Eastern Companies Look To United States for Tips on RAN Sharing

Chinese tower companies are looking to American Tower and Crown Castle International to learn tips of how radio access network (RAN) sharing construction can be utilized in order to save money for telecom and radio operators. The China Times reported, “RAN sharing significantly reduces infrastructure costs for telecom operators by mutually sharing those resources — including cell sites and towers, base station equipment, and transmission networks. This could theoretically eliminate duplicate structures, a salivating prospect considering the daunting up-front investments needed to build new 4G networks.” As 4G technology expands around the world, international companies are looking at the United States’ infrastructure. American Tower and Crown Castle use RAN sharing, and they do it well. Both companies have become very successful buying or constructing towers and leasing space to multiple users. “In Taiwan, all towers are already shared across cell phone carriers, making the US “rental model” not an immediate option. But it may become the rising standard now that more professionals will be needed to maintain 4G systems. Taiwan’s National Communications Commission, however, will encourage cell phone carriers to continue sharing remaining towers because of concern over public complaint. Available land is an ever-present issue in the construction of new towers and facilities on Taiwan’s cramped and mountainous terrain,” the China Times reports.