Telecom Providers, Alternative Energy and ISO9001 - Alcatel-Lucent , I shrunk the Node B Kids

Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary

Emerson, Social Aims

Alcatel-Lucent, the Telecom Equipment supplier for the LSY Fiber Optic Based Drop Node Microwave Radios as well as the Microwave Radios at each of the Hub and Spur Site for Telecom Provider CLARO, recently announced a design for a smaller base station size that addresses the growing concern among Telecom Providers: Power consumption. Like, really smaller. As in, it can fit in my driveway here in Milk River, Clarendon.

Alcatel-Lucent have managed to design a Node B that is so small, it can fit on top of a light post. Appropriately called LightRadio as stated in the article “Alcatel-Lucent shrinks cell tower technology”, published February 8, 2011 3:56 PM PST by Marguerite Reardon, Signal Strength - CNET News and corroborate by the article “Wireless advances could mean no more cell towers”, published Friday February 11, 2011 4:42 pm ET by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer, Yahoo! News.

No relation to LightPeak, albeit it might one day use the Intel based standard as mentioned in my blog article entitled “Wi-Fi, LightPeak and PowerLine Broadband - The Young and the Restless”, as this technology is nothing more than an over glorified Femtocell on a stick.

Reduced, in effect, to the size of a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Router and most likely just as easy to install as a femtocell typically seen in New York Office buildings, such as the one my female friend from C&W, who now lives and resides in New York, has described to me.

Telecom Provider AT&T has provided free Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) as it upgrades it 3G Network backhaul to LTE (Long Term Evolution) “AT&T expands free Wi-Fi Hot Zone Trial”, published July 26, 2010 12:14 PM PDT by Marguerite Reardon, CNET News - Signal Strength.

In fact, Telecom Provider AT&T gives them away for free as stated in the article “Ask and ye shall receive a free AT&T femtocell?” published July 12, 2010 3:22 PM PDT by Stephen Shankland, CNET News - Deep Tech.

In fact, I had written another article on an even small sized device that was travel friendly that, akin to a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) router, gave the user the ability to make calls on their regular home network without incurring roaming charges. A death knell for roaming powered by Google as stated in my blog article entitled “When in Roam (ing) carry an attocell - SnapDragon and the Tourist”.

A typical Node B uses approximately 11 KVA of power or 11 KW if Cos 0 = 1, assuming a single 220V cabinet pulling a maximum of 50amps at peak operation. The transformers from the Power Utility Company (PUC) are usually rated at either 25 KVA or 50 KVA (the little numbers on the side of the Transformer!) as an overhead to prevent the breakers on the Power Utility Company from tripping due to current overload.

It is makes the cell site to supply power to additional equipment that may be “landed” or placed for installation on the site. And thus we come to a problem I have dealt with in the past: cell site power consumption. This is because the recent upgrades from 3G to LTE by the various Telecom Providers in the United States of America.

The coming of M2M (Machine-to-Machine Communications) with a potential ten million (10,000,000) devices connected to Telecom Provider AT&T’s Network as stated in the article “Why Internet of Things will Change Mobile Networks”, published December 30, 2010, 1:00pm PDT By Om Malik, GigaOM.

Already, one Telecom Provider as far back as September 2010, has publicly been experimenting with a Solar Powered Cell site in a Residential area as an off-the-grid experiment “T-Mobile Cell Site Now powered by the Sun”, published September 16, 2010, 11:22am PDT by Katie Fehrenbacher, Cleantech - GigaOM.

Core Communications had also began a trial run with a wind startup named Helix Wind, that specializes in designing small Vertical-axis Wind Turbines (VWT) as stated in the article “Powering cell phone towers with wind”, published November 11, 2009 11:35 AM PST by Candace Lombardi, CNET News - Green Tech.

Thus there is concern as it relates to power consumption being expressed by the Telecom Providers for once, as these faster and higher speed Networks need more power “Alternative energy and 4G - Green Lantern Core”!

Plus,  as my blog article states, lower power consumption, either by using alternative energy or by making the Node B smaller would make operation costs go down, making all-you-can-eat data plan feasible and satisfying the Data Hogs i.e. streamers and heavy downloaders appetite for unlimited Data, whose number is growing as smart phone become more popular.

Alternative Energy is also a great way of marketing a Telecom Provider’s compliance with ISO9001, an international certification as to best practices, which also has a proviso for environmental impact and being “green” as is the term these days as suggested in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy and Telecom Providers - An Environmental Marketing Strategy”.

ISO9001, by the way, which Telecom Provider CLARO need to be able to offer LTE (Long Term Evolution) to business customers wary of their unstable Network, as business customers demand always-on and dedicated internet service, a standard which Telecom Provider CLARO is yet to achieve as stated in my blog article entitled “Telecom Providers and 100MBps - Diamonds are forever”. QoS (Quality of service) + Always-On Network + Coverage Everywhere = Alternative Energy Required!

Alcatel-Lucent, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) style, much derided by the Mexicans at Telecom Provider LAROI in Jamaica, may now be the pathway forwards as it relates to reducing their power consumption and thus being economically solvent as well as achieving ISO9001 certification, which may soon be a requirement for all Public and Private Sector companies very soon.

More on this in another article!