China Unicom’s subsidiary in Anhui province, Anhui Unicom, is gearing up to reduce the energy consumption of its mobile base transceiver station (BTS) sites by as much as 20%.

The operator will deploy Nokia Siemens Networks’ Energy Solutions including cooling box and battery cooling cabinet to replace more costly air conditioning units.

“This is truly a win-win situation for us,” said Li Chao, general manager of Anhui Unicom. “It will help us meet the government imperative to mobile operators to reduce energy consumption. In the long run, it will also help us reduce our network operating costs from anywhere between 10-30%, while improving service availability.”

The bulk of the energy consumed on a BTS site is the room air conditioner. Nokia Siemens Networks’ Energy Solutions can help lower average ambient temperatures to reduce the dependency on expensive air-conditioning reducing total power consumption.

“Our solution provides a comprehensive approach to reduce energy consumption in mobile operators’ networks,” added Xue Rui, head of Nokia Siemens Networks’ global services business in Greater China. “Not only do we help operators meet their green targets but also help them do so cost efficiently.”

As operators expand their networks, especially in rural and remote areas, they are faced with the challenges of dealing with rising energy costs and minimizing their carbon footprint. Energy Solutions from Nokia Siemens Networks help reduce energy consumption in telecom networks, which accounts for 86% of the total energy consumed by operators or 10%-30% of network operating expenditure.