Versalift Cable Placers – Construction & Maintenance of Overhead Cable Networks
Cable placers are truck-mounted aerial lifts that are specifically outfitted to string new overhead cable. Stringing cable is an important step in the construction of new telecommunication and electric power infrastructure. Versalift supports telecommunications providers, public utilities and investor owned utility companies that build and manage this infrastructure. The company builds and upfits cable placers that meet high demand in North America. Beyond Versalift’s safety, quality and reliability, the high demand for cable placers is driven by several factors. Three of the most important elements are challenges in existing infrastructure, recent destructive weather patterns, and booming demand for high speed connectivity.
Telecommunications Infrastructure Challenges
The telecommunications networks that cross the United States are among the finest in the world. Over the past decade, there has been an unprecedented level of public and private investment in broadband telecommunications infrastructure. US Telecom reports that in 2018, broadband providers are investing $78 billion on telecommunications infrastructure. One reason that investment is so heavy is because needs to be more infrastructure. This is because there is huge anticipated demand for broadband access. Another reason is that it must be improved. Telecom providers know that much existing infrastructure must be upgraded to support high-quality broadband access. Lastly, access to high-speed internet is not evenly spread around the United States. One important American task is to make sure that rural areas have the same access as urban areas.
Destructive Weather Patterns
Bearing witness to the destructive power of recent hurricanes, wildfires, mudslides and floods, Americans are aware of how destructive weather can harm a community. When information infrastructure must be rebuilt, it is equipment like Versalift cable placers that make this work efficient. The same is equally true for electric power infrastructure. When access to power and communication is lost, people work urgently to restore it. This is because we rely upon electricity and telecommunications to organize and administer our society. Destructive weather patterns continue to push demand for cable placers and other utility equipment.
Increased Demand for Broadband Internet
Cable placers are required to meet the demand for faster internet speeds. It is true that the biggest growth trends in the North American telecommunications industry involve mobile access to broadband internet speeds. While that is true, it is essential to remember that the largest amount of broadband access has, and will continue to be, through fixed, coaxial and fiber-optic cable internet connections. According to the US Telecom State of the Industry Report from Q1 2018, there are more than 34 million cable television subscriptions, which represents just under 90 million Americans who are served by cable television. Those facts reveal that nearly one quarter of all Americans have cable TV access in their homes.
Cable placers create the opportunity for fleet managers to balance their fleets. By adding a heavier Versalift VTP cable placer, a fleet gains the ability to string heavier cable, which is a desirable function. By adding a Versalift STP cable placer, a fleet gains a different kind of functionality – lighter weight, more maneuverable and suited to both line maintenance and line construction tasks.