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- Miramar Plaza
- 954 Avenida Ponce de Leon
- Office 201A
- San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907
- + 1 (787) 721 3953
We live and breathe connectivity. Nothing symbolizes cellular signal more than a cell tower, so it’s no surprise that the cell tower is the best-known wireless infrastructure asset. In just three decades, cell towers have become as critical to us as power lines and water pipes.
In light of recent technological advances, cell towers have gained renewed importance within our wireless ecosystem. For example, cell towers can host a variety of high-tech sensors and receivers that enable life-transforming innovations, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Cities still have space for cell tower structures, especially on their rooftops. While we now have many other solutions to provide connectivity, cellular towers still distinguish themselves by offering a safe and easy way for carriers to execute their long-term network build-out strategies.
When Hurricane María struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, it led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in a disaster that resulted in $90 billion in economic damage. For weeks, most areas of the island had no power or access to communications. Despite such devastation, not a single QMC tower was damaged. In the days that followed María, residents across the island hiked up hillsides and gathered around buildings where QMC had installed cell tower sites to call their loved ones and tell them that they were okay.
Even after a historic storm, QMC’s Built to Last cell towers enabled people to connect to what really matters: their community, neighbors, friends, and family.
With a portfolio of more than 3.800 assets installed, we offer a set of outdoor infrastructure solutions that includes the construction and management of greenfield towers, rooftops and special camouflaged solutions. Custom-designed and purpose-built, they meet the highest technological standards of telecommunications operators.
Since our company’s founding, we have invested our technical and operational capabilities to become a leader in the telecommunications tower development and rooftop antennas (rooftops).
Our Built-to-Suit services include:
Let’s be honest: cell towers are not the most beautiful objects known to man. While they can form key parts of a city’s skyline or a rural landscape, there are occasions when cell towers need to blend in more with their surroundings. With camouflaged antennas, cell tower operators can maximize a site’s connectivity offering while minimizing its visual impact.
Camouflaged solutions are a specialty of QMC. In these solutions, we install “hidden” antennas in areas with deficient mobile coverage. This solution often is used in areas with strict regulations about what forms of infrastructure can be installed.
By blending in with the surrounding environment and adhering to local aesthetics, camouflaged solutions can reduce community resistance to connectivity solutions.
Some of our common camouflaged solutions include coconut trees, air conditioners, air ducts, stones, and lamp posts that can hide antennas internally.
Olinda possesses one of the most famous and visited Carnaval celebrations in Brazil with its festive rhythms and giant parading dolls. In 2020, the city received 3.6 million revelers (400 thousand of them foreign), generating R$295 million in revenue for the city and over 100 thousand jobs, with 98% hotel occupancy. With the party growing more every year, bigger investments in infrastructure were needed – and that included investment in cellular connectivity.
El Dorado Golf & Beach Club is an exclusive country club in Mexico that, as a luxury resort, welcomes people from all over the world, including many celebrities. It’s hardly necessary to say that all of the guests who arrive at El Dorado expect a superb experience that involves respect for the region’s beautiful natural scenery. Especially because of this, El Dorado did not want a macro cell tower installed on its land; and that was when QMC proposed a camouflaged connectivity solution.
This question sometimes comes up when talking about cellular signal. Wireless devices like cell phones contain a radio transmitter and receiver, which both emit radio frequency (RF) energy during use. The good news is that today’s scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that this is not an area of concern.
One example is the thirteen-country World Health Organization (WHO) Interphone study, which was the largest case-control study performed to date. The Interphone study found no ties between mobile phone use and any longstanding human health issues. Furthermore, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on current data, “believes that the weight of scientific evidence does not show an association between exposure to radiofrequency from cell phones and adverse health outcomes.”
As a precaution, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established standards governing RF energy emission levels for all wireless phones sold in the United States to protect public health. The FCC also regulates RF energy emissions from cellular towers. Before a wireless phone model is available for sale in the US, it must be tested by the manufacturer and certified that it does not exceed FCC limits.
No. A cell tower is a metallic or concrete structure that physically supports an antenna at a higher altitude than the ground. The antenna is the device that captures aerially transmitted cellular signal and distributes it throughout the telecommunications network. Many antennas, especially in urban areas, do not even require a tower.
Yes. Without the antenna, there is no signal, no service. There is no internet, no phone, no digital economy. Antennas bring connectivity and development to our daily lives.
We use technical criteria like signal strength and interference to obtain the best coverage. The more people using wireless services, the more demand there will be for antennas.
Two authorizations are required. The first is by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the body that oversees all activities in the telecommunications sector, including antennas. And the second authorization is up to local municipalities, who are responsible for ground regulations over the site where the antenna will be installed.
Yes! Every installation, whether in buildings or anywhere else, follows strict limits on signal strength in order to be authorized. Otherwise, the installation is not authorized by the FCC.
Yes. Antennas are installed so that there is a good service offering for the wireless consumer. If there’s an antenna near your home, it is because you need it to guarantee quality of service in that area.
Yes. Everyone today wants to access the internet and use their cell phone. So having mobile service at work or close to home is increases a property’s value.
Yes. Antennas emit non-ionizing electromagnetic waves. The intensity of these waves is much less than that of radio and TV antennas. This means that the antenna signal does not have the power to alter the molecular structure of humans or animals, and therefore, it does not interfere with people’s health.
Yes, antennas are safe to human health. Several studies have been carried out in recent decades, including by the World Health Organization, and none of them has proven that cell phones or their antennas are harmful to health.
Any and all wireless communication, whether Wi-Fi, radio, TV or cell phone, uses non-ionizing electromagnetic waves. There are WHO recommendations for wave emission limits that are followed by manufacturers. Like antennas, cell phones do no harm.
Some cities have a lot of bureaucracy and outdated laws for installing antennas, which have not kept pace with the development of new technologies or the growing demand for new services (photos and videos). In cities with these laws, the quality of telephone and internet services is compromised, harming the community.
The work lasts according to the type of infrastructure. For a camouflaged pole, the work lasts 30 to 60 days depending on the height and conditions of the ground. For façade work, the time required is typically shorter, depending on the adjustments that will be necessary and the type of camouflage. Anyway, when necessary, we present a project together with a schedule of works for approval.
In addition to the construction period, there are approximately 30 days to activate the equipment. During this period (work + activation), the movement of people may be significant; however, if necessary, all professionals who will have access to the work will be listed in an access list. After the construction phase, the flow of personnel to the establishment is lower and less frequent.
As a prerequisite, we emphasize leaving no negative visual impact on a site’s existing architecture.