MD/CEO Arcade, Adeoye: Incessant Power Outages, Site Theft, Unrest Bane of Network Breakdown in Nigeria
MD/CEO of Arcade, Adeoye, an indigene of Ondo State precisely from Ondo West Local Government Area, born and bred in Lagos State, has shared a handful of information with CREEKVIBES magazine.
The deft telecommunication expert had his primary and secondary school education in the Mega City, a graduate of Physics With Electronic from the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG). He has been in the telecommunication world since he graduated in 2004, after his Youth Service in Maiduguri.
It is interesting that, he had displayed his acquired knowledge with the giant telecommunication equipment importer known as Huawei for over ten years, and he rose to the position of (National and Quality Health Manager) due to his interest in smooth sail telecommunication activities he took the bull by its horns and incorporated Arcade in 2008.
Arcade started with site acquisition and moved on to installations of equipment such as; Microwave, Generator and other telecommunications gadgets.
Arcade does site acquisition, construction and erection of base stations. The company has worked successfully with IPT, CICTT, Accord, GTL, CITCC, Indeco, Airtel, ETU, MMU, and IQT, to mention a few.
The MD explained in toto the efficiency of Microwaves, BTS, (Base Transceiver Station), and he also talked about the part of the gadgets that handles the control of receiving calls and doing the locks to CREEKVIBES OLUWADAMILARE DANIELS. Excerpts;
What do you use microwave for?
That is what we use in propagating the network; there are hierarchies in telecoms with which the network is move from one place to another.
Can you tell us a little about how the telecom functions?
The switch is called the MSC (Mobile Switching Centre), it connects to the BSC (Base Station Controller). It is a cluster controller that breaks down the network. For instance, somebody from Maiduguri cannot use a microwave to tap the network from Lagos; the network has to get to Abuja first, and get propagated into switches, after which it will be disseminated to states close to Abuja. Anyways,that is the work of a designer.
The general installation, transmision and power pack is what I base on, I also handle the installations of microwaves and BTS (Base Transceiver Station) that control our receiving calls and doing the locks.
How far has the Arcade come?
We have done several satisfactory works for our clients; in terms of site-civil work; the plinth; tower erection, upgrade, shelter etc.
Ten years ago, we have stop the building of shelter within the site, the improvement in site management caused it, and we have started to build shelters outside of the sites. This development saved the cost of providing shelters for BTS equipment, and we now have outdoor equipment but, for sites with BSC (Base Station Controller) with several transmission coming in and going out, there is need for shelter, so that there can be a transition cabinet.
Some sites can be a Hub, some terminal, and some BSC, these channels distribute to other sites.
Between Hub and Terminal, which one is the best?
As I said earlier, the network is broken down from MSC to BSC from BSC it goes to another part which is a hub, a hub can house an average of 6 to 7 sites but in terms of BSC, it transmits to like 20 hubs. BSC has data core people doing the communication work like; apportioning IP(s) to different parts for terminals to be traceable.
Can we have an instance of how the MSC, BSC and Microwaves work?
Akowonjo for instance, can have two hubs connected to a BSC (Big mast) in Oregun that will transmit signals down to the two hubs in Akowonjo, simultaneously the big mast will be transmitting to four hubs in Agege, and three in Ikotun.
Let’s move back to the two hubs in Akowonjo, these will serve seven to ten sites, we could have up to twenty sites in Akowonjo, which is also the essence of BTS, (Base Transceiver Station) that serves that environment.
The microwave’s essence is to transmit the network from one place to another, a hub in Akowonjo may serve up to 10 terminal sites, the terminal is the endpoint of the site, and once they have BTS they receive a signal from the hub.
We the end users, what do you refer to us as?
You are a terminal, it is better to call you user because we also refer to some equipment as terminal, users are connected to terminals that is the BTS, now terminals are connected to the hub, hubs are connected to BSC, BSCs are connected to the MSC, in between we have interfaces core, we call it core network but it is not my jurisdiction, so I can’t expatiate on it.
On the aspect of 2g, 3g, and 4g, it all depends on how the network is fashioned, solely the bandwidth and speed at which it moves, is what makes the difference.
Talking about 5g now we need a clearer and faster network that’s why the introduction of fibre cables is welcomed, not that we don’t use fibre cable before, we only use it to move the network to where microwave cannot get to, in a nutshell, fibre is clearer than airways which is microwave.
Fibre should be better since it can go farther.
Yes, it is cleaner, it is just like when we were using land cable in those days; it is just direct.
Microwave has a limitation, if it is facing a direction of a tall building, mountain, and tall tree, the network is bound to be obstructed, that’s why it is a norm to place microwave on top of a tower, unlike fibre, which is buried below the earth, and if it is without damage it will be pure; clean and faster.
Does the passing of aircraft affect microwave transmission?
Not really, but the high voltage electricity tower does, because they generate electromagnetic waves, if a PHCN tower is mounted close to where the microwave tower is, the transmission of the microwave signals with be distorted, in the same vein a fibre optic cable buried close to a power cable below the earth will also experience distortion due to the radiation of the power cable.
Although the pattern of running power cables below the earth is not common in Nigeria, it is common in some African countries.
Anyways electromagnetic distorts good communication. Arcade also specializes in nodes, upgrades, and fibre optic laying.
What can be done to curtail incessant network breakdown?
Network breakdown is caused by three factors in Nigeria.
1. Power outage: It is not profitable running this business with a generator 24/7, Globacom uses generators in 90 per cent of their sites, due to epileptic power supply, you can imagine the wear and tear of the generators.
2. Local myths: Locals believe that there is whooping money in Telecom and in return they place different levies on companies building network masts across the country, landlord associations do come up with different surcharges like; fix my road or drainages, they don’t even want to understand that these are not Federal Government projects, the fact that we are doing business, and have paid all necessary payments to the government is swept under the carpet, nonetheless the environment where you have equipment worth over $100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Dollars) you need to have a good rapport with the community, Telecos do support communities with CSR but making it mandatory to obtain funds is not interesting.
I will want them to see the Telcos as they see Ikeja Electric/PHCN; their services can be withdrawn at any time, and so telcos can withdraw their services from warring communities too.
3. Theft: People do come and still generator batteries and siphon fuel from drums meant for the generator, sometimes they go as far as removing the engine of the generator and run away with it, we have recorded cases where thieves tied down security men on site and carted away valuables.
Can you mention some locations where you encountered such nefarious activities?
Haaaa, it is common; sites are down majorly in the North and it is tied to the Boko Haram insurgence, many sites worth thousands of dollars were set ablaze due to insurgency, another scenario within the Akowonjo community has it that, a landlord that was supposed to be the security of the mast equipment was the same person caught stealing on the site.
How did you manage to catch him?
It incurred an additional cost of installing hidden cameras on the site when the burden of fueling and buying batteries became unbearable. HIS caught him with the aid of installed cameras, he was charged to court and was sentenced to a year jail term.
Several sites in Ondo State have recorded thefts.
Even in Ikoyi, it happens.
In the course of discharging your duties, how many countries have you gone to?
I have been to about three African countries, and I have attended a training course in China thrice, Portugal twice, and I have worked in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
