MUMBAI: Reliance Jio Infocomm has placed an order worth €7 million with Saft for the supply of its state-of-the-art Evolion lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery systems, to support the next phase in India's 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) roll-out programme.
Reliance Jio Infocomm is currently the only pan-Indian 4G/LTE operator.
This new order builds on the success of past orders placed in 2013 and 2014 by Reliance Jio Infocomm for Saft's Evolion systems, for an amount of €50 million.
These batteries have now been rolled out in more than 16,000 4G/LTE Base Transceiver Station (BTS) sites across India, where they provide backup power in case of interruption of the main power supply, guaranteeing total continuity and availability of Reliance Jio Infocomm's mobile network.
India's vast geography and wide range of climate conditions represent a significant technical challenge for batteries. The Evolion battery concept has been developed to ensure reliability and service life for telecom installations operating at temperatures in the range of - 40 degree C to + 75 degree C and in high humidity conditions.
In addition, Evolion is also around half the size and only one quarter of the weight of a conventional telecom battery, freeing up space and making it easier and safer for operators to transport, handle and install.
"Our backup battery systems play a key role in guaranteeing the reliability of telecom networks at all times, which is crucial to the successful expansion of 4G/LTE services. I am thrilled by Reliance Jio Infocomm's renewed trust in Saft's Evolion modules, which again demonstrates the quality of our backup battery systems and their ability to ensure reliability and maximize life of service for our clients' infrastructures in the most challenging conditions," said Saft's Industrial Battery Group general manager Xavier Delacroix.
To support the intensive deployment of the Evolion battery systems, Saft is also providing a dedicated service for RJIL for life cycle support across the entire installed base. Deliveries are scheduled to take place during the second quarter of 2015.
