What is a base station and why is it needed? Cellular towers near your home - are they harmful to health?

Mobile phones have become a part of the everyday life of modern people. And even despite the fact that many have heard about the harm that this type of communication brings, no one is in a hurry to abandon such communications. You can protect yourself and your family a little by reducing the time you use mobile phones, since the harm to the health of cell phone towers is quite noticeable. This is especially reflected in the younger generation and people with a bunch of chronic diseases.

Radiation hazards from towers

Absolutely all exogenous factors that have an effect on the human body lead to some consequences, and radiation from cell towers is not an exception to the rule. Towers emit electromagnetic signals for communication between subscribers who use mobile communications. Such radiation is considered relatively harmless to people, but a mobile communication tower next to a residential building still has a harmful effect on health.

Based on the research conducted, we can say for sure that telephone towers installed in residential areas lead to a number of pathologies of various internal organs.

Any mobile communication towers that are installed near residential buildings are harmful to health, but the intensity of the harmful effects is directly dependent on the signal that this tower reproduces.

The propagation of an impulse over different distances depends on several factors, among which are the following:

Stories from our readers

Vladimir
61 years old

What load does the structure itself bear and are there similar transmission towers nearby.
Special equipment that was used by the mobile operator when building the tower, as well as equipment that is used to receive signals by communications subscribers.
Density of buildings near a mobile tower. The greater the building density, the more difficult it is to receive a signal, so when installing towers, not only the territory is important, but also the buildings that are nearby.

The damage from the operation of the tower is directly proportional to the radiation from the installed cellular antenna, and therefore to the intensity of its operation. This physical quantity depends on the applied load on the direct source of signals. In simple terms, the more people use the radiation services of a particular antenna support, the more intensely it will reproduce harmful impulses.

With intensive operation of a mobile communication tower, which is located in close proximity to residential buildings, the health of the people living there steadily deteriorates.

Physical features of radiation

The negative impact of cell towers on human health has already been proven, but at the same time, controversy surrounding mobile base stations continues. Developers unanimously insist that such towers do not harm human health, because they are erected in accordance with accepted norms and rules. Based on legislation, the impact from the towers should not exceed the maximum permissible values. But scientists have a different opinion and advise people to be wary of this type of radiation, especially if the antenna support is located next to a residential building.

Mobile operators claim that the harm caused by communication towers to humans is indirect and therefore does not cause significant harm to health. They explain this by saying that the signals emitted by a mobile phone tower are generated at the highest point of the metal structure and propagate at a decent height from the ground. A fraction of the radiation reaches the ground, but it is almost 1000 times less than that which passes above. But do not forget about physical laws. According to one of them, energy dissipation is directly proportional to the square of the distance. Consequently, the greater the distance to a residential property, the greater the negative impact will be on all living organisms. This is even taking into account the fact that an order of magnitude less radiation comes down than is present in the air.

The damage from cellular antennas installed on the roofs of high-rise buildings is also quite noticeable. Although these metal structures produce much less radiation than towers, their dimensions are also proportionally reduced. Because of this, the distance between the point where the signal is generated and the room with people decreases. Typically, radiation in such areas significantly exceeds the permissible 10 μW/cm, which is considered conditionally safe for human health. Added to this radiation is that produced by other devices found in every home - television, microwave oven, radio and others.

From a biological point of view, the dangerous effects of electromagnetic radiation can be the cause of many diseases.

What diseases can be caused by mobile towers?

Mobile communication towers are undoubtedly harmful, especially if they are installed in close proximity to houses, without respecting the distance of the sanitary zone. The consequences depend only on how much harmful radiation enters the human body. It is worth considering that the closer people live to the source of such radiation, the more energy is absorbed by the body, which then leads to the following dangerous consequences:

The functions of the central nervous system are inhibited. This is manifested by persistent migraines, apathy, weakness, atypical drowsiness and irritability.
The risk of cardiovascular disease increases, which ultimately leads to a heart attack or stroke.
Hormonal levels change, which leads to the occurrence of genitourinary diseases. With constant exposure to radiation from a mobile communication tower, men develop impotence, they lose the ability to fertilize, while women have difficulty bearing a child.
Development of various chronic diseases. For example, people who suffer from allergic reactions may develop asthma.
Violation of the functions of all organs due to changes in homeostasis in the body.

