This document discusses using water reservoirs as an alternative to cellular towers to provide coverage in a cost effective manner. Some key points: 1) It proposes installing cellular equipment like sectors and antennas on poles clamped to the rails of water reservoirs, which provide insulation between sectors. This avoids costs of tower rentals ($500-700/month) or building stub towers. 2) Water reservoirs are always in high locations, providing line of sight for coverage. They also have space for adding solar panels. 3) Using existing water reservoirs is simpler and faster than traditional options, enabling faster time to market while still providing cost effective coverage expansion. It avoids handing profits over to tower companies through rental fees. 4

1. Is this Kibera from the top of a telco Tower?
Is it from a telco tower with rental costs of $700/month?
Looks like we can cover lots of customers from here
And we’ve got LoS to anywhere from here too!
No! It is not a tower. This is part of the “Cost Effective Plan”

2. Costs add up fast!
These two don’t mix
Let the CEO run a:
‘What if’ scenario on his master
spreadsheet.

3. Provide coverage fast and on the cheap
Minimizing OPEX
• Minimize CAPEX
• No stub tower costs
• No civil works

4. High OPEX
Towercos look great (well at $700/month they should)
Until you need to upgrade
Need to stop our services
Spending 2 days using 6 men to mount 2 microwave links.
Rental costs $500 to $700
We work hard to hand cash
over to towercos
Too litte space

5. Look this height! No Obstruction.
Between tower monthly costs of $500 to $700 rent
I choose “Cost Effective Plan”
We can use the space as we want
No lock-in on long term high OPEX Contracts

6. Oh! That sweet smell of money

7. “Cost Effective Plan”:
• It will save tower costs, aka handing over our profits to Towercos
• Simpler and Fast Distribution Points (DPs) deployment = Fast time
to market
• It enables cost effective DP deployments
• Today’s gear weighs very little
• A 12-sector distribution point using 30 degrees Horn antennas
has a total weigh 12Kg
• A 5GHz rado weighs 500g
• A 3x30 degree sector Unit weighs 13Kg.
• A DP using 4xsector Unit weighs 52 Kg

8. Coverage from Water Reservoir
The Kibera slum, shown on Slide 1, is on the right

9. We need a site acquisition with the proper assets
Want water pressure?
You need to put tank high!

10. Developing countries have erratic water supply
Communities build their own water reservoirs
These huge reservoirs can be used to place distribution
points.
• It will save tower costs, aka handing over our profits to
Towercos
• Simpler and Fast Distribution Points (DPs) deployment =
Fast time to market
• It enables cost effective DP deployments
Cities that have water crisis have big tanks
there too.
Nairobi
Poa Mini Distribution Point

11. The $500 to $700 rent option
The Ciost Effective Option
Needs $500 to $700 rent
Needs Cost Effective action
Cost Effective

12. We will install sectors on individual poles around the water tank
Metallic tank provide RF insulation between sectors.
C-Clamps
No welding
C-Clamps
No welding
Tank
154.000L

13. Upgrade of a microwave link? Plenty space around.
Put a couple of poles. Mount. Align. Test.
Hot cutover.
Remove old link and their poles.
Minimum down time
C-Clamps
No welding
C-Clamps
No welding

14. Water tower is always higher than the top floor
Tank top: Free space for Solar panels never in shade
Water tower is always close to buildings they supply
AC Power is available

15. No hassle to access
But safe
Cost Effective Plan:
• No stub tower costs
• No civil works costs
• Only poles U-Clamped to the Tower rails
• Antennas isloated from interference by tower tank
• Scalable: Can use the whole tank’s perimeter
Once day we can even go PoF: Power over Fiber
costs
PoF: Power over Fiber
Bring fiber and power from central location

16. Cost Effective Plan:
• How much does it cost to get a water reservoir?
• The same that takes to get a building to deploy of
we serve the community the water tank serves
Towering above everything.
PoF: Bring Fiber
And power from central location
PoF: Bring Fiber
And power from central location

17. What if we don’t do it?
We cannot compete in the rural
and under served
We will spend time and money building roof tops sites
We can continue being robbed by Tower companies
Or we can exploit going Cost Effective