If you see what looks like a mobile phone tower parked on a truck or trailer, you are probably looking at a Cell on Wheels, or CoW.
The equipment is essentially a temporary mobile base station, allowing a telco to add 4G or 5G coverage and capacity in a location where a lot of people are expected to use their phones at once.
It Gives Telcos Extra Capacity Where They Need It
CoWs are commonly used for large events, where existing cell sites can become congested as thousands of people arrive in the same area.
Everyone is competing for network resources at roughly the same time, whether they are making calls, sending messages, uploading photos or watching videos. Adding another temporary base station gives the operator more capacity to handle that traffic.
It can also be useful in places where a permanent cell site is not practical or would take too long to install.
This Unit Uses A Microwave Link
The base station still needs to connect back to the telco’s network. In this case, the CoW can be seen using a point-to-point microwave link to a nearby building.
That wireless connection acts as the backhaul, carrying traffic from the temporary cell site into the wider network. Fibre can also be used for backhaul, but a wireless microwave link can be deployed without having to run a new physical connection to a temporary installation.
The Setup Can Look Different From Event To Event
A Cell on Wheels does not necessarily have to look like a tower mounted on a truck. Telcos can use different temporary configurations depending on the site. Some are vehicle-mounted, while others can be installed directly on the ground.
