Vodafone Egypt said that it achieved a 40% reduction in power consumption in its first field trials of Ericsson’s Psi-Coverage* solution.
Psi-Coverage is the name Ericsson gives to a technology design that connects three antennas to one base station radio, instead of using one radio unit per antenna. The design would appear to prioritise coverage over capacity, splitting the capacity of the “host” base station across three antennas, although Ericsson said that “innovative” software boosts uplink capacity at the base station.
Ericsson positions the Psi-Coverage solution, first launched in the field in August 2012, as best suited to markets that need to achieve low cost expansion of 3G coverage. The solution can “provide high quality coverage without the power usage that is necessary in larger cities” the company said in a statement.
Tony Dolton, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone Egypt, said: “Psi-Coverage proved to be successful during testing, it reduced power consumption substantially and helped in saving OPEX/CAPEX costs.”
Anders Lindblad, President of Region Middle East and Africa, Ericsson, said: “Psi-Coverage allows operators to reduce carbon footprint while maintaining quality of services to their customers.”
*The name of the solution is symbolic, as PSI in Greek has the shape of a fork with three teeth, representing the set-up of the base station plus three antennas.
