What are drones?
How do drones help in cell tower inspection?
Drones have already started revolutionizing cell tower inspections by providing benefits such as reducing costs, ensuring operator safety, and improving efficiency. Traditionally, cell tower inspections had to be done manually by well-trained technicians climbing the tower using safety equipment. However, this traditional method is both risky and expensive. With drones, the cost of maintaining and inspecting cell phone towers significantly reduces, and the safety risks associated with manually climbing the towers significantly lowered.
Cell towers are often located in remote locations, where access to the site is time-consuming and difficult to reach. During inspections, drones can easily fly over the top of the tower and capture high-quality images of the tower’s condition. This not only saves time but also lowers maintenance costs, which can be used to maintain or upgrade the towers.
Drones can access the top of the tower in minutes, reducing the time spent on inspections or maintenance. They can effectively inspect every section of the tower autonomously. Additionally, their advanced imaging systems capture images in 4K resolution, which offers incredible detail and a closer view of any damages that need to be addressed. Operators on the ground control the drone, which is equipped with a live-streaming camera, which allows real-time monitoring of the tower conditions in high-resolution 4K video. This means that drone inspections enable maintenance teams to respond quickly to any issues that arise on the tower.
The benefits of using drones in cell tower inspections
Cost-effective
Using drones in cell tower inspection has become increasingly popular as they offer a cost-effective approach. By significantly reducing manpower and equipment costs, telecommunication companies can save a significant sum of money. Typically, you would require a team of well-trained technicians to climb up the tower using safety equipment, or even rent cranes to access the top of the tower for inspection, which is not only expensive but also exposes technicians to the risks of climbing. The cost of renting the equipment and labor is typically higher than that of buying or renting drones, training drone operators and utilizing drones to inspect every section of the tower.
Improved Safety
Drones in cell tower inspection have made this process safer for operators. Traditionally, cell tower inspections were carried out only by technicians who had to climb the tower to carry out inspections. This task is both arduous and dangerous and often involved working at height. Due to this task’s dangerous nature, there were many health and safety risks involved, which could ultimately lead to injury, illness, or even fatalities. By using drones in cell tower inspections, the occupational hazards involved in manually climbing the tower are greatly reduced. Consequently, safety standards are increased, and the chance of an accident occurring is minimized.
Improved Efficiency
Drones’ precision is one of the reasons why they are increasingly popular in the cell tower industry. A technician can only inspect a limited section of the tower at a go, whereas a drone can capture multiple images and videos of any section within a brief time. The camera technology used by drones can identify and locate issues on the tower that need attention, ensuring that maintenance or repair works are carried out at the right time, and the defects are addressed. Drone inspections allow maintenance crews to make informed decisions quicker and more efficiently, which significantly saves time for both the crew and the tower’s owner.
Moreover, high-quality cameras mounted on drones are capable of getting into hard-to-reach areas that could be dangerous for human operators. This approach ensures that even the tiniest faults on the tower can be detected without putting anyone’s life at risk.
How drones have helped improve safety in the cell tower inspection industry
Traditionally, the only way to inspect a tower’s structure and equipment installation was through manually climbing up the tower with an inspector. However, this method of examination was fraught with hazard and was not reliable at providing adequate information. However, drones have revolutionized this age-old approach to cell tower inspection. They provide a way of conducting a thorough visual inspection of the tower from afar. Due to the benefits of drone technology in cell tower inspections, it has become increasingly popular to use drones instead of human operators.
According to a report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of injury and deaths in the construction industry. When it comes to cell tower inspections, falls have been a primary concern for technicians who have to climb the tower. In 2016, more than a dozen people lost their lives while inspecting cell towers. However, in recent years, drone technology has been used to carry out remote inspections, eliminating the need for technicians to climb the tower. The use of drones in inspections has considerably reduced the number of accidents and has also saved lives.
Moreover, drones are highly efficient in detecting and capturing images of faulty electrical installations, wear and tear, rust formation, or other damages on the cell tower. Once these issues are notified, the maintenance crews can quickly resolve the issues while minimizing risk.
Real-life examples of drone usage in cell tower inspections
AT&T
AT&T has been using drones for cell tower inspections since 2016. The company aims to improve health and safety measures by minimizing the frequency of tower climbs. By deploying drones, AT&T lowered inspection costs by approximately 50% and inspection time by about 75%, increasing profits for the company.
According to Art Pregler, director of national mobility systems for AT&T, “Drones are enabling us to take a new approach to cell tower inspections and maintenance that is faster, more efficient and more cost-effective than ever before. We’re already using drones to monitor conditions at more than 300 cell towers across the United States and plan to expand their deployment to thousands of sites nationwide in the coming years.”
Telus
The Canadian telecommunication giant, Telus, has been using drones in inspections since 2016. Until 2018, the company relied on manual inspections using specialized rope access technicians. After hitting several snags with this approach, the company chose instead to adopt drone technology for cell tower inspections. Since then, the company has seen a significant reduction in costs and time spent on inspections. Telus is also looking to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its drone infrastructure, which could aid in identifying towers that need priority attention.
Verizon
Verizon, a leading telecommunications company in the United States, has been using drones for cell tower inspections since 2017. The need to minimize the risks associated with traditional methods of inspections has been a primary motivation for using drones. Drones have helped Verizon save maintenance costs and improve operational efficiencies. With a worldwide spectrum of over 200,000 cell towers, drone inspections have become increasingly critical for carrying out inspections and maintenance work.
