Introduction to the Zero-Climb Tower

Did you ever think about the work that goes into tower and pole deployments? Think about it. It’s not quick or easy because you have so many things to worry about, am I right?

• Drawings, permitting, site acquisition, surveys, solid samples, and more upfront.
• Ordering the tower, getting the specifications right, loading issues.
• Getting a crane in, then mounting all the equipment on the tower.
• Then, post-installation, maintenance, and updates.

There are ways to reduce costs and make installation and maintenance cheaper and easier. 

• What if I could make the installations go faster? 
• What if I could eliminate the climbers from the picture for these small jobs?
• What is the tower foundation was more like that of a pole foundation, making the footprint smaller and installation faster?
• What if we could do that with a 60-foot or 80-foot tower?

We need no climb, low-maintenance towers!

It’s not because the carriers want a cheaper and quicker solution, it’s because network deployments are going beyond carriers! Don’t get me wrong, carriers want to deploy macro radios at very small sites and no climb would be a huge benefit along with a shorter time to market (TTM).

Today, there is a growing need for private networks, especially in the USA where CBRS is available. Just think about who needs this.

The explosive growth of private networks for private and public venues, stadiums, educational outreach, smart cities, and neutral host networks. These are not customers with deep pockets or tower experience. These are the customers that need an easier and cost-effective radio mounting solution. 

No matter what Radio Access Network, (RAN), is built, it required the radios and antennas to be mounted up in the air so they get the biggest bang for their buck! RF is about throughput, data, and coverage.

Whether deploying 4G, 5G, or IoT, you need a real-world solution. Mostly you will need a small footprint on the ground with a height of 40, 60, or 80 feet. That was a major issue with installation and maintenance because you need a trained and certified four-man tower crew to do any work on the tower OR you needed a man-lift or crane to install and maintain the network. That’s why many of the people I work with and talk to wanted smaller towers cheaper and quicker. 

What if I told you we finally have a solution?

A partner introduced me to the Zero-Climber Tower. 

The solution, The Zero-Climb Tower! 

You heard me, no climbing the tower, at all, no man lifts, no cranes because it actually folds! No special equipment, just a small crew can lower the equipment to make changes, updates, or regular maintenance. 

Innovation at its finest!!

Think about the advantages, no more cranes, climbers, high insurance rates, and cost-effective maintenance and repairs.

My partners have developed the Zero-Climber Tower solution that can be installed quickly. It’s a foldable tower. While this is a unique idea, it’s already been deployed. 

SiteX worked with a tower manufacturer to create a low-maintenance and easy installation tower for smaller deployments. It’s a foldable tower, so no cranes or man lifts are required. 

they have deployed these as a partner with Motorola. 

The Zero Climber Tower is basically a great solution for 40’, 60’, and 80’ towers that are needed to fill for private networks, CBRS networks, and 5G networks.

The Zero-Climb Tower Solution was created to meet your demand for an affordable, rapidly-deployable, standardized cost tower product. This tower design has been used as part of the communication infrastructure in the transportation, oil and gas, wireless Internet service industry for over 10 years. It is a proven and durable product.

Who is deploying this tower? 

This is not a new half-baked solution. it’s been deployed and tested with a major player. The company SiteX, a Nitro Solutions Partner, helped develop and deploy this for Motorola Solutions.

Motorola asked for a cost-effective solution that can be installed quickly for Nitro CBRS deployments. SiteX delivered with their Zero-Climb Tower. 

So yes, it is real!!!

The Zero-Climb Tower has been used 80-foot foldable towers for standard 6-sector Nitro CBRS sites. SiteX provided and deployed the Zero-Climb Towers for Motorola and it has been a success. 

Once the site acquisition, permitting, and site designs were completed, SiteX was able to deliver the Zero-Climb Tower, drill the hole, install the precast foundation, and erect the tower in less than 2 days at the site!

Oh, and it has a 10-year warranty, in case you’re wondering. 

Use cases: 

Radio use cases:

This tower has been designed for smaller installations where you need coverage in a concentrated area. Not a full macro, but a 3 to 6 sector 4G or 5G site. 

Our target customers are the groups building private networks or neutral host systems. 

So far, it’s been used for educational outreach (CBRS PLTE) as well as Venue coverage in parking lots. 

Public Safety Use Cases:

We also have had public safety look at this for cameras and solar panels along highways and in parking lots. Generally with a wireless backhaul of some type. 

Lighting Solutions:

We’ve seen parking lot owners use this for lighting to save on light replacements. They also could add and replace parking lot Wi-Fi solutions. 

Smart City:

We think that this would be a quick solution for the deployment of smart city radio networks. Minimal time blicking streets and maximum coverage when needed. 

What will it cost?

We have built a model based on real-world experience. A model we had is an estimate for you but it gets you in the ballpark. 

A standard 80’ Zero-Climb Tower use case would run about $72,000.00. 

• The steel: 80′ Zero-Climb Heavy Tower kit,
• The foundation: precast concrete foundation,
• Grounding: Ground  ring materials & Motorola Standard R56 compliant ground ring installation,
• Shipping: minimum 5 tower orders (or shipping quoted separately),
• Installation: tower erection services.

Why the Zero-Climb Tower?

We have to look at the advantages and disadvantages. This is going to be compared to the poles that are put out there today. When looking at the comparison, remember, each one has its place and is another tool in the toolbox. 

The Zero-Climb Tower is a solution that fills many needs for the deployments happening today and into the future. It’s helping change the game for 5G networks as well as PLTE networks. 

Deployment advantages:

• Smaller excavation footprint,
• A smaller crane to install the tower, less than 80-foot,
• No specialized tower stacking crew,
• No worrying about how far the ready-mix concrete plant is from installation,
• No wait-time for concrete since you can use a precast foundation.

Operational advantages:

• No specialized tower crews or bucket trucks are needed for maintenance, servicing, upgrades, or changes,
• Reduced maintenance and repair costs,
• Greater control for Owner to self-perform system repairs and improve network performance

How does it work?

They say a video speaks a thousand words. So, here is a video showing an overview of what it looks like and how it works.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, you can email me at Wade@techfecta.com, or email zero-climb@sitexusa.com, or call 847-245-2185, ask for John McDade or Vinh Diep and let them know you saw it here, from Wade’s blog!