How pole mount UPS with 48V UPS battery helps 4G small cell deployment？

How pole mount UPS with 48V UPS battery helps 4G Small cell deployment？

As a form of miniaturized 4G base station, 4G small cell greatly facilitates the coverage of network signals in rural areas. Compared with general marco base stations, it has the characteristics of low cost and easy deployment. However, 4G small cell is deployed in remote outdoor areas, and its power supply is often unstable, requiring UPS to provide power backup. Based on the general installation characteristics of 4G small cell, pole mount UPS wiht IP65 ingress protection is more suitable for 4G small cell scenarios. And as a communication product, 4G small cell is more commonly powered by -48V power supply, so UPS is best equipped with 48V UPS battery, and the entire pole mount UPS uses -48VDC voltage output.

Typical 4G small cell analysis

The picture above is a typical 4G small cell from the brand Baicell. Let’s take a look at the specifications of a typical 4G small cell.

The above picture is a typical 4G small cell from the brand Baicell. Let’s take a look at the specifications of a typical 4G small cell. We will find that its maximum power is 360W and its ingress protection level is IP66.

Ingress protection

First of all, its ingress level is IP66, which determines that it can be deployed in very harsh environments, and its shell is a cast aluminum shell, which is completely rust-proof. So we can conclude that if you want to configure a UPS for it, you should reach at least IP65 ingress protection to match its protection level.

Power consumption

We found that its maximum power consumption is 360W, but please note that this is only one sector. When configuring a UPS for it, pay attention to the number of sectors it is configured. There are many times when three sectors are configured on one pole, and at this time you need to consider 360W*3=1080W.

Topology consisting of 4G Small cell and pole mount UPS with 48V UPS battery

The overall topology of Pole mount UPS and 48V UPS battery and 4G small cell is shown in the figure above.

Pole mount UPS

First of all, the pole mount UPS must be IP65 or above ingress protection, and the entire shell is cast aluminum. Many pole mount UPS designed for 4G small cell power backup use IP55 power cabinet plus the rectifier system used by Telecom cabinet, which is not the best solution. Because the IP55 protection level cannot strictly match the protection level of 4G small cell, then considering that 4G small cell is often deployed in remote areas, some places have harsh environments, at this time, the pole mount UPS will have problems before the 4G small cell, thus affecting the reliability of the entire system. In addition, from the power perspective, a certain power margin needs to be reserved. For example, when the maximum power of multiple sectors of 4G small cell is 1000W, it is best to design the pole mount UPS to 1.5-2KW, which can ensure the long-term stable operation of the entire UPS system.

48V UPS battery

The 48V UPS battery will be connected to the pole mount UPS as a battery system. This system is also designed to be IP65 or above ingress protection. The DC48V voltage output matches the main voltage requirement of the entire pole mount UPS. The capacity design can be calculated based on the system autonomy time required by the 4G small cell. It is recommended to use lithium iron phosphate batteries to build the 48V UPS battery. Because of its high energy density, the final 48V UPS battery is small in size and weight. It is more in line with the transportation requirements of 4G small cells in remote scenarios. If lead-acid batteries are used, it will be difficult to build an enclosure with IP65 or above. It is not very cost-effective in terms of transportation and installation costs.