Operation of cellular networks and Internet providers on batteries

Hello.

Imagine a prosperous village near Moscow. Cellular is not a problem

although the base stations are located approximatelyten to fifteen kilometers. It is not a fact that an operator with a closer base is able to provide a higher communication speed, it is influenced by many factors, including the terrain. But from time to time, power cuts definitely occur, in the silence of the village, someone's diesel generators start up, prudent owners have provided themselves with the necessary energy. Usually, a power failure affects all the surrounding settlements, the only line that feeds the district lies.

At this point, all operators at once demonstratethe same behavior: the 4G icon disappears on the screen, it changes to H +, then to 3G, and after a while to E altogether. Calls go through, just like SMS, but you can watch in real time how the connection gradually goes away. The number of “sticks” on the screen is reduced, at some point in the village there is no signal from the operators, the feeling that they are also turning off. I observed such a picture in different places and almost always encountered a misunderstanding on the part of users: how can communication be disconnected, because operators have several levels of protection - additional batteries, diesel generators. And all this should ensure the operation of the cellular network in any conditions. The theory is good because we are drawn pictures of an ideal world, which in reality often do not find confirmation.

Mobile networks are designed in such a way thatwithstand not only fluctuations in the operation of power networks, but also their shutdown. For example, after the Ukrainian energy system went haywire on October 10, as the load changed dramatically, some substations began to turn off, mobile operators experienced a shock effect on their networks. In Ukraine, networks are extremely heterogeneous in terms of quality of equipment, in Kyiv, more or less modern equipment, plus they make sure that there are no dead batteries. In other cities, equipment is often noticeably worse, has a high level of wear. But the most important thing is that diesel generators are almost never used on the networks to ensure communication during power outages. Probably, we can assume that the scenario of Ukraine is a demonstration of the capabilities of a poor third world country to provide the population with communications.

What happens when the lights go out?People are trying to occupy themselves with something, for example, to communicate with loved ones, and often with the help of not ordinary calls, but voice messages in instant messengers. That is, you must have a mobile or wired Internet. The second in the absence of light is impossible in principle, the first can work if the operator's infrastructure shows signs of life. This means that the diesel generator is started on the same switch lift equipment. But the base stations are starting to run on batteries. If we take Ukrainian operators, then they declare the possibility of working during a power outage on average up to a day, but the figure is extremely crafty. Switching equipment from a diesel engine can work for about a day from one refueling. Then you can bring diesel and extend the work for another day and so on. It seems that the issue is resolved, but it is not. Everything rests on the last mile, namely the base stations that start to turn off.

Most cellular networks are designed in such a wayso that the batteries support the full operation of the base station for about four hours. Networks are designed based on the availability of electricity, its availability for the operator. Any power outage is considered a failure, depending on the duration, one or another level is assigned to it. And each operator has a clear, simple plan of action on how to solve the problem. Usually, the failure affects a small area, which allows the neighboring base stations to temporarily increase the power, send out the mobile station, and so on. Networks are designed to eliminate local failures, level the lack of electricity in specific areas.

Natural disasters, fighting - it's allemergency situations for which networks are not designed. They cannot work in the complete absence of electricity. Please note that in conditions of a massive power outage, the load on operators increases dramatically, people want to communicate. This is what happens in the village described at the beginning, exactly the same situation in Lviv and other Ukrainian cities, where the lights went out. The same situation will be this winter in Europe, when planned power outages begin that can affect operators.

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And here we are faced with the fact that many sincerelybelieve that the theoretical values of network operation without energy will be confirmed in practice, and most importantly, all services will remain exactly the same. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all. In the event of a power outage, the base station automatically lowers its power limit to keep the batteries charged for as long as possible. That is, a person who is guaranteed to speak on the phone at a certain distance from the station will no longer receive such an opportunity. The coverage area of this base station will be reduced, and quite noticeably. Depending on the communication standard, this reduction will be larger or smaller, things are worse with 4G / 5G, where the radius becomes noticeably smaller.

