Solve Telecom Monitoring Challenges with a Dedicated Team

In my last several posts, I discussed how the SiteBoss units we’ve designed and manufactured at Asentria for years are more of a toolset than an out-of-the-box solution. Comparing telecom site automation to what people think of more generically as an IoT solution reveals some other differences.

From experience rolling out across many remote telecom sites in large networks, the exact applications are rarely the same. We’ve completed projects for hundreds or thousands of sites for the purpose of:

• Complete generator management
• Video surveillance
• Physical site access
• Measuring AC and DC power meter, or
• Managing remote network access and DC reboot

There isn’t a single telecom site automation application that all telecom operators need due to the unique equipment at each site, and the purpose and location of the network. Frequently a single application drives the initial project, and then once an operator begins using the tools we begin to solve other issues for them.

IoT is Different from Specialized Telecom Site Automation

For any IoT company talking about “monitoring telecom sites,” it is unclear exactly how and what they intend to monitor. There is significant contrast between a broader, more generic IoT company and Asentria. Everything Asentria does is designed and developed for telecom companies. A team of specialists in telecom site automation is rare, and Asentria specializes in developing applications to solve all types of telecom operator site problems. We have many long-term employees with tremendous knowledge about resolving telecom site problems and automating tasks to create a more efficient and resilient network.

Fundamental Problems for Telecom Operators

Diesel generators at telecom sites is one good example. Diesel generator companies have a wealth of data related to diesel generators. Maybe a generator (or rectifier or HVAC companies) company would have some idea of monitoring the latest models of their brand equipment in a limited case like “in-band” or “out-of-band,” but this is minimally helpful to a telecom operator with multiple makes and models in their network. Different network operators would have completely different diesel generator problems. In North America an emphasis might be on disaster recovery in mass power outages due to hurricanes or fires, and in developing countries the emphasis might be on diesel fuel theft. These two solutions are different enough to require different hardware, levels of accuracy of measurements, and reporting requirements.

Remotely monitoring 1000+ generators of different makes and models for a telecom operator is one specialization where Asentria has vast experience and a track record of successful deployments. We know what the problems are and how to solve them.

A Veteran Team Solving Monitoring Challenges for Telecom Operators

Another good example showing how long we’ve been doing this relates to out-of-band communications methods. Starting around 2007 Asentria deployed 18,000 wireless modems for a single customer on a 2G network. Features related how to reliably gather data from remote sites via cell modem were introduced into our products that long ago and have just been improved since.   All of that history is part of our employees’ experience. Asentria’s understanding of all the peculiarities of telecom sites enables us to understand and create solutions that work. Our knowledge of telecom sites helps us deliver the data from the sites that matter and we know why the data is essential.

Dedication Pays Off

Asentria manages the end-to-end process of delivering a solution, including designing and manufacturing our own purpose-built SiteBoss equipment. The team at Asentria consists of highly experienced personnel that know how to create telecom network solutions using the tools, and know what data a telecom network operations team would need from their remote sites.  They also know very well that any solution created will have to be replicated and managed, possibly across 1000+ sites.

This dedication drives us to encourage every telecom operator to do trial sites, proof-of-concept, and pilot projects. Any telecom site automation vendor should prove they can create viable solutions, and nothing proves this like actually going to a few sites and deploying the solution. For over 30 years, Asentria has been dedicated to providing solutions to telecom operators. We’re excited to prove to you how this dedication and veteran team understands how to solve your problems.