Mobile cell sites are

infrastructures Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

transportable on trucks, allowing fast and easy installation in restricted spaces. Their use is strategic for the rapid expansion of

cellular network A cellular network or mobile network is a communication network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless. The network is distributed over land areas called "cells", each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver (typically thre ...

s putting into service point-to-point radio connections as well as supporting sudden increases in mobile traffic in the case of extraordinary events (trade fairs, sports events, concerts, emergencies, catastrophic events, etc.). Mobile cell sites are also used by law enforcement organizations to gather intelligence. Mobile cell sites require neither civil works nor foundations, just minimal requirements like commercial power and grounding. The mobile units have been designed to be a temporary solution, but if requested, they can be transformed into permanent stations.

Different kinds of mobile cell sites

There are several different kinds of mobile cell sites, every one of which has different usage characteristics.

Rapid-deployment units (RDU)

RDUs are mobile radio base stations transportable on trucks. Their use is strategic for the rapid expansion of cellular networks. * A rapid deployment flanged pole is a mobile radio base station infrastructure transportable on a truck, allowing fast and easy installation in restricted spaces. The antenna supporting pole, with a climbing ladder up to the summit, is fixed to the main base frame and is composed of cylindrical flanged sections integrated by two or three sets of guys with a standard height of up to 30 meters. The flanged pole mobile station, installable in eight hours, does not require civil work or foundations, and is complete, including lateral ballast concrete weights and a working platform in checkered plate. * A radio station kit is an integrated radio base station RDU in which the equipment housing is a special 20" container equipped to contain, during transportation, all the station infrastructure, assembly accessories, radiant systems, storage batteries, and electrical and radio equipment. It is a structure which can be quickly and easily transported and assembled on site, without the need of civil works or foundations and suitable for any environment. * A rapid deployment compact kitstat is a flanged pole RDU which allows easy and fast erection in narrow sites, without any need of foundation or civil works. The antenna supporting structure, supplied complete with climbing ladder and anchored to the steelwork base frame, is a flanged pole composed of tubular flanged sections with a height of up to 30 m and two or three steel guys. * A quickrawland with polygonal pole is an RDU which allows an easy and fast erection in narrow sites, without any need of foundation or civil works. It is provided with a polygonal pole with a height of up to 30 m; it has a climbing ladder with a rigid anchor line (EN353-1) and a vertical fixing system for feeders and service cables.

Cell on wheels

Cells on wheels (COW), or site on wheels, are telecom infrastructures, placed on trailer approved for road use, towed by heavy goods vehicles for loads of up to 3500 kg. These mobile radio base stations guarantee full operation in just one day and in restricted spaces. COWs provide fully functional service, via vehicles such as trailers, vans and trucks, to areas affected by natural disaster or areas with large user volume, such as major events. The backhaul to the

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

can be via terrestrial

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...

communication satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. C ...

, or existing wired

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

. * Mobile radio base stations with flanged poles are mobile support structures composed of a special trailer with retracting stabilizers approved for road use. The antenna supporting pole, with a climbing ladder up to the summit, is fixed to the main base frame and is composed of cylindrical flanged sections integrated by two or three sets of guys with a standard height of up to 20 meters. The flanged pole mobile station, installable in eight hours, does not require civil work or foundations and is complete with lateral ballast concrete weights and a working platform in checkered plate. * A rapid deployment self-mounting pole is a mobile supporting structure that corresponds to a special two-axle trailer with telescopic stabilizers approved for road traffic. The antenna supporting pole, with a standard height of up to 20 m, is made of aluminium and consists of three telescopic tubular elements. Installation is easy and fast and is carried out with manual winches. * Another RDU is a mobile cell site with a self-mounting pole that can be towed by heavy goods vehicles for loads of up to 7500 kg. The antenna supporting pole, with a standard height of up to 20 m, is made of aluminium and consists of three telescopic tubular elements. Installation is easy, fast and is carried out by means of manual winches. * A mobile station on a trailer is a mobile station with a telescopic mast. They are portable structures, towed by heavy goods vehicles for loads of up to 12000 kg. The antenna supporting pole, with a standard height of up to 30 m, is made of steel and consists of three telescopic tubular elements. Installation is easy, fast and is carried out with manual or electric winches.

Expanded or emergency service

COWs are used to provide expanded cellular network coverage and/or capacity for short-term demands, such as at special events such as major sporting events (

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World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, Rose Bowl), major conventions, or in

disaster A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...

areas where cellular coverage either was minimal, never present (e.g., in a

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

area where

firefighters A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

have set up a

command center A command center (often called a war room) is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose. While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses ...

during a major

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

) or was compromised by the disaster (e.g., in the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

). Following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

on New York City in 2001, 36 cellular COWs were deployed by September 14, 2001 in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

to support the U.S.

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA) and provide critical phone service to rescue and recovery workers. COWs provided cellular service in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally ...

in the aftermath of

Hurricane Charley Hurricane Charley was the first of four separate hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Hurricane Frances, Frances, Hurricane Ivan, Ivan and Hurricane Jeanne, Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to ...

in 2004 when most of the area's stationary cell towers were destroyed. In January 2009, 26 cell-on-wheels units were put in place in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for the inauguration of Barack Obama to handle the millions of extra people and their calls in the city, especially on and near the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

. In January 2017 additional COWs, both temporary, and permanent, have been installed at the National Mall for the

inauguration of Donald Trump The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Donald Trump's term as president and Mike Pence as vice president. An estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the public ceremony hel ...

as well as for future inaugurations and other events due to the steady rise in LTE-based

smartphones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

and other devices in the later half of the 2010s. Many telecommunications companies also use COWs for long-term placement when financing or infrastructure considerations prevent building a permanent site at the location. For instance, a carrier may have approved the placement of a cell site for coverage reasons, but the remaining budget is inadequate to fund the construction for a

fiscal quarter A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ju ...

or even longer. An engineering team may be able to place a COW on location to provide immediate coverage with few costs other than

leasing A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

, and backhaul. The decision to use a COW for an extended period of time may also be driven by the property owner. Installations on government or military facilities may be granted only on a temporary basis and may require the use of non-permanent facilities.

Cell on truck

A cell on truck is a particular kind of mobile cell site that is composed of mobile trucks with a container and with a self-mounting telescopic mast. They are portable structures that guarantee full operation in three hours and in restricted spaces. The steel interface frame is made of galvanized steel beams and is provided with four retracting stabilizers that can be retracted under the container for transport. The equipment and power container, which has a reinforced special 20' box container with two access doors, are divided by an intermediate partition to create two separate rooms (E and A). Room A is used for housing the electrical and radio equipment. Room E is used as a power room for housing the generating set and also, during transport, to contain the radiant systems and accessory components. The antenna supporting pole, with a standard height of up to 20 m, is made of aluminium and consists of three telescopic tubular elements. Installation is easy, fast and is carried out with manual winches.

References

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External links

Mobile Cell site Gallery
Telephony