It must be remembered that the effect of cell towers on health depends on a person’s genetic predispositions and the presence of chronic diseases. Thus, strong and resilient people are at the lowest risk.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should beware of harmful radiation from mobile phone towers. The developing fetus in the womb is very susceptible to both endogenous and exogenous factors. Radiation can lead to various pathologies in the unborn child, and in severe cases, early pregnancy termination or fetal death may occur. In women during lactation, radiation can lead to changes in the composition of breast milk, which will affect the nervous and digestive systems of the baby.

How to protect yourself from the negative effects of communication towers

There are several methods that can reduce the harmful effects of a mobile tower or neutralize it altogether:

Certain building materials reduce radiation. So, glass can reduce this figure by almost 3 times, and concrete by 30 times. That is, the person who is inside the house is practically protected.
Frequent cleaning of the room will also help reduce the negative effect. Moisture partially reduces the harmful energy that has accumulated in the house.
Use mobile phones as little as possible, especially children and adolescents.

Every home has a mobile phone, and some families have about a dozen. And although people have heard about the dangers of mobile communications, no one is in a hurry to give it up. Cellular towers located in close proximity to residential buildings pose a danger to human health. When choosing an apartment or private house, you should take this fact into account.

August 17, 2010

Do you know what happens after you dial a friend's number on your mobile phone? How does the cellular network find it in the mountains of Andalusia or on the coast of distant Easter Island? Why does the conversation sometimes suddenly stop? Last week I visited the Beeline company and tried to figure out how cellular communications work...

A large area of the populated part of our country is covered by Base Stations (BS). In the field they look like red and white towers, and in the city they are hidden on the roofs of non-residential buildings. Each station picks up signals from mobile phones at a distance of up to 35 kilometers and communicates with the mobile phone via service or voice channels.

After you have dialed a friend's number, your phone contacts the Base Station (BS) closest to you via a service channel and asks to allocate a voice channel. The Base Station sends a request to the controller (BSC), which forwards it to the switch (MSC). If your friend is a subscriber to the same cellular network, then the switch will check the Home Location Register (HLR), find out where the called subscriber is currently located (at home, in Turkey or Alaska), and transfer the call to the appropriate switch from where it was sent will be sent to the controller and then to the Base Station. The Base Station will contact your mobile phone and connect you to your friend. If your friend is on a different network or you are calling a landline, your switch will contact the corresponding switch on the other network.

Difficult? Let's take a closer look.

The Base Station is a pair of iron cabinets locked in a well-conditioned room. Considering that it was +40 outside in Moscow, I wanted to live in this room for a while. Typically, the Base Station is located either in the attic of a building or in a container on the roof:

The Base Station antenna is divided into several sectors, each of which “shines” in its own direction. The vertical antenna communicates with phones, the round antenna connects the Base Station to the controller:

The Base Station can operate in three bands:

900 MHz - a signal at this frequency travels further and penetrates better inside buildings
1800 MHz - the signal travels over shorter distances, but allows you to install a larger number of transmitters in 1 sector
2100 MHz - 3G network

This is what a cabinet with 3G equipment looks like:

900 MHz transmitters are installed at Base Stations in fields and villages, and in the city, where Base Stations are stuck like hedgehog needles, communication is mainly carried out at a frequency of 1800 MHz, although any Base Station may have transmitters of all three ranges simultaneously.

All Base Stations are designed to provide optimal radio coverage at ground level. Therefore, despite a range of 35 kilometers, a radio signal is simply not sent to the aircraft’s flight altitude. However, some airlines have already begun installing low-power base stations on their aircraft that provide coverage within the aircraft. Such a BS is connected to a terrestrial cellular network using a satellite channel. The system is complemented by a control panel that allows the crew to turn the system on and off, as well as certain types of services, for example, turning off the voice on night flights.

The phone can measure the signal strength from 32 Base Stations simultaneously. It sends information about the 6 best (in terms of signal strength) via the service channel, and the controller (BSC) decides which BS to transfer the current call (Handover) if you are on the move. Sometimes the phone may make a mistake and transfer you to a BS with a worse signal, in which case the conversation may be interrupted. It may also turn out that at the Base Station that your phone has selected, all voice lines are busy. In this case, the conversation will also be interrupted.

