POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND EQUIPMENT TYPES

There are several types of potential telecommunications customers that occupy roof space. They include Cellular, Personal Communication Services, Wireless Internet, Two Way Radio, Wireless Data and Paging Companies. The Cellular, Personal Communication Services, Wireless Internet and Two Way Radio companies all use directional panel antennas. These antennas are generally three feet tall by six inches wide and are arranged in sectors of one to four antennas per sector. Most telecommunication companies use three to four sectors per rooftop location which results in a total of nine to sixteen antennas. The Wireless Data and Paging Companies use one to three omni-directional whip antennas. These antennas are in the shape of a broomstick and can be three to eight feet tall by three inches wide.

The placement of the antennas on the rooftop is the most critical decision with regard to a telecommunication installation. The antenna spacing and placement will make the antennas less noticeable and more esthically pleasing. There are methods of disguising the antennas with stealth technology. This includes painting the antennas to match the outer surface of the building or mounting the antennas flush to the exterior which will make them virtually impossible to notice from the street.

The equipment used by these telecommunication companies is always self-contained in a locked equipment cabinet. The size of the equipment cabinets for each company varies greatly from one small cabinet that can be the size of a two-foot by two-foot square to the size of a refrigerator. The number of cabinets used by each telecommunication company varies from one to four. There are companies that place an equipment shelter on the roof that is ten feet wide by twenty feet long. This shelter can be painted to match the buildings color and can be disguised to look like an additional stairwell or penthouse. With the exception of the rooftop shelter, most equipment cabinets are placed inside the building and are not visible from the street.