Comsol comments on current trends in wireless network applicatio
Comsol comments on current trends in wireless network applicatio
Convergence Partners’ investee company, wireless telecommunications company Communications Solutions (Comsol), made some observations on current trends in wireless network applications and ownership models in a recent article in Engineering News.
Comsol reports that wireless ?telecoms networks and their maintenance are a growing focus among private clients, as the costs of owning and maintaining a private network soar.
Large companies across many vertical markets, especially mining operators, are increasingly looking to wireless networks to provide communications solutions between different parts of the organisation. This is in part owing to capital still being difficult to raise in the uncertain and volatile post-?recession period, the company says.
Comsol sales manager Darren Morgan says that wireless communications networks provide a reliable alternative to laying wires for a similar network. Wireless networks provide high-speed connections, reduced maintenance and are able to cover large distances in remote areas.
Morgan notes that, in the realm of wireless communications, the greatest threat to hardware life-cycle costs is technological advances. ?This often prompts whole networks to be upgraded before the hardware has reached the end of its service life, owing to it being technologically inferior. This is why Comsol offers fully managed services, where equipment is owned by Comsol and the service it provides is offered on an operating expenditure basis.
Morgan explains that the older technology would then be redeployed elsewhere, or redis-?tributed through Comsol’s retail outlets. The client’s network will be upgraded, while the service fees will be increased in relation to the speed of the new network.
Comsol offers a wide range of implementation and maintenance contracts, tailored to specific client needs. Morgan says that clients may choose to own the network hardware, and contract Comsol to perform maintenance. ?Clients have access to a 24/7 call centre to report any failures, the company reports.
Clients may also opt for a comprehensive solution, where Comsol owns the wireless network, and installs and maintains it to client specifications. Such networks are typically under constant surveillance from a remote control office. Technicians monitor all ?aspects of the network, including energy management, hardware cooling and availability, ?and regular maintenance is carried out.
An advantage in opting for this contract is that clients do not incur the ?depreciation of the hardware, and are not responsible for maintaining the network, Comsol states.
“Mines favour our networks, owing to commercial telecommunications operators usually not having networks in the often rural settings in which they ?operate.
“By using their own network, miners are able to reduce the number of connections to commercial communications service providers, by communicating ?internally over vast distances,” he explains.
While wireless networks can be deployed almost instantaneously, a number of contractors involved with the construction of State-owned power utility Eskom’s new coal-fired Medupi power station needed a quick and reliable communications network, from Gauteng to the Limpopo site.
“We are currently able to provide about 60 contractors with independent, reliable wireless communications networks. Individual networks were implemented, so that contractors do not have to contend among themselves for the available bandwidth,” he explains.
The company also reports being involved in the design, construction and maintenance of a ?1 200-km link in Kenya. Morgan notes that, given the vast distances involved in the link, the use of a wireless network reduces the amount of maintenance needed, ?when compared with those of conventional systems.
“The amount of paperwork, in the form of applications to local authorities and to acquire land rights, is also ?reduced, resulting in faster implementation times,” he says.
Further, Comsol reports that it maintains aggressive service level agreements (SLAs) that ?ensure speedy service delivery. The company has a number of ?offices spread across South Africa to reduce its response times to failures, as agreed in its rigorous SLAs.
“On average, the company achieves a seven-hour response time to failures at some of our most remote clients.
“Should we fail to deliver on our SLAs, we have agreed to?severe penalties,” he says.