They also told me about the so-called “problem of the upper floors.” If you live in a penthouse, then sometimes, when moving from one room to another, the conversation may be interrupted. This happens because in one room the phone can “see” one BS, and in the second - another, if it faces the other side of the house, and, at the same time, these 2 Base Stations are located at a great distance from each other and are not registered as " neighboring" from the mobile operator. In this case, the call will not be transferred from one BS to another:

As I wrote above, one BS can make up to 432 calls simultaneously. Usually this power is enough, but, for example, during some holidays the BS may not be able to cope with the number of people wanting to call. This usually happens on New Year's Day, when everyone starts congratulating each other.

SMS are transmitted via service channels. On March 8 and February 23, people prefer to congratulate each other via SMS, sending funny poems, and phones often cannot agree with the BS on the allocation of a voice channel.

I was told an interesting case. In one area of Moscow, subscribers began to receive complaints that they could not get through to anyone. Technical specialists began to figure it out. Most voice channels were free, but all service channels were busy. It turned out that next to this BS there was an institute where exams were going on and students were constantly exchanging text messages.

The phone divides long SMS into several short ones and sends each one separately. Technical service staff advise sending such congratulations via MMS. It will be faster and cheaper.

From the Base Station the call goes to the controller. It looks as boring as the BS itself - it’s just a set of cabinets:

Depending on the equipment, the controller can serve up to 60 Base Stations. Communication between the BS and the controller (BSC) can be carried out via a radio relay channel or via optics. The controller controls the operation of radio channels, incl. controls the subscriber’s movement and signal transmission from one BS to another.

The switch looks much more interesting:

Each switch serves from 2 to 30 controllers. It occupies a large hall, filled with various cabinets with equipment:

10.

11.

12.

The switch controls traffic. Remember the old movies where people first dialed the “girl”, and then she connected them to another subscriber by switching wires? Modern switches do the same thing:

13.

To control the network, Beeline has several cars, which they affectionately call “hedgehogs.” They move around the city and measure the signal level of their own network, as well as the level of the network of their colleagues from the Big Three:

14.

The entire roof of such a car is covered with antennas:

15.

Inside there is equipment that makes hundreds of calls and takes information:

16.

24-hour monitoring of switches and controllers is carried out from the Mission Control Center of the Network Control Center (NCC):

17.

There are 3 main areas for monitoring the cellular network: accident rates, statistics and feedback from subscribers.

Just like in airplanes, all cellular network equipment has sensors that send a signal to the central control system and output information to dispatchers’ computers. If some equipment fails, the light on the monitor will begin to “blink.”

The CCS also tracks statistics for all switches and controllers. He analyzes it, comparing it with previous periods (hour, day, week, etc.). If the statistics of any of the nodes began to differ sharply from the previous indicators, then the light on the monitor will start to “blink” again.

Feedback is received by customer service operators. If they cannot resolve the problem, the call is transferred to a technician. If he turns out to be powerless, then an “incident” is created in the company, which is resolved by the engineers involved in the operation of the relevant equipment.

The switches are monitored 24/7 by 2 engineers:

18.

The graph shows the activity of Moscow switches. It is clearly visible that almost no one calls at night:

19.

Control over the controllers (forgive the tautology) is carried out from the second floor of the Network Control Center:

22.

21.

I understand that you still have a lot of questions about how the cellular network works. The topic is complex, and I asked a specialist from Beeline to help me respond to your comments. My only request is to stay on topic. And questions like “Beeline radishes. They stole 3 rubles from my account” - address the subscriber service 0611.

Tomorrow there will be a post about how a whale jumped out in front of me, but I didn’t have time to photograph it. Stay Tuned!

