The Importance for Innovation in Tower Infrastructure

In my extensive experience working in the telecom industry across Australia, South-East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, one thing has become abundantly clear – innovation in tower infrastructure is more critical than ever. The looming threat of commoditization within the next five to ten years poses a significant challenge for the industry. Picture a world where telecom services are as indistinguishable as shades of gray, resulting in an unrelenting price war [9][10]. This situation places the entire industry on precarious ground. However, there are two discernible paths to safety: diversification or a renewed focus on tower infrastructure [9][10].

The race toward infrastructure improvement is already well underway, driven by the advent of 5G and IoT. Yet, this race faces hindrances from a common culprit – Architectural Engineering Construction (AEC) service providers, including telecom structural engineering. In my years of experience, I've witnessed these providers grappling with productivity challenges, causing delays and setbacks.

The AEC and construction industry, despite their massive scale, lags behind in terms of productivity and digitization. Picture a colossal ship struggling to make headway in tranquil waters. However, there's a glimmer of hope. Even modest improvements in productivity can lead to substantial savings due to the sheer magnitude of the industry. This signifies the potential for at least a 25-35% boost in productivity through the adoption of best practices and the latest technology [4].

Now, let's delve into the intricacies of telecom infrastructure. Its lifecycle – from design and deployment to operation and decommissioning – heavily relies on AEC service providers. Unfortunately, this dependence has become a double-edged sword. The industry's gradual adoption of automation and digitalization has resulted in delays, particularly in the face of the unprecedented growth of the telecom industry. The pressure on tower infrastructure to evolve swiftly is akin to a high-speed train with no brakes. It's not limited to constructing new infrastructure; it also involves enhancing existing structures through engineering upgrades and precise assessments. This cycle leads us back to the AEC industry, which struggles to embrace technological advancements [1][2].

Furthermore, there's a glaring disparity between the surging demand for engineering expertise and the limited supply. It's like attempting to contain an ocean in a glass. This convergence of challenges begs a pivotal question: How do we revolutionize the design, engineering, and construction of telecom infrastructure?

Shapemaker: Redefining Telecom Infrastructure Design

In my journey through the telecom industry, I've had the privilege of co-founding Shapemaker, a true game-changer in this context. Shapemaker set out on a mission to modernize the way we design and analyze telecommunication towers. I've personally witnessed how the current tower design process can be intricate and time-consuming, often resulting in the overuse of materials. Shapemaker's innovative approach is straightforward: to streamline telecom civil engineering by developing advanced software that simplifies workflows. This has significantly reduced the time required for analysis from weeks to mere minutes.

Designing telecom towers, the linchpin of modern communication infrastructure, is a complex, manual endeavor. It relies on personal judgment and often feels like trying to build a puzzle without all the pieces. This approach has led to fragmented knowledge, where different experts possess specialized insights while the demand for new structures continues to grow.

Moreover, towers were typically over-engineered due to factors like site-specific loading calculations on a grand scale and conservative safety factors. This, combined with the pressing need for more sustainable, cost-effective designs, created an even more complex puzzle to solve.

The intricate, time-consuming process also hinders progress and slows down rapid deployment. It is primarily manual, making it susceptible to human error. A lack of specialized expertise further compounds the situation, resulting in a growing backlog of pending projects and upgrades.

Shapemaker serves as the bridge between outdated design practices and cutting-edge, cost-effective solutions. Armed with advanced analysis techniques and algorithms, as well as being built on a modern cloud infrastructure, Shapemaker optimizes tower designs across various scales. This results in delivering tailored solutions based on specific environmental conditions, such as wind, topography, terrain and even icing. Witnessing the impact of Shapemaker's solutions personally, I've seen how this reduces the engineering process from weeks to minutes, all while offering cost-effective solutions with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

Explore some of Shapemaker's innovative solutions:

• Find optimal shape for a tower
• Tower cost and carbon footprint reduction
• Overview of topography assessment
• Approach in EPA calculations
• How we automated reporting
• Our modern cloud infrastructure

Conclusion

In conclusion, the telecom industry is at a crucial crossroads, and I've seen firsthand the significance of addressing the challenge of commoditization. Shapemaker offers practical and innovative solutions, and I invite you to join us on this transformative journey. Together, we can make the future of telecom infrastructure smarter, more efficient, and environmentally friendly. We're committed to exploring the possibilities of technology and innovation, and I've personally witnessed how Shapemaker takes center stage in rescuing the telecom industry and leading it into a brighter tomorrow.

What are you waiting for? Request a demo and join Shapemaker revolution: hello@shapemaker.io!