Outdoor Pole Solution powering 5G deployment

Reliable, quality power will continue to play an important role in 2021. While Australia’s largest telecommunications companies are already offering 5G capabilities in selected areas connecting consumer 5G handsets, 2021 is going to see an acceleration in network upgrades offering much, much more.

Power failures or any network interruptions are not an option and there is an increased focus on the relationship between power quality and connectivity playing a critical part in ensuring the resilience of high-speed networks.

It has been widely reported that a 5G network may consume anyway up to three times as much for a base station that is deploying a mix of radios. Suppliers and operators at all levels within the sector have a role to play in this.

To meet the needs of telco operators, Eaton have taken traditional designs and shrunk them down into what’s called a small cell. Small cells are smaller and cheaper than a cell tower and can be installed in a variety of areas, bringing more base stations closer to the edge.

In September, Eaton announced the availability of the Eaton OPS2 — a new Pole Mount, Telecom DC, -48V Power System intended to support future 5G small cells using NR (new radio) technology.

The OPS2 is an IP65 environmentally hardened system designed to be mounted high on poles, masts, building facades and other similar outdoor locations away from street level gaze, and close to the small cell equipment it powers.

The Eaton OPS2 pole mount system is designed to bring real deployment and energy cost savings to Telecom customers, by speeding up installation effort, and by providing industry leading power efficiency.

The new Pole Mount enables standardized electrical configurations to be implemented in software, and the rectifier power conversion produces less heat and requires less cooling. As a result, the technology can yield significant total cost savings over time.

As you move into a 5G network there can be hundreds and hundreds of powered devices per square kilometre. A power system like this needs full remote control and remote monitoring so network operation centres have full visibility. Eaton’s OPS2 has an inbuilt web server and supports remote operations.

Lighting up a 5G network does not have to mean a massive increase in energy consumption. Eaton’s solution allows network operators to build on existing deployments with smart power back-up technology that uses energy-saving hardware and optimising operating site infrastructure.

In Australia, Eaton has been a major supplier of telecom power to Australia’s largest telecom operators — and around the world — in excess of 20 years. They are uniquely positioned with its power management heritage, network operator relationships and technologies designed to flatten the energy curve.

Darren Salter is Product Line Manager, Power Quality APAC for Eaton.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/metamorworks