Each sector can handle up to 72 calls simultaneously, depending on setup and configuration. A Base Station can consist of 6 sectors, so one Base Station can handle up to 432 calls, however, a station usually has fewer transmitters and sectors installed. Cellular operators prefer to install more BS to improve the quality of communication. The Base Station can operate in three bands: 900 MHz - the signal at this frequency travels further and penetrates better inside buildings 1800 MHz - the signal travels over shorter distances, but allows you to install a larger number of transmitters in 1 sector 2100 MHz - 3G Network This is what the cabinet looks like with 3G equipment:

A signal with a frequency of 900 MHz can reach up to 35 kilometers, although the “range” of some Base Stations located along highways can reach up to 70 kilometers, due to the reduction in the number of simultaneously served subscribers at the station by half. Accordingly, our phone with its small built-in antenna can also transmit a signal over a distance of up to 70 kilometers... All Base Stations are designed to provide optimal radio coverage at ground level. Therefore, despite a range of 35 kilometers, a radio signal is simply not sent to the aircraft’s flight altitude. However, some airlines have already begun installing low-power base stations on their aircraft that provide coverage within the aircraft. Such a BS is connected to a terrestrial cellular network using a satellite channel. The system is complemented by a control panel that allows the crew to turn the system on and off, as well as certain types of services, for example, turning off the voice on night flights. The phone can measure the signal strength from 32 Base Stations simultaneously. It sends information about the 6 best (in terms of signal strength) via the service channel, and the controller (BSC) decides which BS to transfer the current call (Handover) if you are on the move. Sometimes the phone may make a mistake and transfer you to a BS with a worse signal, in which case the conversation may be interrupted. It may also turn out that at the Base Station that your phone has selected, all voice lines are busy. In this case, the conversation will also be interrupted. They also told me about the so-called “upper floor problem.” If you live in a penthouse, then sometimes, when moving from one room to another, the conversation may be interrupted. This happens because in one room the phone can “see” one BS, and in the second - another, if it faces the other side of the house, and, at the same time, these 2 Base Stations are located at a great distance from each other and are not registered as “ neighboring" from the mobile operator. In this case, the call will not be transferred from one BS to another:

Communication in the metro is provided in the same way as on the street: Base Station - controller - switch, with the only difference being that small Base Stations are used there, and in the tunnel, coverage is provided not by an ordinary antenna, but by a special radiating cable. As I wrote above, one BS can make up to 432 calls simultaneously. Usually this power is enough, but, for example, during some holidays the BS may not be able to cope with the number of people wanting to call. This usually happens on New Year's Day, when everyone starts congratulating each other. SMS are transmitted via service channels. On March 8 and February 23, people prefer to congratulate each other via SMS, sending funny poems, and phones often cannot agree with the BS on the allocation of a voice channel. I was told an interesting case. In one area of Moscow, subscribers began to receive complaints that they could not get through to anyone. Technical specialists began to figure it out. Most voice channels were free, but all service channels were busy. It turned out that next to this BS there was an institute where exams were going on and students were constantly exchanging text messages. The phone divides long SMS into several short ones and sends each one separately. Technical service staff advise sending such congratulations via MMS. It will be faster and cheaper. From the Base Station the call goes to the controller. It looks as boring as the BS itself - it’s just a set of cabinets:

Each switch serves from 2 to 30 controllers. It occupies a large hall, filled with various cabinets with equipment:

10.

11.

12.

The switch controls traffic. Remember the old movies where people first dialed the “girl”, and then she connected them to another subscriber by switching the wires? Modern switches do the same thing:

13.

14.

The entire roof of such a car is covered with antennas:

15.

Inside there is equipment that makes hundreds of calls and takes information:

16.

24-hour monitoring of switches and controllers is carried out from the Mission Control Center of the Network Control Center (NCC):

17.

There are 3 main areas for monitoring the cellular network: accident rates, statistics and feedback from subscribers. Just like in airplanes, all cellular network equipment has sensors that send a signal to the central control system and output information to dispatchers’ computers. If some equipment fails, the light on the monitor will begin to “blink.” The CCS also tracks statistics for all switches and controllers. He analyzes it, comparing it with previous periods (hour, day, week, etc.). If the statistics of any of the nodes began to differ sharply from previous indicators, then the light on the monitor will again begin to “blink”. Feedback is received by customer service operators. If they cannot resolve the problem, the call is transferred to a technician. If he turns out to be powerless, then an “incident” is created in the company, which is resolved by the engineers involved in the operation of the relevant equipment. The switches are monitored 24/7 by 2 engineers:

18.

