Chapter 16
Facilities Infrastructure
Facilities infrastructure refers to the supporting facilities and infrastructure that are needed in the real world for a telecommunications network to operate. These include the building, operation, and maintenance of buildings, cabinets, and other structures that house communications equipment, as well as structures, such as communications towers, on which communications equipment can be mounted.
The wired network portion of the facilities infrastructure of wireless networks is very similar to the facilities infrastructure of wired networks. In the case of cellular networks, the mobile switching center is housed in a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), which is analogous to the central office. Recall that the MSC is basically a telephone network switch with the addition of mobility support. Thus, a mobile telephone switching office and a central office are similar, except that the main distribution frame found in central offices (for terminating local loops or subscriber lines) and related infrastructure would not be found in a mobile telephone switching office.
The wireless network portion of the facilities infrastructure of wireless networks, however, is more interesting in a way, since it brings a different set of challenges. Base stations need to be spread out over the total coverage area of the wireless network, and the antennas need to be mounted high up over the ground [e.g., between 20 to 80 m over the ground (depending on the ...
