The UK operator is pioneering an innovative solution to the problem of running power to mobile sites in the countryside.

Iain Morris, International Editor

November 25, 2021

2 Min Read
Vodafone sticks a wind turbine on a mobile mast

From a distance, it resembles an industrialized version of a child's whirligig atop a huge pole. Closer inspection reveals it to be a wind turbine attached to a mobile mast. If it works out as hoped, it could become a feature of Britain's rural landscape in the next few years.

The whirligig-cum-mast is Vodafone UK's potential answer to the problem of building mobile networks in the British countryside. In a city or town, connecting site infrastructure to the electricity grid is a relatively straightforward job. But in the most isolated communities, it might not even be an option.

That's an issue for an operator that has provided a commitment – in collaboration with its three network rivals – to cover 95% of the UK by the end of 2025, under the so-called Shared Rural Network (SRN) initiative.

Figure 1: The British countryside may soon get some new-look mobile masts (Source: Vodafone) The British countryside may soon get some new-look mobile masts
(Source: Vodafone)

What Vodafone is promoting as both "self-powered masts" and "Eco-Towers" was developed in partnership with a Welsh turbine maker called Crossflow Energy. Unlike bigger turbines, the one provided for the mobile mast is designed to rotate in the lightest of winds. On days when there is more air circulating around the dinner table than outside, battery storage systems come into play. Solar is also used as a back-up.

That could all help Vodafone to make good on its renewable energy commitments, slash carbon emissions and cut electricity costs. The company's UK arm is targeting "net zero" by 2027.

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Currently, there is no indication of the impact the self-powered mast could have on Vodafone UK's overall expenses. That would depend on all sorts of factors including how widely the masts are used. For the time being, Vodafone is pushing the concept as a "cost-effective alternative to diesel generation" and planning a proof of concept.

Any sites it eventually deploys will be owned by Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure, the joint venture with O2 for mast infrastructure.

If they were rolled out as part of the SRN scheme, the Eco-Towers would benefit other operators and not just Vodafone, the operator confirmed.

— Iain Morris, International Editor, Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Iain Morris

International Editor, Light Reading

Iain Morris joined Light Reading as News Editor at the start of 2015 -- and we mean, right at the start. His friends and family were still singing Auld Lang Syne as Iain started sourcing New Year's Eve UK mobile network congestion statistics. Prior to boosting Light Reading's UK-based editorial team numbers (he is based in London, south of the river), Iain was a successful freelance writer and editor who had been covering the telecoms sector for the past 15 years. His work has appeared in publications including The Economist (classy!) and The Observer, besides a variety of trade and business journals. He was previously the lead telecoms analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, and before that worked as a features editor at Telecommunications magazine. Iain started out in telecoms as an editor at consulting and market-research company Analysys (now Analysys Mason).

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