January 2023
Renting Rooftops for 5G
By Ellen Koskinen-Dodgson
Cellular carriers rent a lot of rooftop space. With the rollout of 5G cellular under way, carriers are adding 5G antenna systems to existing 4G cell sites in urban areas. They will also need to find many new sites to deliver 5G benefits. Carriers use some free-standing towers as well as a great many installations on suitably located rooftops. What kind of rent are they paying? What are the downsides of renting your rooftop?
Beyond Your Primary Regional Focus
By Guy Robertson
Everybody talks about your #1 risk and knows that it will happen, although nobody can say exactly when. In BC it is earthquakes, with the threat of the ‘big one’ occupying conversations at coffee breaks and during emergency planning meetings. In other regions it could be ice storms or hurricanes. How much of your emergency plan should focus on your #1 risk?
End of the PSTN
By Peter Aggus
The Public Switched Telephone network was created to interconnect telephones using copper wire connections. Copper is on its way out, being replaced by IP delivery to the customer, usually over fibre optic cable. New technology is great for telephones but other services work best on the PSTN and we rarely think about them. How did we get to this? What do we need to do?
AI Speaks Up in Court
By Roban Chahal
DoNotPay, the world’s first “AI lawyer”, will soon argue a case in traffic court. While AI in the legal field is not new, DoNotPay has a chatbot interface to assist users with a wide range of legal tasks, including contesting parking tickets and filing for compensation for delayed flights. It will be used in traffic court in February 2023 and no one is planning to tell the judge.