Busy streets, pedestrians everywhere, crowded right of ways, abandoned utilities and endless fiber installs with little room underground to spare. This is most likely how any excavator digging in Chicago would describe the Race to 5G in 2018. And with this work, its most important to design and execute efficiently. That’s why we featured HBK Engineering and Electric Conduit Construction in Episode 10. They demonstrate exactly what it takes to efficiently and safely get the job done. Watch the process it takes, from engineering to construction, to install small cell node panels on light poles so that people can have a 5G internet connection.

The crews of Electric Conduit Construction used trenching, drilling and hand digging to bring fiber and power up light poles to fiber and electric panels. On each pole they would then install a cell site: an antenna sending out a signal for cell phones. Areas around Chicago no longer build cell towers or put antennas on buildings. This new method gives a wider range for telecom customers. Jeff Larson, Safety Director, emphasizes the need to be vigilant in a congested, high traffic and high pedestrian urban area. Looking out for public safety is paramount in these types of jobs. Congestion of utilities in an urban environment, both live and abandoned, requires potholing of every utility to ensure safety for workers and the public.

Fiber installations will continue to increase and improve as our demand for faster cell service and internet connections also continue to grow.

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