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Mobile giant MTN has partnered with energy companies in a bid to keep its communication towers running during load shedding, as the country battles ongoing power cuts.
Johannesburg head-quartered enterprises, 24Solutions and SAMO Engineering have joined forces with MTN to provide additional generator capacity. The partnership aims to support network resilience in the face of power outages.
News24 previously reported that SA's two biggest mobile companies – which have some 70 million customers between them – warned of the toll higher stages of load shedding was taking on their networks, as they battle battery theft and rocketing fuel costs to tackle the impact of ongoing breakdowns pummelling Eskom infrastructure.
MTN said at the time that it had deployed over 2 000 generators to counter the impact of higher stages of load shedding and that it was burning through over 400 000 litres of fuel per month just to keep its generators operational.
MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi, said the critical factor behind the new partnerships was to ensure that customers stay connected, no matter the situation. Molapisi said it was necessary to "[think] out of the box, to find alternative solutions".
"Collective effort and relentless optimism are needed right now, and I am extremely pleased to see progress in our crowd-sourcing approach to the power crisis we're all facing. We plan to scale this up even further in future," he added.
The telecommunication company had earlier announced that it was looking for small suppliers in the energy sector to be part of its generator crowd-sourcing programme to offer short-term solutions to limit downtime when backup batteries are being replaced or repaired. The suppliers have expertise in the telecoms sector.
"We made the call to partner with companies with generators, whether they had two or 40, and are pleased to have found 24Solutions, SAMO Engineering to join us," said Molapisi.
MTN has previously said that backup systems generally take 12-18 hours to recharge, while batteries have a capacity of about 6-12 hours.
"Despite an aggressive and successful battery rollout to ensure network stability and connectivity can be maintained, the extent and duration of the ongoing power cuts mean battery backup is placed under strain," according to the company.
Adding to the strain on the infrastructure is the vandalism of the batteries installed to boost the capacity of communication towers.
In its 2022 climate report, MTN said it was looking to partner with innovative, low-carbon and renewable energy solutions, such as on-site hydrogen generation, solar, wind, fuel cell and hybrid generation, as it works towards the goal of meeting its commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
