Ericsson announced the first deployment of a solar-powered GSM base station with satellite backhaul for Star-Cell, a Cambodian mobile operator. The satellite transmission feature provides affordable mobile-network coverage in remote areas where other transmission solutions are unavailable. About 80 percent of the Cambodian population lives outside the main urban centers.
Ericsson said the GSM main-remote solution has a lower environmental impact than standard base stations, consuming up to 50 percent less energy, while helping lower total cost of ownership by reducing operating costs.
Star-Cell has selected Ericsson’s solution to expand network coverage and introduce EDGE-based applications to enable mobile health and educational services for rural communities.
Ericsson noted that it has delivered more than 200 solar-powered cell sites in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Americas.http://www.ericsson.com
