Current Trends Accelerating Decommissioning Networks

Technology deployed in the telecommunications industry faces the constant threat of fast obsolescence. Network operators have had to come up with ways to managing this situation and continue to deliver cutting edge technology to their subscribers while phasing out legacy equipment. This is a big task with major challenges.

As the number of mobile subscriptions increase globally to an estimated 6 billion or 87% of the world’s population, subscribers expect to get the best of cutting edge technology in order to fully enjoy a broad range of mobile services as evidenced by an estimated 37% uptake of 3G and advanced wireless technologies. However, while the mobile operators have to contend with the challenges of ensuring that this expectation is met, one of the realities of consistently providing robust and cutting edge technology is the increasingly rapid rate of obsolescence of the legacy equipment. This rather tough reality seems to pose more questions than answers for network operators worldwide. The continually shrinking time frame for moving to the newer technologies even before fully realising the return on investment of the present ones is a particularly demanding issue, one that requires strategic action.

In trying to determine how best to balance the demands of cost reduction with the rising complexity of customer demands, decommissioning networks have become a very attractive solution for mobile network operators. This simply entails creating room for accommodating new technology by de-installing and removing legacy equipment from sites where they are currently installed such as data centers, cell sites and power plants among others. The application of this relatively new concept is evident in wireless and wireline-based communications service providers. In a report produced pursuant to a survey conducted, PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PwC), an international management consulting firm stated that over 60% of wireline and almost 90% of wireless network operators plan to decommission a legacy network in the next five years with 80% of the both expecting the process to take less than five years. Currently, wireline technologies are dominated by copper-based networks with 38% of the operators including MDFs, radio and fiber PDH as well as ATM networks in their decommissioning plans while legacy 2G decommissioning is planned by 90% of wireless operators with more 30% of them also planning 3G decommissioning. Decommissioning networks based on 3G wireless technology however, would take about 5.3 years, two years more than a 2G network, estimated at 2.3 years.

Key drivers propelling the implementation of this process globally have also been identified by PwC in the same report to include the need for reduction of operating costs, enhancement of customer experience, removal of overlapping and/or redundant networks, a migration of traffic to more efficient networks, co-location and similar facility sharing arrangements, regulatory considerations such as tax and environmental regulations, revenue generation, destruction of sensitive data and matching competition from rival operators.

Decommissioning networks would superficially seem to be a strictly cost-intensive venture yet a lot of revenue generating opportunities have been revealed. In a separate report, Accenture, an international management consulting firm assessed the trend of decommissioning. Its report identified cost upsides to include; sale of facilities that have housed wired centers, salvage and resale of copper wires, reduction in costs of IT support and redeployment of redundant technical staff on decommissioning projects to avoid legal issues.

SR Telecom’s SR 500 Equipment Still Receiving Servicing

Inasmuch as its manufacturer, SR Telecom has gone out of business, the SR 500 has remained a viable piece of equipment that is still in use worldwide. The bankruptcy of the former manufacturer has challenged its repairs and servicing needs but service providers like Duons of France are filling that gap capably.

Accessing voice and data applications on remote locations has continued to be a major challenge in many countries. Harsh terrains and inaccessible locations demand equipment that not only withstand the ruggedness but also function optimally regardless of the environmental conditions. The solution provided by a telecommunications equipment provider, SR Telecom, the SR 500 was a huge success. 

SR 500 is a point to point fixed wireless system possessing high-capacity thus enabling network operators penetrate deep into inaccessible areas to deliver a broad spectrum of voice and data solutions to end users in rugged and difficult terrain. It is built to withstand the harshness of environmental elements and proven widely to provide the necessary tough yet efficient features desired in the field. This equipment also ranks tops in terms of installed base globally and this may be due to its wireless reach of about 720 kilometres from the central station.  

The manufacturers of this equipment, Montreal based SRTelecom however filed for bankruptcy in 2010 in spite of the wide acclaim given its globally. The company was established in 1981 and had presence in more 130 countries worldwide where it partnered with telecommunications providers in providing voice, data and multimedia services via wireless systems. 

In spite of its filing for bankruptcy in 2010, SR Telecom’s outstanding product continues to remain popular across the globe. The SR 500 is currently being used in Oil and gas industries to service the communications requirements of off-shore, on-shore and distributions operations. Electrical utilities, water management and natural resources industries are other areas where the equipment is still in active use. 

Outstanding features such as the far-reaching frequency bands, effective backhaul integration, ability to support as many as 511 outstations from a single central station, several options for high transmit power, broad range of interfaces as well as ease of scaling network have distinguished the SR 500 and ensured its continued use globally. However, with this continued use comes the need for servicing and given the fact that the manufacturer is no longer in operation, other service providers have stepped into the breach to fill that need. One of such companies is Duons, a member of The Valee Group. Duons currently has presence in five continents and services client needs at various stages ranging from conception to deployment and maintenance. The company has also been successful in its integration of SR Telecom’s intellectual and industrial property hence its position as one of the key providers of the equipment’s repair service.

Duons has continued not only the repair of existing SR 500 equipment but also its manufacture at the company’s factory in Montreal. In order to effectively and efficiently service its clients, the company has repair and maintenance facilities in key locations; Australia, Mexico, France and Canada. This does not restrict service provisioning to off-site locations only as Duons also carries out repairs on-site to resolve technical challenges. This type of arrangement ensures that there is minimal interruption to the client’s service delivery.