Telecommunication Tower is a crucial component of communication infrastructure. As the telecom infrastructure ages, maintenance increasingly becomes a very important part of the services. With all of the different commercial industries, ecommerce, and millions of subscribers that rely on the connectivity offered by this technology, it is more important than ever that these structures are properly maintained.
Our professional maintenance teams are equipped to perform maintenance repairs on different structures including monopoles, guyed/self-support towers, and rooftops.
Over the years, SPS have carried out site maintenance of all scopes and sizes for some of the most recognizable names in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, for example I.H.S, MTN, Airtel, 9mobile, Swift Network, and others.
The Importance of Communication Tower Maintenance
Communication towers, like any outdoor structure, are prone to damage from long exposure to harsh weather conditions resulting in normal wear and tear. This is especially true if those towers are located in areas that frequently experience severe weather, or are located near coastlines or bodies of water. Examples of these locations are Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar coastal lines.
Benefits of regular maintenance cannot be over stressed because it helps to prolong the life span of the communication towers and helps network providers to ensure the towers stay up and running for the long term.
The Importance of Communication Tower Maintenance
SPS Tower maintenance and safety hinge on regular annual inspections. These inspections give our professional team the opportunity to fully assess for common tower challenges that result in Corrosion, Loose members, and Roasted Nut and Bolts.
- Corrosion resulting from long exposure to rain, and other weather-related factors.
- Wind-induced Vibration damages resulting in missing members, loose Nuts, and Bolts. As wind and pressure take their toll on Towers, all welds and structural connections become susceptible to fatigue related issues.
- Tower overload may occur as result of upgrades or addition of new equipment intended for new expansions, or other functional improvement. Because these upgrades add stress to the structures, it is recommended that yearly inspection, including visual from the ground up of all infrastructures be performed. Our team of inspectors look for other related issues including the following:
- Missing Bolts, Nuts, and Loose members
- Aviation warning light
- Guy wires and Climbing Devices
- Paint Degradation on Towers
- Tower Finish
- Antennas integrity
- Tower bolt torque test
- Confirm Tower type and Torque Value before test.
- Check and report bolt non protrusion.
- The torque test should test at the Bottom, Middle and Top of the Tower for different bolt sizes.
- Tower deflection inspection
- For the Deflection; check each Tower leg from bottom to top to confirm Tower verticality (straight or bent) (support with Pictures).
- Check diagonals and horizontals and, or deflections (straight or bent) (support with Pictures).
- Check Tower for missing members, over stressed members, missing bolts or nuts (Section by Section) (support with Pictures).
- Check for Tower grounding (support with Pictures).
- Check poles and antenna brackets connections (support with Pictures).
- Tower load inspection
- Check the quantity of antennas (GSM, MW, 3G, RRU) at corresponding height (support with Pictures).
- Confirm each microwave antenna diameter, GSM/3G antenna height (support with Pictures).
- Site Back filling Inspection
- Tower Foundation (Non piling) – excavate 300mm to check the type of sand used for backfill (sharp sand or laterite soil).
- Tower Foundation (Pile) – excavate 200mm to check the type of sand used for backfill (sharp sand or laterite soil).
- Retaining Wall – excavate 200mm/0.2m to check the type of sand used for backfill (sharp sand or laterite soil).
Carrying out these thorough inspections give SPS the greater likelihood of identifying issues, or damages that could lead to quality issues and prove very expensive down the road for our clients.
