POWER

WORKSTREAM LEAD: Phumlani Moholi

Power Considerations

Many customers and businesses have found their businesses unexpectedly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.   

During this time the telecommunications Sector needs to ensure that the mission-critical business, towers and switches are operational wherever the customers may be located.

Minimum power resources commitments need to be secured by respective Network Operators to ensure that this infrastructure is kept live and available to support critical medical facilities: 

  • Identified COVID-19 Emergency Centres,  
  • Screening Centres, 
  • Quarantine Centres, etc.  
  • Hospitals  
  • Clinics  
  • Data Centres  

Recommendations:

RecommendationSolution Area
Network Operators and Data  centre operators to be given right to source power from any available source -- flexibility in souringTelecommunications providers and  Data centre  operators to be granted right to source uninterrupted power as would  support operation from on grid  and off grid sources and from INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCERS
Additional SecurityProvision of security to ensure safety of power supply which is  needed to protect the batteries, generators, and general site equipment from theft and vandalism.  
Coordination and Collaboration of Power SupplyCollaboration between Eskom , municipalities and telecommunications industry and Data Centre Providers on planned and unplanned outages ,to allow these operators to prepare sufficiently to access alternative sources of power.
Review location for key telecommunication data Centre facilities before load shedding is done in those locations.  If key facility is located in a particular area try avoid load shedding as much as possible. 
Coordination and Collaboration on load shedding schedulesCurrently load shedding information is derived from a number of sources. Eskom and municipalities issue their schedule from own databases that might not be synchronous. A common source (database) of this information to be made available to operators in planning and coordination.