healthy and secure amidst these obstacles. Comprehensive real-time surveillance is therefore required, and the only way to achieve this at the moment is to switch to drone-based solutions.
Inspection of conventional communication towers
Using boom trucks or climbing to the top of towers in difficult terrain can compromise tower performance and endanger human safety. Then, to keep track of the equipment installed on the tower, inspectors typically manually count the installed assets. And even after heavy physical labor and danger, traditional inspection methods reduce visibility, making it difficult to comprehensively inspect assets. As a result, operators lack a complete record of tower-mounted assets and more insight into whether the tower can accommodate new equipment. But this dilemma lived only briefly until drones became a reality.
Inspection of communication towers using drones
PwC estimates the overall market value of drone-powered solutions in the telecom sector at nearly $20 billion. This number is increasing as drones make tower inspection operations safer, more efficient, more accurate and much more cost-effective compared to traditional practices. Therefore, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) itself has a subcommittee called TIA Drones Ad Hoc. The association proves that the tower industry continues to see increasing adoption of he UAS projects.
Data acquisition automation
Capture HD video and images of communication towers
Live stream captured data as needed
Significantly reduce costs and time
Safely assess the condition and orientation of tower components
Inspect towers at a safe distance while they are functioning
Acquire highly accurate and reliable data
Paving the way for predictive maintenance
Traditional methods cannot assess asset efficiency. By the time traditional inspections are complete, even minor problems can become major problems. Predictive maintenance is another key advantage that drone-based communication inspection offers. It has the added benefit of taking precautions.
Drones fly around telecommunications towers, capturing high-definition images and 4K video in minutes and transmitting them to carrier networks automatically or after post-processing, depending on the client’s requirements. Drone flights provide reliable data points. Additionally, 3D virtual reconstructions, commonly known as digital twins, can be leveraged from these datasets. This digital twin provides end-to-end visibility of your entire tower infrastructure from the comfort of your office or home, allowing you to accurately inventory station equipment, measure antenna tilt, identify rust, and plan tower maintenance remotely. and so on. Software solutions such as PIX4Dscan can also be used to automate cell tower inspection. Reportedly reducing field time and operating costs by 75%, increasing profitability and keeping inspectors safe. With proper flight planning, automatic data capture, and smart data processing systems, drones can fully automate telecom inspections.
Did you know that Rakuten Mobile Network has been using drone operations to inspect base station sites since deploying the world’s first virtualized mobile network? It saves us a lot of time and allows us to offer mobile plans at less than half the price of our competitors.
Why should you hire a drone expert?
Drone-based solutions are setting new standards in the telecom sector. But the truth is, drone inspections aren’t for everyone. For example, telecom towers emit radio waves that interfere with the drone’s internal systems, making it very difficult to fly. An amateur his pilot risks crashing a drone and damaging an important tower. Worse, if the tower is in an urban area, the damage may extend beyond just the tower. You can’t have a consumer drone without proper interference protection and a redundant system for telecom tower inspection. Drones used in missions must withstand some degree of interference, and multiple powerful sensors are required to obtain a comprehensive report of telecom towers.
For the aforementioned reasons, we always recommend partnering with a drone service provider that has strong domain expertise that can provide accurate results.
Deliverables from a drone-assisted telecom tower inspection
HD visual data (photos and video) of the communication tower
HD geotagged inspection asset images
3D point cloud model
Thermal scan to identify energy loss
Historical Preservation Mapping and Modeling
Summary of Telecom Tower Ratings for Individual Towers
Telecom Tower Comprehensive Report
Our clients also have access to data collected in reporting and analysis platforms such as Vertikaliti, Inspector 2, etc. for optimal data interpretation.
FEDS Inspection of Telecommunications Towers
Are you looking forward to inspecting the communication towers? Team FEDS is the first and only drone service provider in the Middle East to be ISO 21384-3:2019 certified, the first international standard specifically for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Contact us to find out how FEDS can help.
