Three network 5G roll out making gains

[zakir1988]

Take a PIC when you get time, maybe check the eNB on cellmapper too or get cell ID from router

.

 

[zakir1988]

Looks like DPD are delivering another cabinet zakir1988.

Lol

 

[Bubblesthefish6]

Thanks for sharing, As you can see only one provider is broadcasting 5G from that mast and I suspect that the 5G radio at the top is EE's 32x32 mimo and not Three's 64x64 mimo, so Three still need to put the upgrades on...

The Passive panels look slightly different to each other if you look closely, makes me think 8T8R 5G for three maybe?

 

[GavinAshford]

It'll be Three with the MaMIMO AAU at the top, a space for EE to install one if/when they feel like it (usually there'd be a blanking plate hiding the gap) and then Three's 4G passive antennas followed by EEs.

EE generally aren't the ones pushing ahead with building/replacing monopoles, it's Three, so they're the ones taking the most favourable positions on the masts (i.e. the top most).

Given there is the gap, perhaps the 2days of works will be for the 5G EE add. Given that the site isn't on the roadside a cherry picker could be used with no interference to traffic.

 

[zakir1988]

Thanks for the info guys now I understood about this mbnl mast.

It is rare to find a Monopole 5G mast installed in London as i have said most 5G mast installations are rooftop ones.

I have seen same monople mast installed in Bradford when I went in July.

I understand why councils in urban areas and especially in London refuse them cause due to location, makes the area landscape look bad, residents object etc..

I dont object to them if it benefits an area thats a good thing just hate it when councils refuse them for little things.

 

[Seani]

Thanks for the info guys now I understood about this mbnl mast.

It is rare to find a Monopole 5G mast installed in London as i have said most 5G mast installations are rooftop ones.

I have seen same monople mast installed in Bradford when I went in July.

I understand why councils in urban areas and especially in London refuse them cause due to location, makes the area landscape look bad, residents object etc..

I dont object to them if it benefits an area thats a good thing just hate it when councils refuse them for little things.

The planning problems are also a lot of unsightly and intrusive ‘boxes‘ rather than just building a shed like structure with slated roofs. The networks themselves could throw councils £10-20K on the edge of a park rather than the payment and cash strapped local authorities would take it and planning is almost guaranteed, cash & sightly.

I learned a lot about planning applications (and council staff incompetence reading the legislation) as a council wide Health & Safety Officer 20+ years ago when then there was still a push for proactive not “not my problem” root out, I worked with all local authority departments who were encouraged to run anything by my small team, planning really was lacking as the rest which you don’t expect given the risks of outdoor activities and having less control due to the public not a enclosed space.

Networks just want to plonk ugly tech things as cheap as possible and their legal fees mount up per site for rejections rather than utilising public funded bodies land & (cuts) with a one off expense of conservationist approach. I mean if the monopole is by trees plan a green monopole, simple things in planning applications make a big difference, will the cabinets been unsightly or a pavement hinderance on the edge of a public funded area of land ? Yes ? offer the council cash for a small building the size of a air quality monitor and paint it green.

Simple one off costs on the first planning app can make a massive difference, but usually the third party lawyers or company doing the admin want to make more cash, thus it comes down to the network/MBNL/Cornerstone to properly view the site and adapt a application for even colour (Green seems to stem from the GPO/BT boxes as the accepted colour as it is environment blending!) & other particulars.

It’s not rocket science but the network don’t really train conservation to the engineers going out picking street level sites to a standard they should its treated as a annoyance than a legislative measure, never detract from surroundings in base station planning, add (hard to do for BST) or blend. Simple things, that don’t get planning officials backs up, it annoys them basics aren’t followed.

Here we just went through the same , Three were denied 5G monopole, that annoyed me but when I looked at the application for a conservation area (next to a Victorian built uni perimeter wall) Three just wanted to plonk grey/blue cabinets on the pavement to link into the uni (grounds on the side of the pavement) CityFibre ring. There was nothing of care about that planning application, it could have been done by a clueless 16 year old chav, the council refusal didn’t annoy me Three did, there was no way in hell that was even worth submitting and losing a few hundred quid.

