Calzavara: where towers meet Italian design

Cell site densification is a buzzword in the global telecom industry. And while the global tower count increases, the reduction of the visual impact, especially in urban areas, touristic sites and other sensitive locations is often a necessity. Calzavara SpA is an Italian firm specialised in the design and engineering of high quality, design solutions for urban sites and highly populated areas. In this interview, Marco Calzavara, CEO of the company, shares with TowerXchange what it takes to be an innovator in this sector and discusses the evolution of concealed towers from artificial trees to the infrastructure used at the Expo 2015.

TowerXchange: Please introduce our readers to Calzavara and its role in the telecom infrastructure ecosystem.

Our headquarters are located in Basiliano, a small village in the north-east of Italy, not far away from Venice and close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders.

Established in 1966, Calzavara’s core business has been the development of innovative infrastructure for the telecom industry. Our strategy was and has always been to be different from traditional tower suppliers. In fact, we operate in a niche sector with the involvement of different stakeholders such as municipalities, urban regulations for city landscapes, tower companies and, of course, network operators.

Calzavara offers tailored infrastructure solutions that adapt to the specific requirements of the market. We specialise in low environmental impact solutions such as concealed and urban design structures at reasonable prices.

TowerXchange: What is the scale of your telecom business and what is your global footprint?

Whit a turnover of US$20mn and around 100 employees, Calzavara is classified as a SME. Around US$8mn of our revenue is produced in international markets such as Europe, the Middle East and South America, where we’ve recently sealed an important joint venture agreement with a local partner.

Today, Calzavara is a well-established company with a worldwide presence achieved thanks to a strong network of commercial partners, able to deliver our products and services and to guarantee excellent customer support. For the future, we will focus on new challenges such as the United States and Australia.

TowerXchange: Tell us about a couple of example client engagements which illustrates the capabilities of your company to build innovative cell sites?

We’ve recently built the infrastructure that provided network coverage to the Expo 2015 in Milan. Specifically, we’ve produced six vertical architectures representing the evolution of our Mosaictower solution. The towers are equipped with customised cladding panels resembling the EXPO pattern and logos and all of them have been designed to conceal and house antennas on the top portion and all the equipment at the base. Moreover, they have been equipped with a LED lighting system, which turns on at night-time and definitely characterises the site beyond a simple tower.

Another example is the project we’ve developed for the Masai Mara National Park, a very famous natural oasis in Kenya. Due to the peculiarity of the location, our client was looking for an appealing solution, to be disguised as a tree, but at the same time had strict budget limitations. We were able to meet the request by fabricating a batch of pine trees using top quality materials, which resulted in a pleasant final product and satisfied the client’s budget expectations.

TowerXchange: We understand concealment and EMF regulations are particularly strict in your domestic Italian market; how has the design of cell sites evolved to accommodate these requirements?

With regards to concealments, we first offered artificial tree solutions around twenty years ago. Back then, we utilised our long standing experience with steel structures and combined it with innovative know-how in fibreglass, resins and plastic materials. Once we introduced our tree solutions, we realised that the market was seeking different tree models depending on the geographical location and local flora, so we started designing black and maritime pines, different types of palm trees and cypresses.

Since the launch of 3G, our new challenge has been to develop design products able to meet certain aesthetic standards, specifically designed for urban areas and suitable for co-location. Towers are becoming urban furniture and with this in mind, we aren’t only working on practical and safe solutions but on the creation of a product in harmony with the urban environment. In order to answer to the need for beauty, we’ve come up with a new line of infrastructure, perfectly integrated with urban surroundings, known as Telestyle.

Telestyle is certainly not our final innovation. In fact, we are committed to constantly pursue new solutions for the market able to incorporate new materials, LED lights, monitoring devices, displays and other integrated features to respond to new needs and requirements.

The deployment of networks featuring micro and picocells represents the latest frontier to the growing demand for connectivity – anytime, anywhere – characterising both urban environment and densely populated areas. And we should keep in mind the future evolution of IoT technologies for smart cities.

TowerXchange: How have you seen the mix of cell sites evolve as microcells, DAS and small cells are increasingly blended into the macro tower network? And what effect has this evolution had on your business?

Calzavara has always been interested in new technologies and we are always eager to develop innovative solutions. We like challenges and we constantly try to be the first to offer new products, not just followers!

At the end of 2015, we launched an international design contest addressed to architects and designers to find new ideas and solutions for small cells and new urban towers. This initiative has been a great success with more than 150 proposals from which we are now looking at developing the best.

Calzavara’s way is one of our key features and our clients know it very well! Some of them have already contacted us asking to share new concepts and design for their roll-out programs related to small cells and new technologies. A significant numbers of prototypes are now being developed to be released within 2016. And we expect our clients to embrace our new ideas just like they did for Telestyle a few years ago.

TowerXchange: Calzavara also offers renewable energy equipment and services; have you seen much demand for such solutions from MNOs and towercos?

Yes, a number of Calzavara structures have been designed to incorporate renewable energy modules (PV), fuel cells backup technology and passive cooling systems, to optimise energy consumption and suit green technology solutions.

Operators are looking for these options with an eye on budget. The demand is significant in some markets, while others seem less sensitive to those issues. At Calzavara, we are continuously testing new solutions to be prepared in advance when and where the demand peaks.

TowerXchange: Finally please sum up how you would differentiate Calzavara from other telecom turnkey infrastructure providers?

Calzavara operates in a niche market within the complex and wide telecom ecosystem. We chose to differentiate ourselves based on our specific engineering know-how.

And our approach to design is based on a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. In fact, more than 70% of our existing products have been created thanks to ideas initially generated in partnership with our clients.

I actually think this is the key: we have a catalogue of infrastructure, which we can flexibly adapt to the specific needs of our clients and we excel at providing tailored-made solutions. Our history, skill-set and track-record of innovation are our business card and we always keep in mind our heritage of Italian design. Our entire value chain is proudly made in Italy and we always stress that Calzavara’s tradition and experience aren’t just born by chance but are the result of a long journey.