For some time I've been mulling over the potential for Spectur...

For some time I've been mulling over the potential for Spectur to offer a surveillance and protection service for vulnerable communication assets in Australia, the most obvious and vulnerable of which would seem to be some of the more isolated of Australia's 20,000 4G communication towers.

Certainly Spectur has previously listed Telco assets as one of their potential target market segments, but to date, the company has had little, if anything more to say on the subject.

So, what are the vulnerabilities of 4G towers? Well, as far as I can see, theft seems to be the key vulnerability - specifically:

- Deep cycle batteries which are stored at many tower locations as a back up for grid electricity in the event of power failures, or as a means of storing energy in off-grid locations;
- Copper plate and wire, which are component features of battery networks and linkages;
- Signal boosters; and,
- Diesel generators which are often stored in rural and remote tower locations to replenish or complement battery storage.

Then there is the vulnerability to vandalism, which is not a notable 4G tower vulnerability at present, but may become so if overseas experience (eg: in the UK) is any guide, as various 4G towers are augmented to provide base stations for local networks of 5G towers.

To date, battery theft seems to be the most persistent vulnerability of 4G towers, and from various media reports, it seems that costs are not inconsequential - in some cases exceeding $100,000 in replacement costs.

Theft from 4G towers has reached troublesome proportions in some countries including South Africa and the USA, but it is difficult to gauge how pervasive the problem is in Australia because media reports only seem to occur when police are seeking assistance from the public in solving a serious incident or a series of incidences of theft from a 4G tower(s), or when police catch perpetrators. Nevertheless, the following sample of links give some idea of the problem:
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/thieves-allegedly-steal-125-000-worth-of-mobile-phone-tower-batteries-20200513-p54slp.html

https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2020/02/07/theft-investigation-ipswich-district/

https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/crime-court/thieves-steal-more-than-50-batteries-from-mobile-phone-towers-in-geelong/news-story/03bc4772112e7aafc874d3bcd8e6c244

Against this background, there would seem to be a demand, and most likely a growing demand for some form of communication tower surveillance and protection at high vulnerability locations. The two key questions that then arise for me are:

1) What are typically higher vulnerability locations? and
2) Does Spectur have the most appropriate and cost-effective camera solutions for tower surveillance and protection?

My guess is that the answer to question 1 is: a high vulnerability tower location is potentially any tower in a rural, remote or secluded location, where the electricity grid is either not available, or where battery back-up is otherwise required for continuity of service in the event of power outages.

In relation to question 2, it is difficult to assess whether Spectur cameras would prove to be cost-effective for tower surveillance and protection, because even though at face value, a basic CCTV system may seem to offer savings over Spectur's HD5 cameras, the issue of whether a basic CCTV system would be appropriate, begs questions such as access to and access approval for use of grid power at a tower site, trenching and cabling costs for creating a new access point or accessing an existing grid power connection to a tower, efficacy of CCTV intrusion alert systems, and continuity of CCTV power supply during grid power outages. None of these questions apply to Spectur's HD5 camera systems, due to the independence of Spectur's power supply (solar and self-contained battery back-up), and its cloud based system of data storage, retrieval and alerts.

4G tower surveillance and protection may not be high margin work - particularly given the disproportionate bargaining power of oligopoly communication behemoths compared to "lil' ole Spectur", but given the potential scale of such work, I think I'll be happy that the company is off and running if it can establish even a pilot contract(s) with one or more of Australia's communication carriers at some of their most highly vulnerable 4G and/or 4G/5G tower locations.

zeno9