Had they bought a little land on the unused uni green off the pavement behind the wall 2 feet away and concealed the cabinets even by being green coloured the planning stood a chance, I was bamboozeled by the lack of anything on that application and in fairness to Three the uni buildings are modern 70s onwards buildings but the original Victorian low wall (Minus railings from WW2) remains and they just wanted to plonk all these cabinets and monopole next to it in bright colours (that get dirty easy) whilst the old Victorian buildings across the road matched the uni wall.

Rejection outright, and no wonder, there was no consideration to the area, just Three’s wants were to be considered more important than a conservation protection area. Had Three asked for such modern at the other side of the campus where all the new buildings were they would have got it.

Now I’m no planning expert, self taught in my H&S role and I would not have approved that application because it would have been very unsightly in the area, the only “new modern looking” thing on that street is the bus stop (or a few 70s buildings before it was deemed conservation area) & that bus stop was allowed (as all glass) on safety & security concerns over a old one open sided metal bus shelter from the 1950s.

Planning in mainly non commercial areas should not ever be intrusive, that’s the golden rule.

 

[Seani]

View attachment 1570

This is the mast here is the the cabinet pic https://ibb.co/PWrnSnv
The picture on Google street view of redmens road is outdated you cant see the new 5G mast

Redmans Road E1 Tower Hamlets Borough this is the only Monopole Mast I have seen in Tower Hamlets borough as its near my parents house maybe theres more monopole mast installed like this in Tower Hamlets which I haven't come across most I know are 5G rooftop mast installed.

Them Three silver cabinets you can see where recently installed it wasn't there last time I checked in around January 2021

Other monopole mast I have seen are thses type only seen Vodafone and conerstone one in one near sainburys Whitechapel Cornerstone and one Queen Mary University Vodafone.

Here is a pic of the Vodafone mast near Queen marry taken from Streetview.
View attachment 1571

We have more laxxed planning in Scotland. But guidelines...

Pic 1 should have the Pic 2 dark cabinets and dark pole as the surrounding is greenery. The cabinets don’t look positioned well either given there is land there and should be further back off the pavement (by the angle of the pic which might be giving a wrong illusion). I wouldn’t have approved that site.

The pic 2 modern block should have the lighter cabinet boxes as that is the surroundings of the area. modern builds I would have approved this black or grey cabinets, preferably grey to match the monopole for consistency.

As I said though most planning officials follow (old) councils policies not the forever changing legislation.

Monopoles & cabinets need to look unintrusive as possible like they’ve always been there, just like BT street cabinets have for upto a century.

 

[Bubblesthefish6]

I have seen same monople mast installed in Bradford when I went in July.

they are everywhere in bradford now. Full of them as we love 5G

 

[zakir1988]

they are everywhere in bradford now. Full of them as we love 5G

Lucky you.

Not the case in London

 

[jayteedc]

Just a note that 3 definitely does use passive antennas at some sites, as the one I connect to at home has only 3 passive antennas and no 5G AAUs. From just 40Mhz of deployed 5G spectrum my setup can get up to about 195Mbps down and 6Mbps up. Am expecting better once the backhaul has been upgraded.

In addition, the only other 5G enabled mast in town also only has 3 passive antennas and no AAUs, but definitely has worse data performance (also a 3 5G signal from a shared 3/EE site).

jayteedc

 

[Bubblesthefish6]

Well Birmingham City Council have been in touch to tell me that they are yet again refusing masts locally.

I can't imagine why this time, last time it was because of underground network/utilities but the new location was in an open area (no housing within 'close' proximity....

Almost like the area will never see anything other than Virgin Media and coverage will always be attrocious.

They can shove one in my front drive if they want

 

[The Wee Bear]

Well Birmingham City Council have been in touch to tell me that they are yet again refusing masts locally.

I can't imagine why this time, last time it was because of underground network/utilities but the new location was in an open area (no housing within 'close' proximity....

Almost like the area will never see anything other than Virgin Media and coverage will always be attrocious.

That's rubbish, did they not give a reason why they no likey JP?

 

[dabigm]

Not at this timr NO.

To be honest if the rate at which Three keep getting masts refused carries on I can't see them really succeeding without some major shakeup of the MBNL deal,

Three don't seem to be doing upgrades on existing MBNL structure anymore round here, currently only new monopole sites seem to be getting the full range of roll out (ie. 5G, Band 28/32)

What I know right now is that if things don't start moving in the right direction I'll not be a customer too long, just trying to stream music on my commute is a struggle at the moment with 4G....

