Jorge Ribeiro Rousse , Director of Service Platform Strategy and Engineering , Virgin Media O2
END USER INSIGHT
O2 COOLS DOWN DATA CENTRES TO SAVE ENERGY AS 4G AND 5G HOT UP
As the world heats up , data centre facilities must discover smarter ways to cool down . Jorge Ribeiro Rousse , Director of Service Platform Strategy and Engineering , Virgin Media O2 , discusses how it implemented EkkoSense ’ s software technology to monitor and control temperatures at its mobile network site in order to keep its mobile network running , delivering cooling optimisation right across its estate . s lockdown eases and
A mobile data use sees 4G and 5G consumption hot up to new records , O2 is rolling out brand new smart cooling technology to better control the temperature at its data centres and boost the efficiency of its network – delivering energy savings equivalent to 1 million kg of CO 2 year on year .
In the last 12 months , O2 has carried record levels of data – up 89 % from the pre-pandemic average in 2019 . As the UK emerges from COVID-19 restrictions , our appetite for mobile data is expected to continue growing ( with the O2 network carrying an average 55 % more peak hour data throughput in the first week of May than it did in the same week in 2020 ) – putting pressure on data centres and creating carbon emissions from ‘ hot ’ equipment that needs cooling .
To help build a greener network , O2 is radically overhauling its data centres and core network sites with brand new , energy-efficient cooling equipment to regulate temperatures at the sites that keep its mobile network running . The new equipment uses the natural cold air outside to help cool data equipment when it needs it – rather than relying solely on traditional electric-powered air conditioning . Using fresh air also reduces O2 ’ s reliance on polluting refrigerant gases .
O2 has also become the first major mobile network operator to rollout new management software from EkkoSense across its entire estate . The software uses smart sensors fitted to data centre www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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