Saft Launches New Battery Technology for 4G and 5G Telecom Networks

March 26, 2020 | Alternative Energy | Energy Facts Staff Writer | 3min

Saft is launching its new Tel.X-Plus battery, which is designed to support the 4G and 5G telecom networks that are a key enabler for the continuous increase in speed of data communications. These high-speed networks are critical for the success of applications such as self-driving cars, IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), robots, drones and remote medicine.

The Tel.X-Plus design is based on the same DNA as Saft’s highly reliable and long lasting Tel.X nickel battery. It has been developed to meet the growing trend for telecom systems that require batteries capable of faster discharge, as well as offering a small footprint and a longer life.

Ivan Perallon, Saft Regional Sales Manager, said: “Every telecom application deserves the right battery. First acquisition costs are never total costs. With 99.999 percent reliability and long life, Tel.X-Plus helps 4G and 5G network operators save on both OPEX and CAPEX from day one. Its nickel technology is maintenance-free and offers reduced operation and deferred replacement.

Tel.X-Plus is the ideal battery solution for telecom sites, especially in outdoor applications. It can tolerate extremely low and high temperatures without compromising safety and operational life. Should an outage occur, the Tel.X-Plus battery is optimized to support the operation of the network for a back-up time of 15 minutes to three hours. The original Tel.X battery has a back-up time of between three and eight hours depending on the application profile.

Tel.X-Plus nickel batteries are a direct replacement for lead-acid batteries, especially Valve-Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) types, as they share the same form factor. This makes them ideal for upgrading power solutions in existing systems. They also offer exceptional availability, enabling telecom engineers to specify a single Tel.X-Plus battery string rather than the two-string architecture required to accommodate the lower reliability of VRLA technology.

Saft’s nickel battery technology is field proven to perform in real telecom environments, with over 100,000 battery strings in service for 20+ years. The Tel.X-Plus is designed and manufactured at the Saft plant in Valdosta, GA (USA).