Leading mobile operators in Ukraine face serious challenges in ensuring autonomous operation of networks during during power outages, which requires significant investment and overcoming a number of technical and logistical obstacles.
Mobile autonomy
Joint statement of operators
The largest Ukrainian mobile operators "Kyivstar", Vodafone and lifecell made a general statement regarding the requirements of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NTC) to ensure 10 - hourly autonomous operation of the network in the absence of power supply.
Technical and logistical challenges
To achieve their goals, companies need to overcome a number of obstacles. In particular, it is necessary to obtain permission from energy supply organizations to increase the power for charging batteries. According to operators’ calculations, to ensure 10-hour autonomous operation of base stations, 2.8 GWh of electricity is required daily, which is comparable to the productivity of one nuclear power plant unit.
Personnel issues and infrastructure limitations
Companies also note a shortage of qualified specialists to service new equipment. They estimate that tens of thousands of additional employees will be needed. In addition, there are restrictions on installing generators and batteries on the roofs of buildings where most base stations are located due to building and health codes.
NCU requirements and implementation deadlines
According to the NCU decree of July 16, operators are required to equip all basic stations with batteries and generators. Additionally, by December 1, 2024, 25% of base stations must provide continuous operation for 72 hours.
Financial aspects and current investments
According to industry experts, implementation of the NCC requirements will require investments in the amount of over 13 billion hryvnia. Despite this, operators have already invested heavily in making their networks more energy independent. In particular, they invested more than 3 billion hryvnia, updated 370,000 batteries at base stations and purchased 5,400 generators and other uninterruptible power supplies.
Glossary
- NCU - National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks, government agency, regulating the operation of telecommunication networks in Ukraine.
- Kyivstar is the largest mobile operator in Ukraine.
- Vodafone is an international telecommunications company represented in Ukraine.
- lifecell is one of the leading mobile operators in Ukraine.
- Nuclear Power Plant - A nuclear power plant that produces electricity through nuclear fission.
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Answers to questions
What requirements did the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NCC) put forward to mobile operators?
What are the main challenges operators face in meeting NCC requirements?
How much electricity will be required to ensure 10-hour battery life of base stations?
What amount of investment will be required to implement the NCC requirements?
What measures have operators already taken to increase the energy independence of their networks?
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Discussion of the topic – Autonomy of communication networks: operators about the difficulties of 10-hour work without electricity
Mobile operators in Ukraine spoke about the difficulties of ensuring 100% autonomy of networks during a power outage, noting the scale of the task and the need for significant resources for its implementation.
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Liam
Wow, what a massive requirement! 🤔 10 hours of battery life for all base stations is serious. I wonder how operators will cope with such a task?
Sophie
Yes, Liam, this is a really difficult task. But what amazes me most is that this requires so much energy - like from an entire nuclear power plant unit! 😲 These are huge costs. I wonder how this will affect tariffs?
Giovanni
Sophie, you're right about the costs. 13 billion hryvnia is a colossal amount! 💸 But, on the other hand, this is an investment in the future. Imagine how much more stable your connection will be during power outages.
Helga
What surprises me most is the need to hire tens of thousands of new workers. This is a whole army of specialists! 👨🔧👩🔧 Where can I get them in such quantities? And how will this affect the labor market?
Pierre
This all sounds like just another pointless idea. Why do we need 10 hours of battery life? Previously, we somehow lived without it. They will just waste money and it won’t do any good. 😒
Isabella
Pierre, don't be such a pessimist! 😊 This is an important step to improve the communication infrastructure. Think about how this will help during emergencies. Helga raises a good point about jobs - maybe this is a chance for many to get a new profession?
Andrzej
I agree with Isabella. In addition, operators have already invested 3 billion hryvnia and updated a bunch of equipment. They are clearly serious. I wonder how this will affect the quality of communication in general? 🤔📱
Liam
Great point, Andrzej! It seems to me that after such updates we can expect an improvement in the quality of communication even during normal times. As for the timing - 2025 is just around the corner. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops. 🕒🔋