Monday October 19, 03:12 AM

Source: Indian Express Finance

Power play

By Pragati Verma
Telcos searching for a viable way to build profitable networks to connect the next billion subscribers could dial into this solar powered GSM mobile system. An environment-friendly and cost-effective solar-powered mobile system, developed by homegrown telecom equipment manufacturer Vihaan Networks Limited (VNL) unveiled at ITU Telecom World 2009, is ready for commercial deployment. Essentially, the solution works on solar power and promises to help operators to reduce their energy costs significantly. The energy costs, according to VNL, amount to about 32% of a telecom service provider s operating costs. The network in terms of one base station could cost less than $10,000 (about Rs 5 lakh) compared to an estimated cost of over Rs 50 lakh from the traditional network vendors. Called WorldGSM, it is working in two mobile phone networks in India, according to VNL chairman Rajeev Mehrotra. It is already operational with two mobile operators in India. We cannot disclose the names as we have non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with them. He promises to name them by the end of the year. By then, we will be operating on two more continents, he adds, confirming that they are in discussions with the partners. Their end-to-end solution was recently recognised as best wireless innovation by Wall Street Journal and awarded overall bronze medal in its Technology Innovation Awards 2009. Deployed in 50 villages in Rajasthan, the system consists of a nine metre pole with an Omni antenna on top, two solar panels measuring two square metres, a solar-powered battery back-up and the VNL BlueBoxBTS a complete one or two TRX BTS. The entire village site requires just 50 watts to function, including the transmission. Unlike traditional GSM base stations, the village site needs no shelter, air conditioning, mains power, generator or diesel fuel. The system, that comes with a 20-year guarantee, works on solar panel, and can run without being powered for three days while the battery needs to be replaced every five years. Some African nations have shown their keenness in setting up our system in their countries. Even developed nations find the concept interesting as the environment-friendly towers are totally emission-free compared to the traditional GSM towers, says Mehrotra. Telecom operators expect to tap more than one billion new customers in the next five to six years and this, according to industry estimates, would require installation of more than 2 million new base stations. Many of these base stations would need to be installed in areas without power or with unreliable access to a power supply. Most of the world s villages are too remote, lack power and road infrastructure to be able to have access to phones. The idea is to give these people access, says Mehrotra. VNL s solar-powered base stations, that cost less than Rs 5 lakh are relatively easy to install by untrained workers, are already deployed in more than 50 villages in India. In India alone, the per capita diesel consumption is estimated at 23 litres and out of this seven litres are consumed by the mobile operators for towers. In rural areas, diesel consumption is even greater due to acute shortage of power, making the services more expensive. This is where VNL sees its chance to grow because 1.6 billion people still have no access to electricity at all, while another 1 billion people have access only to unreliable power supplies. And VNL is not alone. Reducing power is high on most vendors agenda. Providing affordable connectivity to the billions of people without it, while minimising the environmental impact of connecting them, are the two major challenges facing us today, asserts Nokia-Siemens Networks CEO, Rajiv Suri. Many others are exploring opportunities in these emerging markets which can sustain low ARPUs (average revenue per user) and lack power to run the networks. Solar powered phones, mobile phones that can be charged by solar chargers, add a new dimension to the communications needs of those with no connection to electricity grids or unreliable and expensive power access. And the opportunity to connect the rural poor in emerging markets and carbon conscious customers in the West has attracted mobile phone makers like Nokia, Samsung and ZTE. Going by the telecom operators scramble for low-cost sustainable networks, end-to-end solutions like those from VNL, coupled with solar phone chargers, could go a long way in connecting the unconnected.