Morrisville Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Master Plan - 2013

Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Master Plan - Town of Morrisville, NC – Adopted July 23, 2013

The primary objective of the first phase of network development is to create coverage over a large service area. When network coverage is achieved wireless service providers begin to monitor the number of calls. Once the number of simultaneous calls reaches a predetermined maximum number, and the facility cannot support the subscriber base, the wireless network exceeds the capacity design of the system. Exceeding network capacity equates to overloading the network which results in lost service, dropped calls, rapid busy signals, and the inability to make calls. To overcome problems caused by over-capacity challenges additional facilities antenna and base stations are required within the service area. The larger amounts of data being conveyed through high-speed broadband (media, gaming, and wide varieties of wireless applications) demand a higher level of signal density. Network capacity addresses the need for greater bandwidth by providing signal density to the geographic area being served by the infrastructure. Antenna mounting elevations for addressing network capacity vary by geographic area but are generally lower compared to antenna mounted for initial network coverage. As of June 2012, there were approximately 320 million mobile subscriptions in the United States representing a penetration rate of approximately 102 percent (CTIA Wireless Association). In the United States there will be a 66% increase in the number of smartphone users. This increase will represent approximately 192.4 million smartphone users by the year 2016 (Statista Statistical Data). Table 3 illustrates the projected growth of the smartphone.

Table 3: Smartphone growth

B-9