How mobile base station engineers work. I visited such an installation in Moscow

I am sure that you have dealt with unusual phenomena in the detection of a crowd – with a mast and antennas on top. These are mobile base stations for mobile communications.

Today I am again talking about the features of the work, often invisible, but I attract the attention of specialists:

▪ How engineers above cell phones work
▪ How cell network planners and optimizers work

Let’s talk to the mobile base chair installation engineers today. I contacted MTS, and we arranged a meeting with the inner core. They are Tom Olegnikovsky, Head of the Special Projects Implementation and Support Group, and Alexander Volodin, Lead Engineer of the Special Projects Implementation and Support Group from the Moscow region of the company.

We met at one of the serviced points – in Gorky Park, where I looked when setting up the work of a temporary mobile station. He was being prepared for the Moscow general native graduation by July 1.

What is a mobile (mobile) base station

Mobile base station is a specialized telecom equipment placed on a vehicle.

Therefore, under the mobile base station (MBS) engineers mean not only the base station itself, but also the vehicle that is used to move and install it. For example, it could be a trailer station for a car. Or a truck. Or a metal structure, a “tripod”, which is built on the roofs of buildings.

MBS always has a mast, on which antennas and equipment are “hung”. Almost everywhere there is a compartment for installing the station itself. MBS can be powered by a built-in diesel generator to be able to mount it anywhere, even in a field where there is nothing.

The main equipment of the MBS is a system unit that controls radio modules with antennas. You could see them on poles and rooftops – thin white antennae. These are the most popular elements that distribute radio signals to all mobile devices on the cellular network.

– Alexander, Leading Engineer of the Group for the Implementation and Support of Special Projects in the Moscow Region of MTS

During operation of the equipment, the mobile station becomes very hot. For its cooling, an air conditioning system is installed in the compartment – overheating is not allowed.

How does the working day of an MBS engineer work?

The tasks for MBS engineers come from various departments of companies and largely evolve from what they feel in the city public events. For example, sports races, holiday events, and so it happened.

When planning the working days of visiting groups, the head of the department focuses on urgency, significant and location. It affects a group of patients by points – some teams can serve several objects in a day, depending on the severity and urgency. There are usually two or three engineers in the group.

For each help, it is required to solve some local issues – including those outside the basic qualifications of engineers. Let’s say we launched the base station, and it overheats and goes off the air. In such a situation, I act as an adjuster of the air conditioning system. Sometimes you have to be a power engineer to figure out the power supply network of the place where we need to connect.

– Alexander, Leading Engineer of the Group for the Implementation and Support of Special Projects in the Moscow Region of MTS

It is necessary to bring MBS not only to bring it to the place and mount it. A link is also required that connects the base station to the network controller. And she also needs to travel, that is, temporarily become a specialist radio relay servicewhy you need to know the rationale for the operation of the relevant equipment.

What are the requirements for a mobile device engineer

Technical education in the field of communications is required. It is necessary to have knowledge in the field of radio wave propagation, an engineering mindset. Each urban area by territory non-standard. It only seems that it is enough to take a place from the parking lot, take it to the place, assemble it there, and then, after the end of the event, dismantle it and transport it back.

You need ingenuity, resourcefulness, readiness for the place of decision-making.

An important requirement is to be ready to work in various situations. Because the engineer works most of his working time “in the fields”. Tasks come at any time of the year. Regardless of weather conditions, it is necessary by the date of the event “in the field” and in a balloon.

That is, a person must be ready 24/7 and put a mobile base station where it is needed. Rain, snow, frost, heat, darkness, day off – it doesn’t matter.

– Oleg, head of the group for the implementation and support of special projects in the Moscow region of MTS

It is also important to have high density. An engineer does not only work with a screwdriver. Sometimes there is an installation on elevated elements of the base station, part of the mast section, for example, an antenna, and sometimes stuck equipment that is pushed out of the mud. We had this when an event dedicated to the Day of Borodin was held in the Moscow region.

Stress resistance, readiness for teamwork is also important. Putting a station on the air depends not only on the engineer. Several departments are involved in this process. For example, those who give us the original data, height for the base station.

Each location is unique. And in order for an engineer to set it up and “upload” it to a hardware base station, he must receive this data from the engineers sitting in the office. we find out we assemble MBS faster than they prepare the settings.

Of course, you need to be able to drive a car. Those who drive trailers must have a BE driving license category.

– Alexander, Leading Engineer of the Group for the Implementation and Support of Special Projects in the Moscow Region of MTS

The history of the workplace

An office for a large bank was built in Moscow on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. During construction, it was decided to improve communication at the construction site by installing a trailer-based MBS.

We brought this trailer and installed it. He stood for a long time until the moment of delivery of this office building in anticipation. A year later, we lost the property and were told that we could take the equipment. Employees come and bring pleasure that our trailer is in the pit and is a pleasure. Why? Because the area around it was covered with gravel, asphalted. And the trailer remained at the old level, as in a block.

The guys had to negotiate with the client to find him somewhere with a crane, and use the help to lift the trailer from an artificial pit.

– Alexander, Leading Engineer of the Group for the Implementation and Support of Special Projects in the Moscow Region of MTS

How to get a job as an MTS mobile reference chair engineer

Alexander studied at the Institute of Communications. He graduated from the Faculty of Radio Engineering in 1998 and got a job in the operation of MTS. He also worked in the emergency repair team. After 10 years, he switched to mobile base stations.

An alarm clock that calls in the morning motivates you to go to work (laughs). This is how motivation comes naturally. In some place of infection, for example, in a park, a good connection is needed so that people can use high-speed Internet. You understand that after your work, they get access to a quality replay. And there is also pride in the fact that you work in a large company.

– Alexander, Leading Engineer of the Group for the Implementation and Support of Special Projects in the Moscow Region of MTS

While talking with the guys, they successfully built a mobile base station in Gorky Park for so many events: more than 39 thousand people.

The rapid discovery of an already existing network was a significant step: on the graduation small “van” were tens of thousands of graduates using fast mobile Internet and cellular communications in a busy place.

Every day, teams of engineers from MTS mobile base stations perform a dozen tasks in Moscow alone, strengthening and adjusting communications in “hot” zones. But one taken work is not limited. MTS is always looking for new people for the labor protection team. Primary requirements:

▪ experience of working with key suppliers

▪ knowledge of 2G-5G networks and schemes of operation

▪ knowledge of radio engineering, the basics of radio wave propagation, knowledge of the operation of transport networks based on RRL and optical fiber

▪ ability to maintain reporting documentation on electronic and paper media

▪ desire to develop their professional skills, including independently

If you think you are ready to try yourself in this video, go to the MTS website in the vacancies sections. You can start with this.

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