Innovation

I got my first cell phone when I was in middle school in 2007 and really only ever thought about my reception when I didn’t have any. So often we don’t even think about the things that make our days run smoothly unless they don’t work; when it comes to reception and connectedness, that extends further than I ever initially realized. Infrastructure is a pivotal part of growth and influences a community’s ability to expand. Reach Network Solutions facilitates that growth in cities as well as rural areas around the Midwestern United States by connecting landowners, businesses and wireless telecommunications companies to find the best locations for cellular network antennas.

The goal of the placement of these antennas is to have seamless coverage over every inch of the nation, primarily because it is good for business. This goal has multiple outcomes, the most interesting that I had never considered was that seamless coverage makes it far easier for emergency response teams to find a location, send data or pull information. If this goal is realized, even in extremely rural communities, there would be fewer gaps in these teams getting the information they need. This is only the tip of the iceberg for what extended, and comprehensive infrastructure like this can do for communities. Once a tower goes up, it is very multipurpose, and that space gets leased to other companies and government entities and increases income for the landowners. Often in urban environments, the locations for the antennas are on top of buildings or various poles throughout the streets. We live in a global world now for a multitude of reasons, and the connectedness through the internet and cell phones is the enabler for our global community.

Inspiration

Scott Miller, a project manager at Reach Network Solutions, talked to me about the types of projects and work he does as part of this massive industry. It grew out of changing technology and the need for a transition from the landline to wireless connectivity. Even when a majority of the network was in place, there was and is always maintenance to be done, renegotiating contracts, permits and zoning work as well as planning for future innovations and technology because the infrastructure needs to be in place before any new networks can be launched. Much of the inspiration for this innovation is borne out of a need in a market, and this company is “the relationship between large telecommunications companies and the smaller entities like construction crews, small business owners, contractors and then the local governments as well.” (Miller)

The land that gets leased can benefit a multitude of businesses, for example, the work that they do in more rural areas can be a tower with antennas on a piece of unused farmland or unused space in the parking lot of a business. Scott felt personally inspired by the work he does on the day he went to go visit the first project he was ever a part of. Putting up one tower takes a long time from start to finish. He had a hand in finding coordinates, talking to landowners, taking pictures of the land, and seeing what locations might work or might not. He also had to coordinate with experts and local officials to determine the environmental impact of the project and ensure that the zoning and permits are all in alignment. Finally, when finishing the project up, he had to be cooperating with multiple different contractors to get the tower completed. There are a lot of moving parts to completing a project like this and “it was really satisfying to see it all built!” (Miller)

Overall impact

The increase in infrastructure can and has impacted the ability for communities to grow. Increased connectivity and a seamless flow of data is essential to the way that people conduct business, emergency response teams operate and support other industries in their drive for growth and innovation. Throughout the Midwest, where Reach focuses their efforts, there has been evidence of that growth by just walking throughout downtown Chicago and paying attention to the light poles. There is a cell site, and they look like black pringles cans, attached to the top of almost any pole in sight. The goal is to have seamless coverage but also be able to handle a massive surge in network usage like after a football game, or if a natural disaster happens.

In the long term, these goals for increased coverage and seamless availability of data and phone service could potentially be scaled to include some of the most remote places in the United States or still be functioning at full capacity when a disaster like Hurricane Katrina hits. The most significant long term effect of umbrella infrastructure in the United States and in other countries is the connection and promotion of our global community. Just this morning I was exchanging text messages with my friend in Tokyo, Japan who bought her phone in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I am looking forward to the global network expanding even further.

Business benefit

As a small company that is focused on growth, there are a lot of benefits to concentrating on data-based infrastructure and growing it in a multitude of ways. The more projects they take on, the more people they can hire full time and that in turn means more people and companies that are hired as contractors to complete the projects. That creates a ripple effect in the industry that, from my view, supports far more small businesses than I had initially thought they would. This is an ever-expanding industry full of growth potential because of the changing market landscape and need to continue to expand. The nature of the technology that they’re working with is always evolving, and it only succeeds if the infrastructure is in place to support it in all regions. Reach Network Solutions has created efficient and effective ways to handle all aspects of these projects, and they seem to be looking to making another significant jump in growth in the next ten years as they continue to take on more and more.

Social and environmental benefit

This innovation, increased infrastructure, and industry are benefitting society and the environment we live in because it supports pathways of connection between people and the services or ideas that they are seeking. I was especially intrigued by the use of these towers and cell sites by emergency response teams like ambulances or firefighters because if they head off somewhere rural answering a call and get lost on the way or an emergency call for help fails to go through because of poor connection it would be tragic. The links provided by telecommunications companies reach beyond checking Instagram or receiving a phone call. I would be very interested to see a high rate of connection like this and other countries applied to the more isolated communities that could use the support as well. I also believe that good businesses doing good business with many people is good for our communities and the growth of our society. I had not anticipated that companies like Reach Network Solutions are tied to the environmental organizations in our communities. In order to get many towers approved for construction, there has to be a check off that the land or the new structure wouldn’t be detrimental to the surrounding area or population. Community members are allowed to express their desire for another location because it would be impacting their quality of life. There are so many facets to consider that impact so many different felids in this industry that it is a wonder we have cell phone service at all.

Interview

Scott Miller, Project Manager