SECTION 3. WIRELESS

TELECOMMUNICATION ASSETS

.01 Wireless telecommunication assets include a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) and cell sites. The functions of the MTSO and cell sites are comparable to those of a wireline telephone central office and the associated land line cables.

.02 The MTSO is a central switching facility that transmits wireless voice and data (including video) communications to and from cell sites and other equipment that comprise the wireless network, and also connects the wireless network to the wireline network (public switched telephone network). The MTSO and its equipment are powered by conventional electrical service with back-up support from electric generators or battery systems.

.03 MTSO equipment typically includes the mobile switching center, base station controllers or generational equivalent, radio network controllers, mobility managers, operations and management platforms, protocol handlers, vocoders, modems, cross-connects, and optical-cross connect bays.

.04 A typical cell site consists of cell site equipment, a self-supporting antenna support structure (also known as a tower) for mounting antennas, and related support and power equipment. Cell site equipment typically includes a base transceiver station or generational equivalent (which may include, for example, vocoders, modems, channel cards, transceivers/amplifiers cards, modulators, demodulators, and combiners), antennas, and alarm and support equipment, and also may include microwave equipment. In some cases, cell site equipment includes a base station controller.

The antenna system at the cell site generally consists of the antennas (with or without remote electrical tilt functionality (RET)), coaxial and jumper cables from

the antennas to the base transceiver station (antenna cables), and RET equipment.

A cell site also may include a small structure (the hut) to house and shelter the cell site equipment that does not have its own weather proof enclosure or cabinet.