The graph shows the activity of Moscow switches. It is clearly visible that almost no one calls at night:

19.

Control over the controllers (forgive the tautology) is carried out from the second floor of the Network Control Center:

22.

21.

Now that mobile wireless communication devices are used even by elementary school students, many are beginning to wonder what a cellular base station is and what effect it has on a person. It is not surprising that the news keeps mentioning scandals caused by the installation of transmitter towers on the roofs of high-rise residential buildings without the consent of the residents. Today we will try to figure out what is really happening and is the danger real?

Mobile networks

It is difficult to imagine the modern world without the convenience of taking a mobile phone out of your pocket and dialing the desired number to chat with someone. Unfortunately, you have to pay for convenience. And not only with money, but also with your own health. Any wireless device, when active, negatively affects a person. The phone is no exception. Since it is difficult to refuse it, by becoming familiar with what a base station is and the principles of its operation, you can reduce the total harmful impact.

There are three main types of communication:

directly between two devices;
via satellite;
in a system where a base station is used.

Direct communication requires devices to be within range of their own transceiver modules, which is not always possible, since in many cases this would require enormous power and external antennas. Communication via satellite is too expensive and is not intended for simultaneous servicing of millions of subscribers, which is typical for land-based mobile GSM networks, which are based on a unit - a base station. Accordingly, the last thing left is cellular communication.

Network structure

To answer the question of what a base station is, let's imagine a simple situation where you need to establish a wireless connection between two phones. As long as they are within the coverage area of their own transmitters, there are no problems. However, since the power is low, when the devices are some distance from each other, communication is lost. To solve this, it was proposed to install an intermediate link between the phones with a transceiver module, which would pick up the emitted signals and, amplifying them, transmit them further. In fact, we can say that the phones are getting closer. This link is the base station (BS, tower). Since it is not required to be mobile and there are no strong restrictions on power sources and capacities, the coverage area of one BS is much larger than that of a conventional mobile phone. In order to provide global coverage, it was decided to locate stations in polygon cell nodes. This scheme is optimal. That is why cellular base stations can be found everywhere - these are polygon nodes. It's that simple. Where do the allegations of harm come from?

The dangers of mobile devices

To understand what's going on, you need to understand the basic mechanics of how cellular networks work. Let's imagine four subscribers, two of whom are talking, and two of whom are not, although their mobile phones are connected to the network (the card is active, there is power). For those talking, everything is simple: the base stations are open and transmission is carried out. But two other mobile devices periodically exchange data with nearby BSs. In fact, the station takes the direction of the mobile phone, determining its location. This is necessary so that when you try to make a call, the communication channel is formed without delays associated with setting up a chain of towers. The conclusion is simple: even if the phone is not used for conversation, it periodically communicates with the network, emitting radio waves. It is not difficult to guess that although their intensity is low, with a large number of subscribers the tower practically does not turn off, constantly taking the direction of the devices. Hence the experiences of residents of high-rise buildings with BS on the roofs.

How to protect yourself

When making a call, the greatest radiation occurs at the time the connection is established, so it is recommended not to bring the phone too close to your ear for the first seconds after connection.

Since the phone and the BS are required to exchange data, when located in an area of poor reception, the device increases the transmitter power so that the signal reaches the tower. If this connection is broken, it is registered in the network. Conclusion: in case of poor reception, you need to keep your mobile phone away from you.

aslan wrote in February 2nd, 2016

Cellular communications have recently become so firmly established in our daily lives that it is difficult to imagine modern society without it. Like many other great inventions, the mobile phone has greatly influenced our lives and many areas of it. It is difficult to say what the future would be like if it were not for this convenient type of communication. Probably the same as in the movie "Back to the Future 2", where there are flying cars, hoverboards, and much more, but there is no cellular communication!

But today, in a special report for, there will be a story not about the future, but about how modern cellular communications are structured and work.

In order to learn about the operation of modern cellular communications in the 3G/4G format, I invited myself to visit the new federal operator Tele2 and spent the whole day with their engineers, who explained to me all the intricacies of data transmission through our mobile phones.

But first I’ll tell you a little about the history of cellular communications.

