Site Acquisition
Site Acquisition Services available from SIAE UK
Site Acquisition is a critical part of a process often referred to as ADC - Acquire, Design, Construct)
The Site Acquisition process is critical to the timely and optimised installation of a Wide Area Network. Rather than having to dig up roads, pavements and car parks for laying of cables, wireless networks achieve their connections by 'hopping' through the air. Each time they alight at a mid-point is the only time they touch real estate and it is at this point that land owners must be identified and legal agreements called 'Site Shares' negotiated and signed off.
These ' touch-down' points for network trunk backbones most often take the form of existing telecommunications towers, and these are mostly owned by a relatively small number of specialist Site Vendors, or by the Local Authorities, Police, Fire and Ambulance Services.
(We note, in passing, that each time a wireless network links to a physical structure, such as a mast, or multi-storey towerblock, a Point of Presence is created. This has huge implications in the flexibility and future growth potential of networks when compared to fibre systems, since breaking into a fibre downstream from an installation is incredibly expensive in relative terms.)
Site Vendors usually fall into one of the following categories:-
- Those which sell space on a commercial basis to locate radio-link equipment on only their own masts or buildings – typically small private vendors
- Those which sell space on a commercial basis to locate broadcast or radio-link equipment on masts or buildings for which they either own themselves , or have negotiated a lease for – typically very large multi-national companies, e.g. Arqiva and National Grid Wireless (NTL and CCI as was)
- Public sector radio sites, developed for their own radio-link use, but which are also available for commercial rental, e.g. National Air Traffic Service, County Councils, Police, Fire Brigades etc.
- Commercial sites, developed for their own commercial use, but which under government legislation must be made available for general use (to minimise mast proliferation), e.g. mobile phone operators masts.
Site Acquisition Processes
The process of application requires capture of full data for the proposed deployments, and these applications must be made at the very earliest opportunity post LOS survey to minimise risks to project timescales. Regular progress chasing and issue resolution (with on-going requests for clarifications and further information) is a feature of gaining site shares, and is a highly labour-intensive and time-consuming process.
Acquiring a mast site for use takes a finite period of time because there are due processes to be completed, some of which are necessarily sequential. In fact with reductions in equipment manufacturing times, improvements in interfacing with OfCom, and slicker planning permission appplications processing, it is often the agreement of site shares which becomes the programme driver. This is the reason why SIAE UK staff work closely with all major 3rd party site venders on a daily basis, but why we acknowledge the need to be pro-active in ensuring the best deal for our customers.
Some of the many considerations involved in Site Acquisition are itemised below. SIAE UK takes these factors (and many others) into account when designing your network and is another reason to come to the experts when your project is at the conceptual stage.
- Mechanical analysis of proposed load on structure
- Geo-analysis of ground conditions
- Radio analysis for co-locational interference
- Preparation and submission of planning applications
- Preparation of contract and contract (and term) negotiations
- Structural CAD drawings
- Design of mounting metalworks
- Fabrication and provision of mounting metalworks
- Installation of mounting metalworks
- Provision of rack-space and power in equipment cabin
- Considerations of electrical power
- Site Access arrangements
- Site Supervision (where necessary).
Contact SIAE UK
If you are considering replacing, modernising, or building new network infrastructure, we strongly recommend an early approach to our pre-sales and account teams in order to access the skill and expertise needed to ensure a holistic approach is taken at the planning stage.
Contact us now for a non-commital discussion about your project and let us explain how we believe we could assist.
