Here we are, a month into 2018 hurricane season, and we have already seen storm activity. If 2018 is anything like 2017, we should brace ourselves.
It is hard to imagine that this season could be worse than last season, which was unprecedented in the massive destruction it left behind. There were 17 named storms, 10 consecutive hurricanes and six major hurricanes. Maria and Irma both reached Category 5 status quite quickly, while Jose fell short but rated a still very destructive Category 4 level.
Unfortunately, it is human nature to be overly cautious and to plan extremely well only when something bad has just happened. Usually, as time goes by, and we haven’t been struck by disaster for a while, we tend to get sloppier in our planning and eventually get caught off-guard. The telecom industry is no different.
Telecom managers often face the dilemma of whether to invest more money to build towers that can withstand a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, or spend substantially less money and build for a more “common” Category 2 or 3. In fact, a tower built for a Category 5 can be about 50 percent heavier (hence substantially more expensive) than a tower built to the same specifications and weight load, but for a Category 2 wind speed. Risk management is not easy and it comes at a cost: it's either money (for sure and now) or damage (maybe and in the future).
Storm Preparation
Proper network maintenance is a little bit like going to the doctor: you want to do it when you still have time to catch a problem and solve it. Going too late, or not at all, can lead to undesirable and sometimes fatal results.
Unfortunately, if the 2017 hurricane season showed us anything, it was that many telecom assets were caught off-guard. Many vertical assets weren’t designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane to begin with — and not much could have been done about those — but others hadn’t been maintained for years. Unscrewed bolts, substantial rust and weight overload can compound damage quickly when facing severe weather.
Best practices to keep as prepared as possible include:
--Yearly visual inspection of all towers and proper manufacturer recommended inspection and maintenance every two years (including tower wash, paint scrape and refresh, bolt tightening and non-functional or damaged accessories replacement).
--Regular structural analysis evaluation and weight load check-up to ensure tower is loaded at designed parameters. If the tower is knowingly overloaded, a tower reinforcement project should take place immediately to guarantee tower structural integrity is at desired load.
--Document tower assets and maintenance records and tasks in a centralized database, easily accessible companywide and from which asset compliance can be certified (this is quite important for insurance records).
--Assess the value and location of all telecom assets. The price tag for uninsured losses from Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean were estimated at between $7 billion and $15 billion, and TOTAL losses in damages from both hurricanes was about $100 billion. FEMA reported that 60 percent of insurance claims for hurricanes Maria and Irma haven't been paid for lack of asset documentation on the operator side. It is crucial that operators establish a comprehensive asset lifecycle program not only to protect their investment but to ensure quicker emergency recovery response.
When Weather Strikes
In order for any telecom operator to be able to properly face emergency situations, it needs to have an in-depth companywide (instead of department wide) understanding of:
--Operational and survival wind speeds that deployed towers were designed for. It is quite common that towers purchased at different times and from different vendors have different design parameters. Ideally, all towers should be able to withstand the same wind speed, which should be higher than the highest wind historically recorded in that geographical location. By knowing what they have, operators are better prepared for what they are facing. If you built towers for a Category 3 hurricane wind speeds, and are about to face a Category 5 storm, well, you know you quite likely will have fallen structures and massive impact in your network.
--Asset maintenance status and how prepared the network is to face severe weather/hurricane conditions. Properly assessing risk exposures beforehand will result in better preparedness and quicker response after the storm.
--Any equipment and antennas located in towers that are at severe risk (due to lack of maintenance, overload or structural reasons) should ideally be removed to prevent damage and increase the chance of the tower resisting the storm.
--As many COWs (Cell-on-Wheels), power generators and drones as possible available and ready to go, located in different strategic locations to cover key areas and quickly assess damage after the storm.
--A location identified for a safe “command center” from which to run the operations once the storm hits.
--Determine the number of available technicians to be deployed in the emergency recovery effort. Ideally, there should be one satellite phone per crew.
--Print out site information from a centralized asset database (if one is implemented), so that historical site info is quickly available in printed format for quick reference.
--Develop internal communication and emergency recovery procedures once the storms hits.
--Reach out to vendors and partners to get an inventory of “key equipment” close to threatened area so that response after the storm hits is immediate.
After the Storm
Depending on the level of damage experienced after a storm, there are different strategies that can be undertaken to assess damage. Obviously the most pivotal sites of the network that are down need to be brought “live” as soon as possible. Additionally:
--Emergency recovery teams need to be sent out as soon as possible to assess visual damage and establish prioritized response actions to start getting the network functional.
--Cell-on-Wheels and power generators should be placed in “key” sites that would enable communication throughout affected geographical area.
--Drone fly-bys can be performed at inaccessible sites to assess damage to the area, and to the site.
--Vendors, partners and operators need to work in conjunction to ensure as much equipment and human resources are ready to go after the storm hits to help expedite emergency recovery efforts.
--Use of innovative technology such as the “Loon Balloon” used in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to help AT&T and T-Mobile restore service as quickly as possible, or 3D laser technology to help reconfigure and re-set antennas to original RF design quickly after the storm.
Lessons
After 50 percent of mobile network operators in the Caribbean were directly impacted and some operators experienced over 95 percent damage to infrastructure across several markets, the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season sent a clear message that preparedness cannot be taken lightly. For each example of a speedy network restoration and temporary connectivity solutions that helped the effort, there were others of total network destruction and inability to establish connectivity in “reasonable” time.
It is also a fact that many insurance claims have still not been paid and that substantial resources, both technological and financial, are needed in the region to ensure mobile infrastructure and networks can withstand Category 5 hurricanes, or similarly extreme natural events.
Affected operators are still working at rebuilding their networks, and should focus on doing it in a more resilient way, considering that climate change, the tower
model and the smartphone multipurpose use are bringing new considerations into the model.
Once upon a time, when connectivity was lost, it was only voice that was disrupted. Now, it is about not only voice, but also about data and the multitude of applications we rely on each and every day to stay connected, and in many cases, safe.