For a long time now, the Telecommunications Division of the Weiss+Appetito Group has been working on behalf of its client Huawei Technologies Switzerland AG on the PSU project that is being implemented within the Sunrise mobile network (PSU = Power Supply Unit, i.e. for the internal power supply). To ensure that it is prepared for new technologies and extensions, Sunrise is replacing the existing components with new technology. This applies to both indoor and outdoor installations throughout Switzerland. The technology is being replaced on a variety of installations: this can take place in cities as well as remote mountain locations. In most of these operations, cranes or sometimes helicopters are used to replace the technical equipment. One of these conversions took place at the Lindenhof Hospital (part of the Lindenhof Group) in Bern – by no means a run-of-the-mill assignment given that the hospital's daily operation continued throughout the work.
The building, the possible access points and the existing mobile technology were inspected and recorded on site during the initial visit for the inventory, together with the responsible individuals.
For very tall buildings, a helicopter is considerably more effective than a crane and is also less expensive in overall terms. The time required for the operation is relatively short thanks to the helicopter, so this minimises disturbance and disruption of the hospital's operation. The report with photographs and proposals for undertaking all the work, including transportation of materials by helicopter, was prepared in advance and sent to the customer. Once the contract was awarded, another tour of inspection took place with the hospital's technical manager, the operational management of the helicopter company and a representative of the City of Bern, who was responsible for the overflight permit.
The system was disconnected from the grid at 8:00 am and prepared for dismantling. Four technicians from Weiss+Appetito Services AG began dismantling the cabinets on the roof of the Lindenhof Hospital and prepared them for imminent transport by helicopter. An electrician modified the fuse outlets for the new cabinets. Transportation of the materials began at 11:30 am; the goal was to airlift the old technical cabinets down to the reception area so the new cabinets could then be placed on the roof of the hospital with pinpoint accuracy.
The reception site designated in advance by the City of Bern was located in the immediate vicinity of the hospital. The helicopter transported the technical cabinets from here. The weather was kind, so everything went as planned. Within nine hours, the old material was removed from the roof and the new cabinets were put in place there. The cabling and the connection to the network were also accomplished smoothly so the Sunrise mobile system could resume operating in the late afternoon, at about 5:30 pm.
