Power Utilities

Introduction

The customer is a North American mobile network operator with remote cabinet sites implemented nationwide. Their plan was to build a very large network, deploying Asentria’s devices as the network itself was deployed. It was a cabinet solution, so Asentria’s products were designed to be integrated into cabinets in an integration facility before being sent to individual locations for deployment. The client’s main interest was in Asentria’s ability to do DC reboot and provide cellular wireless out-of-band coverage.

Customer at a Glance

• Industry: Telecom – Mobile Network Operator
• Location: USA
• Network size: 40,000 sites

Project at a Glance

• No of sites: 18,000 at peak
• Project duration (# of days): 4 years
• Installed products: SiteBoss S571
• Included services: Software Integration and Hardware Development
• Main Benefit: Remote and out-of-band access to cabinet locations via wireless modems.  DC reboot ability. If backhaul is lost, out-of-band connectivity allows for an ability to troubleshoot and reboot.

Download our free case study that provides substantial technical details as to specifically how the project was accomplished:

Case Study Introduction

Public safety networks have somewhat different needs than other networks. Especially in a large region with high temperatures like in the Middle East, network resiliency is a paramount concern. One of the main concerns with country-wide deployment is the fact that some sites can be located in extremely remote and distant locations that can be accessed only with great difficulty. The risk is that in the case of a power loss, it may take some time for a field service team to reach the site which means that implementation of backup power sources is of utmost importance.

Customer challenge

Initially, the client had some minor operational issues with their network and reached out to Asentria for assistance for a quick fix. But as soon as the client realized Asentria’s true potential and capabilities, they decided to expand the project and started asking the team to integrate more of Asentria’s technology devices into their equipment.

Later on, as the client was moving further with their plans of integrating sites in a country-wide deployment, they realized that Asentria offered solutions to problems they didn’t think had a reasonable solution. Some of those sites were in extremely remote and distant locations which meant that in the event of a power loss, the affected site would have to operate on backup power sources as long as possible until a fix could be implemented. A primary concern was then to find new ways to extend the diesel fuel levels at the remote sites.

Project Objectives

• Extend diesel fuel levels at sites
• Improve backup power sources
• Lower operating expenses

Solution

The Asentria engineering team worked with the client to integrate generators and as the client’s operator began to better understand the capabilities of the SiteBoss, a new Telecom Site Automation program was outlined and deployed. The SiteBoss was interfaced to the HVAC system, the generator, and the rectifier. When the site was running on the generator, the site operated similarly to when it was on grid power, with all equipment in operation.

However, when the site was running on batteries, the HVAC system would not operate.  In order to fix this other issue, an automation was created so that the SiteBoss would watch the site temperature and battery discharge levels from the DC rectifier. This meant that the site would operate on batteries as long as the state of charge of the batteries was high enough and the temperature was low enough. Otherwise, the generator would run until batteries hit a high state of charge and the site was sufficiently cool. This cycling enabled diesel fuel levels at a remote site to be considerably extended.

Additionally, the SiteBoss control system could intelligently decide when to use the economizer to bring in cooler outside air. At the same time, the remote access helped operations managers and technicians more easily manage their HVAC systems.

Customer benefits

• Extend site life in cases of primary power loss.
• Secure remote access to on-site equipment interfaces
• Remote control and alarming
• External environmental sensors supplied by Asentria
• Adjunct engineering from Asentria, integrated solution

Summary

This is a Case Study Summary.  A companion Technical Case Study provides substantial technical details as to specifically how the project was accomplished.  You can download load the PDF for that study here:

Executive Summary
Recent weather-related disasters have illustrated both the public’s reliance on cell phones for communicating in emergency situations, as well as the effect of widespread power outages on the cellular network itself. Cellular phones are no longer considered an additional method of communication for many people, instead they are their only means of communicating. The cellular network can be considered an important part of the public safety infrastructure.

This case study describes what occurred to the cellular network in the northeastern United States during recent hurricanes, and the subsequent steps taken by one wireless network operator to improve the management of the backup generators and related systems on their network.

Introduction

Arguably the most critical time to keep a cellular network up and running is during an emergency situation like extreme weather or a natural disaster.  This is not only when problems are most likely to occur, but also the time when fixing problems takes the most time, has the highest cost, and could be risky or impossible to accomplish. It is during emergency situations that cell site automation, not just simple alarming, is most important. Asentria has decades of experience creating solutions that allow a mobile network operator’s remote sites to be as “hardened” as possible for any situation.

A regional mobile network operator (MNO) in the Great Plains region of the United States came to Asentria looking for an inexpensive and simple solution to help assist in keeping their network online during extreme weather conditions. From flooding to blizzards to tornadoes this region of the United States is struck by extreme weather conditions on a regular basis. This MNO had invested greatly in backup power solutions like generators and batteries, but was finding that they had little visibility into how ready these backup power solutions were to handle a power outage or other crisis.

Customer at a Glance

• Industry: Telecom, Mobile Network Operator
• Location: North America, Great Plains
• Network size: 500+ sites

Project at a Glance

• No of sites: ~10 to start
• Project duration (# of days): 6 months in service
• Installed products: SiteBoss340
• Included services: Installation & Configuration, Systems Integration
• Solutions: Power System Management, Generator Management
• Main Benefit: Site visibility and control to improve network resilience and reduce costs.

Download our free case study that provides additional details about keeping networks online during extreme weather: