Telecommunications rigging scales new heights

The main reason most telecommunications riggers choose their work is because they enjoy working in the outdoors rather than in an office environment. Their work takes place in an environment where they have to solve problems and use their ingenuity all the time, because no two sites are the same. Added to this is the fact that the whole operation takes place above the heads of everyone else and affords a unique vantage point, with some fantastic views when the weather is kind. And, if they put in the hours, the pay can be excellent.

The sector is generally very buoyant at the moment, with plenty of work on the horizon as it starts 2006 and looks further ahead.

The biggest areas of development within the past couple of years have been in the expansion of private wide area networks (WANs), which are being installed for local authorities and private companies to provide secure digital connectivity over defined geographical areas. WANs are typically used for data and voice transmission, to link offices through phone lines, intranet and broadband Internet. Organisations go down this route for financial reasons. Although set-up costs are substantial they are not prohibitive, so running costs, once operational, are small in comparison to those of leasing phone and data lines. The capacity of such systems is also typically much greater than the comparable phone lines and therefore can cope with the demands of modern computer networks.

Alongside this development, all the major mobile phone operators – except the three who already have one – are putting in place their own connectivity hubs to provide wireless microwave links for their network of base station sites. This is largely driven by the need for much higher bandwidth capacities due to the upgrading of the networks to third-generation (3G) capability, thereby placing much higher demands on the supporting fixed line infrastructure. The cost savings made through not having to lease these lines is another factor.

Therefore the requirement for line-of-sight, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave antenna rigging is significant. The rigging process is relatively straightforward, and this can only be excellent news for newcomers to the industry.

Upgrades to mobile phone networks are also steadily rolling out, with all the major operators aiming to make their networks 3G capable in the next year or so. This has usually required the upgrade of virtually all the existing network sites, which again usually means either the addition of new 3G antennas and associated feeder, steelwork and radio kit, or it may be necessary to replace existing antennas with ones that have both 2/2˝G and 3G capability. This may, in turn, require the replacement or addition of feeder and associated ancillaries.

Other areas of growth are related to the emergency services, which own a significant proportion of the larger towers and masts, many of which have been standing for as long as 40 years. A number have been neglected so the need for maintenance and refurbishment is apparent, particularly as more equipment is added to these structures. Structural re-bracing, painting and replacement of corroded steelwork is becoming a growing area of work. In severe cases the simplest option can be to replace the entire structure with a new one. All this is within the rigger’s remit.

Fire and rescue services also now use the TETRA network, which has been rolled out for UK police authorities during the past five years. This has led to a requirement to provide integration, and optimisation to ensure the secure digital system copes with increased demand. Some of this will lead to a requirement for more infill sites and the repositioning of some transmission equipment to provide better coverage.

The telecommunications rigging industry is a relatively small sector with a large number of small rigging companies and a few larger ones owned by multinationals. Contracts are typically won by a principle contractor who manages the contact for the client, inviting tenders for the work and dividing it up among up to a dozen or more different rigging contractors.

Companies managing roll-outs are invariably huge international organisations with impressive safety records and a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe practice. Therefore, the project management companies facilitating the roll-outs have audited a small number of training providers and approved their training for working at height.

Rigging contractors will employ riggers on a wide range of contracts to suit the circumstances – from salaried employment to hourly rate to job rates, some on a permanent basis and others on a temporary one. Riggers will be expected to have minimum levels of certified access competencies, so proper training is essential.