165
A Comprehensive Guide to 5G Security, First Edition. Edited by Madhusanka Liyanage, Ijaz Ahmad,
Ahmed Bux Abro, Andrei Gurtov, and Mika Ylianttila.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
8
8.1 Introduction
The failure of crucial communications is one of the most shared characteristics of all
disasters. Whether partial or complete, the failure of telecommunication infrastructures leads to damage to critical assets causing, for example, delays in emergency and
disaster relief efforts. Despite the increasing reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks to physical damage in general, the risk level associated with
communications failures remains severe because of the growing dependence upon
these tools [1]. For example, on December 26, 2004, an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 hit
the South Asia region causing a tsunami. Both events caused a large number of injuries,
accidents, property damage and destruction to the telecommunications system, seriously damaging monopoles, towers and local switching equipment. Similarly, on May
12, 2008, a strong earthquake occurred in Sichuan, China, causing serious damage to all
telecommunication systems. Fortunately, satellite communication was available and
was used in relief operations. Other similar examples in recent past years include the
July 16, 2007, earthquake of 6.7 magnitude in Japan; the August 15, 2007, earthquake of
8.0 magnitude in Peru; the January 12, 2010, earthquake of 7.0 magnitude in Haiti; the
February 22, 2011, earthquake of 6.3 magnitude in New Zealand, or the March 11, 2011,
9.1 magnitude in Japan [2].
Communication structures are critical facilities and should be designed to remain
operational during and after a major disaster. Consequently, the logical consequence
should be to design buildings and facilities with higher standards, for example, by
using technologies such as base isolation or passive energy dissipation systems in the case
of buildings, and adopting the most recent design practices for masts and towers.
Unfortunately, and contrasting with buildings (e.g. data centres), with the current state‐
of‐the‐art of design of masts and towers, it will not be possible to achieve the desired
safety and performance objectives and, consequently, this chapter will be committed
exclusively to these types of structures. The present chapter discusses the expected future
of physical infrastructure used for communication networks, for example, monopoles,
lattice towers and guyed masts, and also providing a solid background overview.
Safety of 5G Network Physical Infrastructures
Rui Travanca and João André
Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering
A Comprehensive Guide to 5G Security, First Edition. Edited by Madhusanka Liyanage, Ijaz Ahmad,
Ahmed Bux Abro, Andrei Gurtov, and Mika Ylianttila.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
8
8.1 Introduction
The failure of crucial communications is one of the most shared characteristics of all
disasters. Whether partial or complete, the failure of telecommunication infrastructures leads to damage to critical assets causing, for example, delays in emergency and
disaster relief efforts. Despite the increasing reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks to physical damage in general, the risk level associated with
communications failures remains severe because of the growing dependence upon
these tools [1]. For example, on December 26, 2004, an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 hit
the South Asia region causing a tsunami. Both events caused a large number of injuries,
accidents, property damage and destruction to the telecommunications system, seriously damaging monopoles, towers and local switching equipment. Similarly, on May
12, 2008, a strong earthquake occurred in Sichuan, China, causing serious damage to all
telecommunication systems. Fortunately, satellite communication was available and
was used in relief operations. Other similar examples in recent past years include the
July 16, 2007, earthquake of 6.7 magnitude in Japan; the August 15, 2007, earthquake of
8.0 magnitude in Peru; the January 12, 2010, earthquake of 7.0 magnitude in Haiti; the
February 22, 2011, earthquake of 6.3 magnitude in New Zealand, or the March 11, 2011,
9.1 magnitude in Japan [2].
Communication structures are critical facilities and should be designed to remain
operational during and after a major disaster. Consequently, the logical consequence
should be to design buildings and facilities with higher standards, for example, by
using technologies such as base isolation or passive energy dissipation systems in the case
of buildings, and adopting the most recent design practices for masts and towers.
Unfortunately, and contrasting with buildings (e.g. data centres), with the current state‐
of‐the‐art of design of masts and towers, it will not be possible to achieve the desired
safety and performance objectives and, consequently, this chapter will be committed
exclusively to these types of structures. The present chapter discusses the expected future
of physical infrastructure used for communication networks, for example, monopoles,
lattice towers and guyed masts, and also providing a solid background overview.
Safety of 5G Network Physical Infrastructures
Rui Travanca and João André
Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering