Egypt’s first integrated telecommmunications operator, Telecom Egypt in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, one of the world’s leading supplier of smart devices and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, have launched the first climate-friendly wireless network tower built with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP). This green tower is the first of its kind in Africa.
The material of choice for this green tower emits significantly lower carbon than steel, it is has high resistance to wind and high temperatures, rises to approximately 18m high, and has a fence made of eco-friendly materials. It is partly powered by solar and features the high quality energy saving technology.
Adel Hamed, The Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, stated that the implementation of this mobile site in Egypt is remarkable and it highlights the efforts put in by those overseeing the project, and their ability to execute the project in a timely and systematic manner, to the highest international green quality standards.
Hamed further highlighted the features of the green sites to include the latest Radio Access Network technologies, optimized to offer top performance with 40% reduction in energy consumption in relation to traditional sites. The new technology also improves the signal quality by about 20%, consequently, fewer base stations will need to be installed thereby reducing the environmental footprint and moving a step in the direction environmental sustainability, Hamed added.
CEO of Huawei Egypt, Jim Liu, affirmed that the company’s focus is on developing Information and Communication Technology infrastructure in Egypt, hence the collaboration with Telecom Egypt. He pointed out the results of recent studies which indicate that FRP poles when compared to steel, produces 43% less carbon dioxide emissions, and also reduces energy consumption by nearly 50% during manufacturing and shipping.
Liu stated that Huawei is keen on providing innovative energy saving technologies towards the goal of building a sustainable low-carbon future. He explained that the green sites depend on passive cooling systems, which eliminates the need for air conditioning. The site is equipped with solar panels that provide about 2 kilowatts of energy. All of these features combined result in significantly lower carbon emissions and higher energy saving.