The principles of wireless communication were tested almost 70 years ago - the first public mobile radiotelephone appeared in 1946 in St. Louis, USA. In the Soviet Union, a prototype of a mobile radiotelephone was created in 1957, then scientists in other countries created similar devices with different characteristics, and only in the 70s of the last century in America were the modern principles of cellular communication determined, after which its development began.

Martin Cooper is the inventor of the Motorola DynaTAC portable cell phone prototype, weighing 1.15 kg and measuring 22.5 x 12.5 x 3.75 cm

If in Western countries by the mid-90s of the last century, cellular communications were widespread and used by most of the population, then in Russia it just began to appear, and became available to everyone a little over 10 years ago.

Bulky, brick-shaped mobile phones that worked in the first and second generation formats have become history, giving way to smartphones with 3G and 4G, better voice communications and high Internet speeds.

Why is the connection called cellular? Because the territory in which communication is provided is divided into separate cells or cells, in the center of which base stations (BS) are located. In each “cell” the subscriber receives the same set of services within certain territorial boundaries. This means that moving from one cell to another, the subscriber does not feel territorial attachment and can freely use communication services.

It is very important that there is continuity of connection when moving. This is ensured thanks to the so-called handover, in which the connection established by the subscriber is, as it were, picked up by neighboring cells in a relay race, and the subscriber continues to talk or delve into social networks.

The entire network is divided into two subsystems: the base station subsystem and the switching subsystem. Schematically it looks like this:

In the middle of the "cell", as mentioned above, there is a base station, which usually serves three "cells". The radio signal from the base station is emitted through 3 sector antennas, each of which is aimed at its own “cell”. It happens that several antennas of one base station are directed at one “cell”. This is due to the fact that the cellular network operates in several bands (900 and 1800 MHz). In addition, a given base station may contain equipment from several generations of communications (2G and 3G).

But Tele2 BS towers only have third and fourth generation equipment - 3G/4G, since the company decided to abandon old formats in favor of new ones, which help avoid interruptions in voice communication and provide a more stable Internet. Regulars of social networks will support me in the fact that nowadays Internet speed is very important, 100-200 kb/s is no longer enough, as it was a couple of years ago.

The most common location for a BS is a tower or mast built specifically for it. Surely you could see red and white BS towers somewhere far from residential buildings (in a field, on a hill), or where there are no tall buildings nearby. Like this one, which is visible from my window.

However, in urban areas it is difficult to find a place to place a massive structure. Therefore, in large cities, base stations are located on buildings. Each station picks up signals from mobile phones at a distance of up to 35 km.

These are antennas, the BS equipment itself is located in the attic, or in a container on the roof, which is a pair of iron cabinets.

Some base stations are located in places you wouldn't even guess. Like, for example, on the roof of this parking lot.

The BS antenna consists of several sectors, each of which receives/sends a signal in its own direction. If the vertical antenna communicates with phones, then the round antenna connects the BS to the controller.

Depending on the characteristics, each sector can handle up to 72 calls simultaneously. A BS can consist of 6 sectors and serve up to 432 calls, but usually fewer transmitters and sectors are installed at stations. Cellular operators such as Tele2 prefer to install more BS to improve the quality of communication. As I was told, the most modern equipment is used here: Ericsson base stations, transport network - Alcatel Lucent.

From the base station subsystem, the signal is transmitted towards the switching subsystem, where a connection is established in the direction desired by the subscriber. The switching subsystem has a number of databases that store subscriber information. In addition, this subsystem is responsible for security. To put it simply, the switch is complete It has the same functions as the female operators who used to connect you with the subscriber with their hands, only now all this happens automatically.

The equipment for this base station is hidden in this iron cabinet.

In addition to conventional towers, there are also mobile versions of base stations located on trucks. They are very convenient to use during natural disasters or in crowded places (football stadiums, central squares) during holidays, concerts and various events. But, unfortunately, due to problems in legislation, they have not yet found wide application.

To ensure optimal radio signal coverage at ground level, base stations are designed in a special way, therefore, despite the range of 35 km. the signal does not extend to aircraft flight altitude. However, some airlines have already begun installing small base stations on their boards that provide cellular communications inside the aircraft. Such a BS is connected to a terrestrial cellular network using a satellite channel. The system is complemented by a control panel that allows the crew to turn the system on and off, as well as certain types of services, for example, turning off the voice on night flights.