I'm considering an upgrade to a 5G device to add that extra little bit of resilience but honestly not happy I'm having to think that way.

I'm also looking at something as a backup via Vodafone now too.

I too feel the pain. Right now on my local authority website there are 12 applications to fit a 5G mast. 8 of them have been denied, 3 approved and 1 pending. The excuses the council come out with are full on idiotic; the one near my house ? "It would spoil the view", except the "view" is an Industrial estate.

They're fine with putting one up in a Tesco car park, fine with putting one up in the middle of bloody nowhere, but near houses ? ohhhhhh no. Too big. Too unsightly, too much disruption to the pavement, did not show alternatives.

Oh and every single application has some tinfoil hat brigade nutter talking about "ionising radiation" (lol, it isn't but ok) and the supposed health dangers of 5G. And instead of saying "no proof" or that there's a consensus that it's safe the response is that studies will be conducted

Honeslty I really truly despise the luddites in Bedford Borough Council. I wrote to them about it, and the broadband guy went off an enormous rant about how if BBC had done nothing, there would be no broadband here at all... so apparently BBC personally fitted FTTC in Bedford, out of their own pocket apparently...

I've given up hope of getting any 5G mast near me. I can just about pick up another mast, but the SINR is poor and thus the speed is too. MBNL last put in a plan for a mast near me in November 2020 and seem to have totally given up on that site now

 

[The Wee Bear]

Oh I should be dishing out hugs n kisses to North Ayrshire Council for approving mine then dabigm.

The 27th is getting nearer now, the date for my test hole.

Please let the hole be the bestest hole ever for a 3 pole of wonder.

 

[zakir1988]

Oh I should be dishing out hugs n kisses to North Ayrshire Council for approving mine then dabigm.

The 27th is getting nearer now, the date for my test hole.

Please let the hole be the bestest hole ever for a 3 pole of wonder.

Lucky you government should do something about 5G mast monopole etc.. not getting approved no wonder Three and Vodafone have written to the government about 5G being essential that we need it. UK wont move forward at this rate.

China already looking at 6G lol

 

[sja0001]

Lucky you government should do something about 5G mast monopole etc.. not getting approved no wonder Three and Vodafone have written to the government about 5G being essential that we need it. UK wont move forward at this rate.

China already looking at 6G lol

Exactly the same issue here. Not one agreed as yet. I keep watching.

 

[garbagerich]

my three 5g mast got installed in the ground the other day looks smart. 20m high, just waiting for it go live. about 800metres from the pole should give a good return on fast speed

 

[zakir1988]

my three 5g mast got installed in the ground the other day looks smart. 20m high, just waiting for it go live. about 800metres from the pole should give a good return on fast speed

Lucky you

 

[TallPaul_S]

my three 5g mast got installed in the ground the other day looks smart. 20m high, just waiting for it go live. about 800metres from the pole should give a good return on fast speed

My new one has gone in overnight last night I think, it wasn't there at 6pm last night and it's been blowing a hooley all this morning...

View from the upstairs bedroom window...

4g antennas installed, 5g going on in the next few days I'd think. The old 4g mast beside it is getting removed not expecting any signal before then.

That's 300m away with almost perfect line of sight. Currently getting 160-200mbps with line of sight, at 2.4km away...

 

[zakir1988]

Three

My new one has gone in overnight last night I think, it wasn't there at 6pm last night and it's been blowing a hooley all this morning...

View from the upstairs bedroom window...

That's 300m away with almost perfect line of sight.

You should be getting very good speeds as you live near the mast.

Let us know what speeds your getting when it goes live if you have a 5G device or 5G router don't expect uploads to be good as it still uses 4G for uploads.

In my eyes government not doing enough to push 5G to make it easier for networks to install 5G Councils keep refusing them for little things etc..

Lets stay still on 4G only, UK will stay way behind government said they want UK to be forefront in innovation in technology and get UK more connected online then people will be moaning about 5G when they realise services they use like netflix, prime etc.. On the go it does not support slow speeds.

speeds do move with on demand services most of the time exmaple say your streaming a 4K flim you will most likely get buffering if you dont have fast enough speeds that is capable of handling 4K speeds