Increased competition continues to drive the telecom industry. Network operators around the world are moving beyond the capabilities of their existing networks to meet both current and future demands. This involves investing millions in new equipment and deploying new sites to support new wireless technologies that will enhance consumer experience.

Aside from deploying next-gen networks, operators have also started to take account that expanded coverage and subscriber population do not automatically result in higher margins. They have realized that to get ahead of the game, they must retain their customer base and gain market share in the most cost-efficient manner.

Uncontrolled Heat Burns Money
Cooling represents one of the most significant operating expense items for most operators today. Power-hungry BTS/BSC sites and other enclosures develop a large amount of heat load from its equipment. According to industry experts, the average energy consumption to cool down a BTS/BSC site or enclosure can go over 26,000kWh per year – that’s hundreds of thousands dollars in energy costs if we’re branching out large numbers of BTS/BSC sites.

Conventionally, BTS/BSC sites are often cooled down with comfort cooling systems which are not specially designed for sensitive electronics. To make matters worse, these stations operate in hostile environments – usually housed in metal cabinets that are directly exposed to the elements. During the summer months, the sun’s rays can further increase the interior temperature. Add this to the heat load of the BTS/BSC site equipment and the temperature within the cabinet this can cause temperature to rise high enough to significantly reduce overall reliability.

Telecom networks are undergoing an unprecedented amount of change as capacities, criticality levels and equipment densities all rise simultaneously. While operators may have been able to rely on comfort cooling in the past, with higher capacities and densities comes the need for precision cooling.