How newer masts can lead to fewer masts

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A new design for 5G masts can not only help reduce the number of masts in some areas, it can also help reduce the number of street-level equipment cabinets.

Vodafone’s new design for 5G masts in urban and suburban areas is helping the company to not only bring mobile signal with greater capacity and faster speeds to more places. It can also do so while reducing the number of masts needed.

The new mast design, called ‘quad stack’ by Vodafone UK’s network engineers, has been designed for London. The reason why lies in an underappreciated aspect of the infrastructure that provides the mobile signal we all depend on.

Urban and suburban areas often have less space for masts than other, less built-up space, so they need to be slimmer with a smaller footprint as a result. The downside to this is that they’re then unable to host all of the antennas and radio units needed to provide 2G, 4G and 5G services to the surrounding area – especially in parts of the country where Vodafone shares masts with other mobile operators – needing a second mast to do so.

Until now. Unlike older masts, a single quad stack mast can support 2G, 4G and 5G thanks to the latest construction techniques and space-saving technology. One example of this, among many, is the ability to combine multiple fibre optic cables into a single ribbon cable with a compact connector. At pavement level, the various equipment cabinets can be rationalised and reduced in number.

Vodafone has so far used the quad stack design in locations across the Greater London area, as it has been designed to withstand the wind shear typical to that part of the country. Quad stack masts, like any other mast design, need to be adapted to the many differing conditions found across the UK, including wind shear.

Elsewhere across the country, Vodafone UK’s network modernisation programme continues. From shopping centres and holiday parks to London’s public transport system and communities across Wales and the southwest.

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