EVALUATION OF CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SUPPORTS OF TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT HOUSINGS

Summary: During the start-up phase of a new mobile telephone company it needs to install its own GSM network, satisfying previously established schedules, standards and budgets. The case studied in the present paper consists in the evaluation of possible constructive solutions for the supports of the cabinets housing of the telecommunication equipment on roof-tops of buildings. Although the cost of these supports is relatively low compared to that of the overall installation, the choice of support basically has an impact on the construction time and commissioning. These supports have been traditionally built from steel beams. The study carried out covers four possible solutions: three of them use steel beams, while the fourth alternative uses fibro-plastic (FRP) beams. These have the advantages of being very resistant, they can be machined on site and they have such light weight that a single operator can carry them. In order to convince the GSM operator and the start-up contractor of which is the best choice, an evaluation study of the constructive solutions has been carried out using Multicriteria Decision Aid Techniques. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) of Saaty has been followed. These techniques have the advantage of taking into account different criteria and points of view to analyse the problem and balance out the interests of all parties involved in the final decision. The present paper describes the choice process followed and the solutions reached, and includes a sensitivity analysis which allows modifications to the weighting of the various criteria considering the interests of the operator and the start-up contractor