Vodafone Qatar deploys 'green' base stations

Vodafone Qatar said it has joined hands with telecoms equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent for deployment of 17 radio base stations designed to blend into the urban environment in line with its 'green technology' program.

This initiative is in line with the urban planning and development of the country and is fully supported by the telecom regulator and the government of Qatar, said a statement from the country's leading telecom services provider.

Alcatel-Lucent is providing Vodafone Qatar with a full end-to-end turnkey solution including monopole tower, camouflage solution, 2G and 3G equipment, microwave equipment, civil works and set of comprehensive services, including design, dimensioning, site engineering, integration, installation and commissioning, and network operation.

As part of Vodafone Qatar’s green technology program in 2011, they also target the deployment of additional hybrid powered base stations in rural areas to harness solar and wind energy.
The camouflage sites are located in Qatar’s main cities and help reduce visual pollution by better integrating radio base stations into the city’s skyline, said the two companies at the first live demonstration of the LTE technology in Qatar held recently.

These new base stations mimic the cities’ towering and graceful minarets, making them virtually undetectable and enhancing the overall look of the cities and protecting the views of their gardens, places of worship and tourist sites while improving cell phone coverage in these densely populated areas, said a top official.

“Since the entry of Vodafone in Qatar, we've worked hard with Alcatel-Lucent and the local authorities to bring innovation to this country's telecommunications capabilities,” said Jenny Howe, Vodafone Qatar CTO.

“Camouflage solutions are enabling us to get access to sensitive areas and allow Vodafone to better serve its customers, ultimately making a world of difference for all people in Qatar,” he noted.

Further camouflage sites are planned in sensitive areas such as The Pearl Qatar, Parks and Mosques.

"A few months ago we launched the first hybrid solution for Vodafone Qatar, and now we are enabling Vodafone Qatar to deploy further cost-efficient solutions that meet today’s environmental challenges," he added.

Marc Kassis, head of Alcatel-Lucent in Qatar, said, "This achievement strengthens our long-standing co-operation with Vodafone and highlights their confidence in our comprehensive solutions and local support capabilities.”

“We are committed to leveraging this leadership to help our customers transform their networks cost-effectively in order to help them better meet the needs of their customers while deploying more energy sustainable networks,” he added.

The duo showcased its advanced mobile capabilities through Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end LTE solution. The live LTE demo – the first in Qatar – used 800 MHz spectrum and demonstrated a speed increase of up to six times enjoyed by customers on 3G today, narrowing the gap between fixed and mobile experience.

The LTE capabilities include a variety of new multimedia applications and services such as streaming video, HD video Conference, heavy files transfers, e-health applications," said Stelios Savvides, Vodafone Qatar, mobile access manager.

“We would like to thank ictQatar for supporting our joint initiative with Alcatel-Lucent to demonstrate LTE at 800 MHz. This live demonstration provides a glimpse into the potential and benefits of LTE and is in line with Vodafone’s focus on innovation,” he added.