Editor’s Note: With 2015 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
Prefabricated data centers – a solution fit for all
Prefabricated modular data centers were all the rage in 2014, thanks to the flexibility, energy efficiency and – most importantly – speed to deployment that these data centers offer compared to traditional brick-and-mortar buildings. This data trend will not only continue, but strengthen as new infrastructure is needed to cope with the data boom – and it is often needed fast. With prefabricated data centers being easy to expand and scale, they will be the solution of choice for operators, co-location companies and even global Internet companies, especially those planning to venture into new markets. Precise timing of facility expansion is key for data-center co-location providers to maintain a high level of utilization (return on capital) while avoiding missing out on new customers due to lack of capacity.
Managing power to secure savings
Diesel saving solutions are essential for base station sites in areas where grid power is unreliable or unavailable. This is usually achieved by using batteries, renewable energy sources like solar and with intelligent management of the power systems. However, to realize the savings, power solutions (the technology) need to be properly managed over time. Reliability in operations will be the most important factor to ensure that the savings will be realized and to avoid any down time. To ensure this, equipment vendors will cooperate closer with managed service companies in long-term partnerships and we will see energy service companies start to establish themselves in many markets.
Trust your data
Tower companies are beginning to realize that it is difficult to obtain power-related site data that they can trust, which is key for them to ensure that they understand the status of the equipment and what is happening on their sites. As networks increase in both size and the number of tenants hosted, the availability of trusted data will drive the difference between profitability and failure. To keep control over and reduce costs as well as prevent failures, tower companies will invest in software-driven intelligent monitoring systems that are fully integrated with the power systems right from the start.
David King is CEO of Flexenclosure, a designer and manufacturer of prefabricated data centers and intelligent power management systems for the ICT industry. King has decades-long experience from c-level work with many international high-tech companies, several in emerging markets. See www.flexenclosure.com.