I also looked into the Tele2 office to see how specialists monitor the quality of cellular communications. If a few years ago such a room would have been hung to the ceiling with monitors showing network data (load, network failures, etc.), then over time the need for so many monitors has disappeared.

Technologies have developed greatly over time, and such a small room with several specialists is enough to monitor the work of the entire network in Moscow.

Some views from the Tele2 office.

At a meeting of company employees, plans to capture the capital are discussed) From the beginning of construction until today, Tele2 has managed to cover all of Moscow with its network, and is gradually conquering the Moscow region, launching more than 100 base stations weekly. Since I now live in the region, it is very important to me. so that this network comes to my town as quickly as possible.

The company's plans for 2016 include providing high-speed communications in the metro at all stations; at the beginning of 2016, Tele2 communications are present at 11 stations: 3G/4G communications at the Borisovo, Delovoy Tsentr, Kotelniki, and Lermontovsky Prospekt metro stations. , “Troparevo”, “Shipilovskaya”, “Zyablikovo”, 3G: “Belorusskaya” (Ring), “Spartak”, “Pyatnitskoye Shosse”, “Zhulebino”.

As I said above, Tele2 abandoned the GSM format in favor of third and fourth generation standards - 3G/4G. This allows you to install 3G/4G base stations with a higher frequency (for example, inside the Moscow Ring Road, the BSs are located at a distance of about 500 meters from each other) to provide more stable communications and high speed mobile Internet, which was not the case in networks of previous formats.

From the company’s office, I, in the company of engineers Nikifor and Vladimir, go to one of the points where they need to measure the communication speed. Nikifor stands in front of one of the masts on which communications equipment is installed. If you look closely, you will notice a little further to the left another such mast, with equipment from other cellular operators.

Oddly enough, cellular operators often allow their competitors to use their tower structures to place antennas (naturally on mutually beneficial terms). This is because building a tower or mast is an expensive proposition, and such an exchange can save a lot of money!

While we were measuring the communication speed, Nikifor was asked several times by passing grandmothers and uncles if he was a spy)) “Yes, we are jamming Radio Liberty!”

The equipment actually looks unusual; from its appearance one can assume anything.

The company’s specialists have a lot of work to do, considering that the company has more than 7 thousand in Moscow and the region. base stations: about 5 thousand of them. 3G and about 2 thousand. LTE base stations, and recently the number of base stations has increased by about a thousand.
In just three months, 55% of the total number of new operator base stations in the region were put on air in the Moscow region. Currently, the company provides high-quality coverage of the territory where more than 90% of the population of Moscow and the Moscow region lives.
By the way, in December, Tele2’s 3G network was recognized as the best in quality among all capital operators.

But I decided to personally check how good Tele2’s connection is, so I bought a SIM card in the nearest shopping center on Voykovskaya metro station, with the simplest tariff “Very Black” for 299 rubles (400 SMS/minutes and 4 GB). By the way, I had a similar Beeline tariff, which was 100 rubles more expensive.

I checked the speed without going far from the cash register. Reception - 6.13 Mbps, transmission - 2.57 Mbps. Considering that I am standing in the center of a shopping center, this is a good result; Tele2 communication penetrates well through the walls of a large shopping center.

At metro Tretyakovskaya. Signal reception - 5.82 Mbps, transmission - 3.22 Mbps.

And on metro station Krasnogvardeyskaya. Reception - 6.22 Mbps, transmission - 3.77 Mbps. I measured it at the exit of the subway. If you take into account that this is the outskirts of Moscow, it’s very decent. I think that the connection is quite acceptable, we can confidently say that it is stable, considering that Tele2 appeared in Moscow just a couple of months ago.

There is a stable Tele2 connection in the capital, which is good. I really hope that they will come to the region as soon as possible and I will be able to take full advantage of their connection.

Now you know how cellular communication works!

If you have a production or service that you want to tell our readers about, write to me - Aslan ( [email protected] ) and we will make the best report, which will be seen not only by readers of the community, but also by the website http://ikaketosdelano.ru

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