As call traffic hits high peak, the demand for cooling telecommunications equipment found in MSCs also increases. These networks are generating heat as a byproduct of high-density operations.

Why then is cooling an issue? With the billions of dollars invested, the assumption might be that all is well in removing heat from the critical infrastructure.

The Hard Truth

We find that operator customers are so focused on meeting capacity challenges with critical infrastructure requirements such as cooling often fall by the way. A recent survey conducted by Emerson Network Power revealed that a number of telecom businesses rely on building air or commercial air conditioners to cool down their networks. Those that use precision cooling units are finding that demand is outstripping capacity especially when it comes to high densities of heat in MSCs, known as hot spots.

According to cooling best practices, using building air for critical telecommunications equipment is problematic. First general building air is not designed for continuous operations where it is run 24x7 duty. Frequent breakdowns and sequential interruptions are the result. Where the building air run by 8x5 duty, overheating and equipment failure increase dramatically during off-cycle period. Second, these units do not provide filtration and humidity control, both attributes to sensitive electronics. Third, they tend to provide inappropriate humidity control, increasing the risk of static discharge. And last, insufficient airflow – designed for comfort – is simply incapable of cooling down even moderately-hot telecom networks, resulting in frequent overheating.