Clean Power Becoming a Must for the Telecom Market
Amit Ashkenazi Approached MWC2019 with a Sense of Urgency
This year I really couldn’t wait for MWC and the opportunity to mobilize more telecom companies to be a part of the green mobile revolution. GenCell has developed innovative technologies that can advance the world’s transition to clean, reliable energy affordably, and I take heart that more telecom companies are recognizing the value and urgency of our mission and getting on board, but time is against us. The latest IPCC report reinforcing the warnings about the disastrous impact of global warming if we don’t act fast urges us all to accelerate our efforts.
Everyone at MWC was talking about 5G. The move to 5G that is forecast to double the already enormous power burden on the industry is driving operators worldwide, from T-Mobile US to Vodafone, Verizon and Telefonica to invest in renewables. GSMA and programs by leading telecom providers such as Huawei spurring the telecom industry to lead initiatives to fulfill U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and apply digital technologies to solve social and environmental issues also get more people motivated. With all this going on, MWC2019 was a great opportunity for emission-free power and a chance to #SayNotoDiesel; we connected with many more players across the telecom industry that are looking for clean energy alternatives and would like to leverage the advantages we offer operators and tower companies, and especially those operating poor grid and off-grid sites, to transition to reliable, clean energy while also reducing OpEx.
An especially gratifying aspect of the event was the Global Mobile Awards 2019, in which after being selected for the nominee shortlist for ‘The Green Mobile Award’ alongside Huawei and Telefonica, the judges selected GenCell and Telefonica as joint winners of the award. A proud moment for our company and an amazing start to the year! GenCell was proud to be included other GSMA initiatives at MWC2019 that promoted environmental sustainability in the telecom sector, such as the GSMA Beta Labs Roundtable entitled “Innovation and Cost Reduction in the 5G Era”. GenCell is fortunate to have a strong ally motivating and supporting the transition of the ICT industry to clean power alternatives – the GSMA – who recognizes the potential of our unique ammonia-based A5 technology to carry out the green mobile revolution by providing operators with clean power while reducing OpEx.
These alternatives are important because, let’s face it, current power solutions are far from perfect. Above and beyond the pressing environmental issues, telecom operators around the world report many challenges they have to deal with to keep their services running that entail more working hours and involve added expenses, from stolen diesel fuel, stolen diesel generators and even stolen batteries and solar panels to time-consuming and expensive planned and unforeseen generator maintenance.
Power-hungry 5G Creates Challenges
Looking to the future, industry players are discussing the impact the next generation 5G network will have on latency, coverage and primary and backup energy requirements. Because 5G will operate on unprecedentedly high frequencies, the energy requirements will more than double. For operators that already expend as much as half of their operating costs on energy, any move to 5G will entail rethinking of their power consumption model, and fuel cells can play an important role.
MWC 2019 allowed us to take tangible steps towards realizing the huge potential that GenCell offers the industry. With the combined impact of impending regulatory changes for environmental protection, tax incentives, energy prices and increasing 5G power requirements on the horizon, telecom providers realize that the rules of the power game are changing and that they should move fast to empower themselves (pardon my pun) with clean energy solutions to reduce their dependence on and use of fossil fuels.
In doing that, not only will telecom providers be supporting the environment and meeting sustainability objectives, but they will also reduce the high OpEx of fuel, generator maintenance, theft prevention and replacement of stolen property. And crucially, they will also be better prepared for future transition to 5G. Perhaps even more important from a consumer perspective, they will be able to confidently ensure reliable, continuous network connectivity and customer service – keeping base stations operational 24/7/365, no matter what.
If you’re interested in discussing the telecom industry’s energy needs or those of your particular sites, I would be pleased to meet you. We have an excellent TCO tool that we use to demonstrate the impact of our technology, and I would be delighted to review it with you – the business case is very compelling. Just write to us using the following: team@gencellenergy.com or use the Contact Us form on the website and we will get back to you promptly to schedule a discussion.
