Tower companies get boost in diversifying energy sources

This is after a commitment from Huawei Technologies announced it is committed to the initiative aimed at helping TowerCos reduce their carbon footprint, enhance operational efficiency, and explore new business frontiers.

In his speech titled: "Lighting Up the Road to Multiple Business Future for TowerCos" delivered at the TowerXchange Meetup Africa 2024 in Nairobi, Li Shaolong, President of Huawei Site Power Facility Domain, said African continent is accelerating the construction of ICT infrastructure, and towercos, which play an important role in this process, are facing new challenges and opportunities.

“As the demand for mobile connectivity continues to rise, TowerCos face increasing pressure to ensure energy reliability and sustainability, particularly in regions with limited access to stable power grids. Tower sites, often located in remote areas, rely heavily on diesel generators, which are costly to operate, environmentally unfriendly, and vulnerable to fuel supply challenges,” Mr. Li said.

Mr. Li emphasized Huawei's long-term vision to help Africa’s TowerCos transition towards greener energy solutions, adding that by integrating digital and power electronics technologies, Huawei Site Power Facility remains committed to providing towercos with end-to-end energy infrastructure and intelligent O&M solutions. 

Diversification

In addition to energy sustainability, Huawei aims to support TowerCos in their diversification strategies, enabling them to explore new business models and revenue streams. 

“This will drive towercos to become energy producers through innovative solutions and business models, thereby achieving diversified business development, revenue growth, and continuous success in energy operations,” Mr. Li said. 

Mr. Li noted that by deploying Huawei eMIMO smart power solution, towercos can centrally manage multiple energy inputs (such as grid, PV and energy storage) and multiple outputs (such as 12 V to 220 V electrical devices) through a single power platform.

“In this way, revenue-generating services such as environmental protection and emergency response can be developed in addition to communications services,” he said.

He further noted that the major aims of Huawei Site Power Facility Domain are to support network evolution and increase tenancy ratio, help TowerCos Reduce energy costs and achieve green development, and improve power availability (PAV) and reduce O&M costs for sites.

“Huawei will continue to work with towercos to innovate and promote the iteration of energy infrastructure towards "green, simple, and intelligent", accelerating the construction of African carrier networks and digital Africa,” Mr. Li said.