Telecoms Preventive Maintenance Course

Lesson 1 • Signal Types and Transmission Basics

Explains analog, digital, and optical signal characteristics and how they degrade. Grounds technicians in signal behaviour before introducing maintenance procedures.

Lesson 2 • Telecom Standards and Protocols

Introduces industry standards governing equipment interoperability and performance thresholds. Establishes the compliance baseline used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Safety and Regulatory Fundamentals

Covers electrical safety, RF exposure limits, and regulatory compliance obligations. Ensures technicians operate within safe and lawful boundaries from day one.

Lesson 4 • Telecom Network Architecture Overview

Covers the layered structure of telecom networks from access to core. Provides the structural map needed for all subsequent maintenance topics.

Lesson 1 • PM Programme Structure and Scheduling

Explains how to organise tasks by frequency, criticality, and resource availability. Provides the scheduling framework applied in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • Key Performance Indicators for PM

Defines metrics such as PM compliance rate, mean time to repair, and availability. Teaches technicians to measure programme effectiveness quantitatively.

Lesson 3 • Failure Modes in Telecom Equipment

Analyses common failure patterns including wear-out, infant mortality, and random failures. Connects failure mode knowledge to PM interval design.

Lesson 4 • Documentation and Record Keeping

Establishes standards for maintenance logs, work orders, and equipment history files. Accurate records enable trend analysis and regulatory audits.

Lesson 1 • Calibration and Equipment Care

Establishes calibration schedules, traceability requirements, and storage practices. Properly calibrated tools ensure measurement validity and audit readiness.

Lesson 2 • Optical Test Equipment

Introduces optical power meters, OTDRs, and light sources for fibre inspection. Fibre testing skills are prerequisite for optical PM procedures in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Electrical Measurement Instruments

Covers multimeters, clamp meters, and power analysers used in telecom PM. Accurate electrical measurement underpins all hardware inspection tasks.

Lesson 4 • Network Analysers and Protocol Testers

Explains spectrum analysers, network analysers, and protocol test sets. These tools verify signal integrity and protocol compliance during PM checks.

Lesson 1 • Alarm and Performance Monitoring

Explains how to use network management systems to track performance thresholds. Proactive alarm management prevents minor degradation from becoming outages.

Lesson 2 • Microwave Link Maintenance

Addresses antenna alignment, waveguide inspection, and received signal level monitoring. Microwave PM prevents fade-induced outages on critical backhaul links.

Lesson 3 • Firmware and Software Updates

Covers update planning, rollback procedures, and post-update verification for transmission gear. Controlled software maintenance reduces vulnerability and improves stability.

Lesson 4 • SDH and PDH System Inspections

Details visual, electrical, and alarm-based checks for synchronous and plesiochronous equipment. Builds systematic inspection habits for high-capacity transmission gear.

Lesson 1 • DC Power Plant Maintenance

Details rectifier inspection, bus bar torque checks, and voltage regulation verification. DC power integrity is the foundation of all equipment uptime.

Lesson 2 • Battery System Inspection and Testing

Covers float voltage checks, capacity discharge tests, and electrolyte inspection for VRLA and flooded cells. Battery health directly determines backup autonomy.

Lesson 3 • HVAC and Cooling System Maintenance

Explains filter replacement, coil cleaning, and temperature setpoint verification for precision cooling. Thermal management prevents heat-related equipment failures.

Lesson 4 • UPS System Preventive Maintenance

Addresses filter cleaning, bypass testing, and transfer time verification for UPS units. Regular UPS PM ensures seamless power transfer during grid failures.

Lesson 1 • Base Station Physical Inspection

Covers cabinet cleaning, connector torque, and LED status checks for BTS and eNodeB equipment. Physical condition directly affects RF output and reliability.

Lesson 2 • 5G NR-Specific Maintenance Tasks

Addresses massive MIMO calibration, beamforming verification, and mmWave link checks. 5G-specific PM tasks extend traditional RAN skills to next-generation equipment.

Lesson 3 • RF Performance Parameter Checks

Explains how to verify transmit power, receiver sensitivity, and handover thresholds. RF parameter accuracy ensures consistent user experience across the coverage area.

Lesson 4 • Antenna and Feeder System Maintenance

Details VSWR measurement, feeder cable inspection, and antenna tilt verification. Antenna system integrity determines coverage and interference levels.

Lesson 1 • Outside Plant Fibre Maintenance

Explains aerial and buried fibre inspection, splice enclosure checks, and OTDR span testing. OSP fibre PM prevents weather- and rodent-related service interruptions.

Lesson 2 • Conduit and Duct System Inspection

Addresses manhole inspection, duct rodding, and water pumping procedures. Conduit system integrity protects cables from physical damage and flooding.

Lesson 3 • Inside Plant Cabling Inspection

Details patch panel labelling audits, cable bend radius checks, and tray fill assessments. Organised inside plant reduces troubleshooting time and accidental outages.

Lesson 4 • Physical Layer Test Reporting

Teaches compiling OTDR traces, copper test results, and visual inspection findings into structured reports. Comprehensive reporting supports asset management and regulatory audits.

Lesson 1 • Computerised Maintenance Management Systems

Explains CMMS configuration, work order automation, and asset lifecycle tracking. CMMS data enables programme-wide performance analysis and resource optimisation.

Lesson 2 • Condition-Based and Predictive Monitoring

Covers vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and remote sensor data for early fault detection. Condition-based methods extend PM intervals without increasing failure risk.

Lesson 3 • Reliability-Centred Maintenance Methodology

Applies RCM analysis to identify critical functions, failure modes, and optimal task types. RCM transforms reactive task lists into evidence-based maintenance strategies.

Lesson 4 • Root Cause Analysis Techniques

Teaches five-why analysis, fishbone diagrams, and fault tree analysis for recurring failures. RCA findings feed directly into PM task revision and interval adjustment.