Telecom / Radio Tower Protection
CuTS® Monitoring mobile telecoms for copper theft
Mobile telecoms operators can experience service disruption and safety challenges due to copper theft across their network.
Cell tower site grounding infrastructure is often targeted, its removal often causing extensive site damage, site safety risk and possible service down time. Cresatech CuTS® provides monitoring of infrastructure on exposed mobile telecoms service sites to combat this operational issue.
Mobile phone masts are typically earthed to a ring of copper that is buried circling the site (called a Halo), and the earths from the tower are mechanically attached to it. It is common for thieves to attached a tow rope to the copper ring and drive away, ripping the copper out of the earth, before compressing and removing it from site. The scrap cost of the copper is low but the total reinstatement cost is high per site.
Without earthing the site is vulnerable to damage from electrical storms. Further, personnel are not able to work on the site until the earthing is restored because of the risk to life. The cost associated with aborted site visits is high.
The CuTS® technology monitors the grounded infrastructure on site, providing notification when it see the changes that result from damage, theft or disconnection. It sends alerts by cellular modem and / or other wireless services. The system is designed to be difficult to circumvent or disrupt without raising an alarm. Implementation costs are low both in terms of purchase costs and the supporting services.
Set up of the system for each application or installation is achieved through simple tuning and adjustment at installation via the CuTS® management interface. This management software provides manual tuning options, as well as enabling real time assessment of the monitoring of a site either locally or remotely.