Power outage: mobile communications and the Internet are at risk
20 May 2024 17:23
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
Ukraine may experience problems with mobile communications and the Internet due to power outages. Representatives of mobile operators Vodafone and Kyivstar in a commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian" did not rule out the possibility of problems and spoke about possible scenarios for the provision of communication services.
Vodafone has been preparing its network for new possible blackouts since last winter. Over the past two years, the company has invested about UAH 160 million directly in energy independence.
“The operation of base stations directly depends on power supply. Thus, the company equips all its communication facilities with backup power, but the batteries also have their own capacity and take a long time to recharge. In case of repeated power outages during the day, they simply do not have time to recharge. Nevertheless, Vodafone is taking all possible measures to ensure uninterrupted network operation and stable communication services. Vodafone’s investments in the network have increased by 40% compared to last year,”
– the company told Kommersant Ukrainian 
.
Vodafone noted that it is impossible to provide all the sites with diesel generator sets (DGS) – there are hundreds of them in the region. Even with a sufficient number of generators, no operator will be able to deliver a diesel generator set to each site and refuel it in time on its own. In addition, many communication facilities are located on rooftops, where it is impossible to deliver and install a generator.
Today, Vodafone’s network availability has been significantly improved compared to 2022.
“We have purchased new high-capacity lithium-ion batteries that are more adapted to harsh environments, have higher capacity, are less sensitive to frequent power outages, and have a 2.5-3 times faster charging speed compared to the batteries used previously. The company has almost 4 times increased the number of base stations that will be powered by diesel generators,”
– Vodafone said.
Vodafone is also actively engaging partners to share stationary diesel generator sets, which allows it to increase its coverage in case of outages and improve service availability.
The company has already gained experience of cooperation with both local authorities and local businesses.
Vodafone noted that the operation of the mobile network also depends on the increase in load that occurs every time there is an outage, as subscribers often switch from disconnected WiFi to mobile internet.
“If a fixed-line internet provider uses modern technologies, users can use the home internet even during long power outages. For example, on 22 March, when Kharkiv was cut off from power as a result of an enemy air attack, Vodafone Gigabit Net continued to operate in full thanks to the capabilities of modern GPON technology, and employees of Vega, a fixed-line provider (part of Vodafone Ukraine), organised several resilience points for residents in Kharkiv, where they could connect to the network using free Wi-Fi and recharge their gadgets,”
– the company says.
However, not all fixed providers provide this level of energy independence. Therefore, when the power goes out, residents switch from home internet to mobile internet in droves.
The network experiences an avalanche-like increase in load, which leads to a decrease in speed for each consumer, as well as a faster discharge of the base station’s batteries with their subsequent shutdown.
“Experience has proven that even if 80% of base stations are online, these base stations are already overloaded during a power outage. And subscribers experience this as a deterioration in the usual quality of communication, because they cannot continue to watch videos, for example, as everyone is used to,” the company explained.
How Ukrainians can help improve the situation during blackouts
Vodafone advises checking whether your fixed-line internet provider provides fixed internet access even during power outages. Vodafone provides access to the Vodafone Gigabit Net fixed internet using GPON technology. The company’s networks are fully backed up by rechargeable batteries that can provide power for up to 24 hours.
“To ensure uninterrupted operation of Internet services for up to 72 hours or more, we have ready-made scenarios for connecting generators. Users only need to take care of power banks for their router and user device. The company, for its part, is doing everything possible to ensure that mobile communications continue to work during power outages as long as possible,”
– the press service said.
However, customers can also help improve the situation during blackouts by using the mobile internet in moderation, Vodafone added.
“For example, you should turn off media auto-loading in messengers and not use video hosting services such as YouTube and Netflix. By the way, a YouTube subscription allows you to download the desired video in advance and watch it later offline. You should also refrain from using services with heavy content that generate increased traffic, such as TikTok. If you need to watch it, you should set the video quality to a lower level,”
– Vodafone advises.
In 2022, the operators launched national roaming in record time, in the midst of the war. This allows you to stay connected when your operator’s network in a given location is currently down at no extra cost. To use this service, you need to enable automatic network selection in your phone’s settings.
Vodafone notes that there is a nuance: 4G does not work in national roaming, so as not to overload the working network, which also includes subscribers of other operators.
“So, whenever possible, try to connect to your home network. To do this, you need to switch on automatic network selection again or try to connect to your network in manual mode,”
– summarise the telecoms experts.
How Kyivstar deals with power outages
Representatives of Kyivstar mobile operator also do not rule out difficulties due to power outages.
Kyivstar noted that starting from 2022, the company has been taking steps to modernise its autonomous power supplies and installing new batteries at its base stations that can operate for up to 6 hours without recharging.
“We have installed 113,000 such batteries so far. In addition, we are working to provide power from generators for critical facilities identified by the National Security and Defence Council. In total, the company has 2.3 thousand generators, which is almost four times more than by 2022. The company has already used more than 1 billion litres of diesel fuel and half a billion litres of petrol to operate the generators during the full-scale invasion,”
– Kyivstar explained.
The company added that in order to ensure that fixed-line internet services were available during the blackouts, Kyivstar equipped home switches with uninterruptible power supplies.
Such systems are currently installed in 90,000 apartment buildings in Ukraine, where more than 60% of the company’s Home Internet users live.
“Kyivstar continues preparations for the winter of 2024-2025, making additional purchases of batteries and expanding its fleet of generators. The company has already spent over UAH 1 billion over the past two years to ensure the energy independence of the network,”
– the mobile operator said.
Kyivstar stressed that the company is ready for blackouts, but in case of large-scale and long-term power outages, it will have to prioritise the provision of autonomous power to its base stations, as technical limitations make it impossible to provide 100% of base stations with generators.