In addition to the distance at which the basicstation, its capabilities change, initially all the standards in which it operates, for example, the same 4G, can be available. But the data transfer speed drops, the efficiency of the base station decreases, it saves energy. I watched how the BS, which gave out 200 Mbps, after switching to batteries, worked at a speed of 40 Mbps for the first thirty minutes, and then gradually reduced it to 10 Mbps. It’s not up to fat, it’s important to keep the ability to call, and not use the Internet.

Quality degradation is plannedcharacter, in manual or automatic mode (which is not so important, the result is always the same), the base station is gradually abandoning voracious communication standards, turning off all additional features. A sort of energy-saving profile, designed for the longest possible work. Therefore, in crisis situations, you should always remember that SMS and voice calls will help you, you should definitely not rely on other methods of communication.

The example of Ukraine shows that from batteriesbase stations on average can last from two to five hours, a large variation is associated with battery wear, it is very different. In winter conditions, the operating time would be noticeably shorter, as well as in summer, when the equipment needs to be cooled and air conditioning systems are used.

It is interesting to look at the Russian experience, hereindividual failures show that the work time is 3-6 hours, that is, we meet approximately the same deadlines. But the load at the stations and their usage profile differ. Switching to the mode used by operators in Ukraine will give at least a couple more hours of work. Mobile communication requires electricity, without it there will simply be no connection.

Not so long ago we were discussing how people consumeelectricity 5G base stations, they are very voracious. And at the same time, they did not become noticeably better in terms of batteries, there is a certain savings here. From here, the simple conclusion is that the disappearance of 5G during rolling blackouts will occur quickly, European operators will try to save energy for as long as possible.

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The problem of mobile operators is also thatthey are not unique consumers for energy companies and do not have their own infrastructure. That is, in most cases they are one of many, directly dependent on how the network works. And here it is impossible to somehow separate them, isolate them from power outages. They will have to rely on batteries anyway.

Talked to engineers working in Germany,Spain and Eastern Europe, they assure that the situation is unprecedented, the networks are not ready for battery operation during rolling blackouts. It becomes clear that during blackouts lasting four hours, mobile networks will be switched off. The battery life, even in gentle mode, is not enough, and many do not have 2G left at all. In a word, the problem rises to its full height, moreover, it cannot be solved by buying and updating batteries, many sites simply do not have enough space for them.

In this regard, you can wave your hand to planningnetwork, coverage area and other “little things”, which will also affect the load of operators, customer dissatisfaction. But such times and such decisions, mobile communications are only part of the big picture.

Unfortunately, to say that in Europe everyoneit will be smooth, no. But we are interested in our penates, aren't we? In Russia, the situation is fundamentally different, so far it is impossible to talk about power outages, but local accidents have been and can occur. We are better protected from them, but there is no doubt that the human factor interferes. Increasingly, there will be technical errors that could have been avoided. The failure at the same Tinkoff Mobile illustrates this well.

Almost did not touch upon the question of what, when turned offelectricity comes with transport, thus optical fiber. The answer is simple - nothing good, it stops working, like everything else. And in this case, even the operation of a separate base station is in question. Power may be present on it, but the transport itself will “lie”, as a result, there will be no connection. Since mobile communications are developed by private companies, they often do not have redundant redundancy beyond the scope of normal incidents. And providing such a reservation is too expensive, it makes no sense. Therefore, the guarantee of normal, high-quality operation of networks, the necessary minimum is the availability of electricity, which is supplied to operators without interruption.

Interestingly, consumers themselves often do notready for life by candlelight, they do not have a well-established practice of charging external batteries, constantly maintaining all equipment in working condition, and charging it. It is curious that in large cities people are spoiled by the quality work of power engineers (Europe, Russia), there are no voltage drops for a long time, the light does not blink. And so many got rid of UPS, filters and other mechanisms that protect our equipment from network troubles that happen at the time of failures. For many countries, it's time to take care of purchasing such devices again, as the realities force them to take care of their equipment, to make sure that it does not burn. I hope that we will not come to this until the prerequisites for such a scenario of events are not visible.

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