The First "Solar Network" Deployed by Ericsson in South America

Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant company, announced today that it would deploy what we can call a "solar network" for Digicel, a leading Caribbean mobile operator, in Suriname.

Ericsson will provide a solar-powered site solution for Suriname's remote areas that have limited access to electricity. The solution includes solar panels, a main remote GSM base station RBS 2111 and battery back-ups, and will enable Digicel Suriname to reduce energy consumption with up to 50%.

"Ericsson's energy-friendly solution will help lower operational expenditure and reduce environmental impact. By extending coverage in Suriname, we open the door to new revenue streams, giving subscribers access to services on the move, as well as providing communications to people in remote areas for the first time," declared Mario Assaad, Chief Technology Officer for Digicel Group.

Sergio Quiroga da Cunha, President of Ericsson in northern Latin America, added: "This deal marks an important milestone and we are proud to implement the first solar solution in South America. Energy efficiency is a key factor for network optimization: it helps lower total cost of ownership and enables operators to bring affordable communications to subscribers."

Previously known as Netherlands Guyana, Suriname is a small country situated North of Brazil. With a population of about 0.5 million people, the South American country doesn't have too many mobile users, but at least they can enjoy a "solar network" from now on.

The first solar-powered sites were made functional by Ericsson in Maroc, back in 2000, and since then the Swedish company has launched more than 200 such sites across Asia and Africa.

In the future, network deployments of this kind will probably be announced for other regions of the world too - like Europe or North America. We can't possibly say which countries might be interested in solar-powered sites, but we're sure about at least one that cannot be: the UK, which should consider the deployment of a network powered by rain. Well, that would really be a first.