Wireless Facility Engineering Review

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 8 Wireless Facility Engineering Review Sprint Application for Site (Site No. FN03XC064) 1760 Solano Avenue, Berkeley, CA 10/9/2013 RCC Consultants, Inc. - Western Regional Office 266 E. 33 rd Street, San Bernardino, CA Tel, Fax

2 Page 2 of 8 Sprint Application for Site (Site No. FN03XC064) 1760 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA RCC Consultants, Inc. has been engaged by the City of Berkeley to conduct a peer review, consistent with recognized industry standard practices, of the proposal from Sprint to modify an existing wireless base station facility at 1760 Solano Avenue, Berkeley, CA. RCC has performed many similar peer reviews for municipal clients throughout the US, including several in the San Francisco Bay area. Methodology In conducting a peer review, RCC reviews and analyzes site application documents against wireless industry standards and best practices. In this case, RCC considered the application and supplemental materials submitted by Sprint, including the coverage maps provided that reflect the existing site coverage for CDMA services, and expected coverage of CDMA and LTE services after site modification. Site Location The antenna site is on the roof of a three-story commercial building located on Solano Avenue, between Ensenada Avenue and Modoc Street. Associated equipment cabinets are housed in a designated equipment area on the roof. Figure 1 provides an aerial view of the vicinity. Durant Avenue RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 2

3 Page 3 of Solano Avenue Figure 1 - Aerial View of the Vicinity Background Sprint is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate in portions of the Cellular (870 MHz) and PCS (1950 MHz) frequency bands. This application is for the modification of an existing wireless facility to add new 4 th Generation (4G) high speed mobile data services in the 1950 MHz band and to make other equipment upgrades at the site. RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 3

4 Page 4 of 8 Proposed Site Configuration The applicant has proposed to modify the existing site by removing four (4) existing panel antennas and installing three (3) new panel antennas. All antennas will be installed behind FRP screens to camouflage the antennas. Each of the antennas will be fed by one or more Remote Radio Units (RRU) mounted adjacent to the antennas. The antennas are to be installed in a typical three-sector configuration as follows: Sector A antenna is to be oriented at an azimuth of 355 degrees with an antenna centerline height of 42 above ground. The antenna will be a Powerwave Model P90-15-XLPP-RR with dimensions of 70 H x 11 W x 7 D. Sector B antenna is to be oriented at an azimuth of 155 degrees with an antenna centerline height of 42 above ground. The antenna will be a Powerwave Model P65-16-XLPP-RR with dimensions of 72 H x 12 W x 6 D. Sector C antenna is to be oriented at an azimuth 237 degrees with an antenna centerline height of 42 above ground. This antenna will also be a Powerwave Model P65-16-XLPP-RR. Associated equipment cabinets will be located in a designated equipment area on the roof of the building. Figure 2 shows the proposed antenna locations on the roof top. RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 4

5 Page 5 of 8 Sector A Antenna 355 Sector B Antenna 105 Sector C Antenna 237 Sprint Equipment Area Figure 2 Antenna Installation Locations Justification for the Site As justification for this site, Sprint stated a need to provide improved phone and data service by adding new 4G services in the 1950 MHz bands and to modify its existing CDMA equipment in both the 870 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. The new 4G service is to provide high speed mobile data services to customers and is based on the international LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard also being deployed by other wireless service providers, including ATT and Verizon. LTE is usually implemented by overlaying systems at existing wireless sites. Sprint submitted a coverage map depicting existing 1900 MHz CDMA coverage from the current configuration at this site. (See Figure 3.), as well a composite coverage map that shows the expected CDMA and LTE (4G) coverage in the 1900 MHz band after the site is modified. (See Figure 4.) All coverage maps reflect in-building coverage which is the key design parameter for most wireless system deployments in areas such as this. RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 5

6 Page 6 of Solano Ave Figure 3 Modeled Existing CDMA Coverage at 1900 MHz from 1760 Solano Avenue 1760 Solano Ave Figure 4 Modeled Post-Implementation Coverage for CDMA (1900 MHz) and LTE (1900 MHz) from 1760 Solano Avenue RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 6

7 Page 7 of 8 Alternatives RCC was not presented with any materials for evaluation of alternatives. Radio Frequency Emissions Safety RCC reviewed a report, dated December 26, 2012, prepared by EBI Consultants on behalf of Sprint, and concurs with its conclusion that the proposed antenna installation will comply with the Federal Communications Commission s guidelines for radio frequency emissions exposure as detailed in their Office of Engineering & Technology Bulletin No. 65, Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields, August 1997 ( OET Bulletin 65 ) by implementing certain mitigation measures. Based on the OET Bulletin 65, the Maximum Permissible Exposure ( MPE ) for the general population/uncontrolled exposure is 0.58 mw/cm² in the 870MHz spectrum and 1 mw/cm² in the 1950 MHz spectrum. Permissible levels for exposure under occupational conditions, such as may be encountered by maintenance personnel, are five times higher. While RCC concurs with the EBI report conclusions and methodology, we noted that there is an error in Section 6 of the report where the maximum effective radiated power (ERP) for the Sprint transmitters is stated. The reports states: The effective radiated power (ERP) for the 800 MHz transmitter combined on site is 521 Watts. The ERP for the 1900 MHz transmitters combined on site is 6,251 Watts. Based on RCC s calculations, the correct ERP levels are 858 Watts in the 800 MHz Band and 10,252 Watts in the 1900 band. Again this does not affect the analysis, as ERP is not used directly as an input parameter in the Roofview modeling tool, as indicated by the Roofview Export File in the Appendix of the EBI report. Worst case calculations indicated that RF emission levels at ground level are well within both the general public/uncontrolled and occupational/controlled exposure limits set by the FCC. RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 7

8 Page 8 of 8 At roof level, calculations indicated that maximum permissible exposure levels for general public exposure may be exceeded at the nearest walkingg surface within 3 front of the Sprint antennas. To bring the site into compliance with FCC guidelines, rooftop access should be controlled to restrictt public access and signage should be installed at all access points and near the antennas. In addition, barriers should be implemented in any walkable areas in front of the antennas. Summary & Conclusions RCC Consultants, Inc. is of the opinion that: Based on the coverage prediction maps providedd and the fact that Sprint is establishing new LTE services in the area, Sprint has demonstrated that the site is needed to provide LTE services in the subject area. The proposed design is considered reasonable and consistent with industry best practices to provide LTE 4G service in areas similar to the subject target area. The proposed installationn will meet Federal Communicationss Commission guidelines pertaining to radio frequency emissions exposure with the implementation of controlled access to the rooftop and appropriate signage and construction of barriers as recommended in the EBI report. Date: October 9, 2013 Dieter J. Preiser, PMP RCC Consultants, Inc. Page 8