Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range technology cuts the cost of RMS by 30%

TowerXchange has seldom come across a remote monitoring competitive differentiator in as significant as Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range radio communication technology. Whereas once upon a time, every remotely monitored site had it’s own controller with a finite number of ports to add extra sensors, Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range communication technology, combined with the wireless, ‘plug and start’ design of their solution, means that several sites within a 35 kilometer radius can share a single controller, consolidating data from up to a thousand sensors. Capital cost savings: 30%. Opex cost savings: priceless!

TowerXchange: First, what is your background Cyrille – how did you come to be running an innovative remote monitoring and energy management company? 

My background is as a radio engineer and designer of mobile networks for Bouygues Telecom, Orange and latterly T-Mobile. In particular with Orange, who operate in a number of markets where the electricity grid is incomplete or unreliable, I often faced challenges to secure power and ensure QoS.

I took those experiences in the field into designing a remote monitoring system that could meet the needs of mobile network operators, while being robust enough to function in challenging markets such as SSA.

TowerXchange: Please introduce Qowisio’s ultra long range radio communication technology – why could this be a game changer in remote monitoring of cell sites? 

With the emergence of the independent towercos, who often buy towers from different operators, sometimes towers are only a few hundred meters apart. Similarly, network densification for 4G will require cell splitting – more sites, closer together.

In the past, remote monitoring systems had needed a controller on each tower to consolidate data and transmit it back to the NOC. However, Qowisio realised we could share one controller between multiple sites, increasing the security of an already robust solution, while reducing capex and opex.

TowerXchange: How did your R&D team come up with the idea of using ultra long range communication technology to share one controller between multiple sites?

First you have to understand that communication between sensors and the QowisioBox controller has been wireless from the beginning.

We encountered several sites where the BTS was on a rooftop, with the genset and fuel tank at ground level. To avoid expensive cable connections, our R&D team extended the wireless communication range of the controller to 100-300m. We realised if we extended the range still further, one controller could serve multiple sites.

TowerXchange: How many sites and how many sensors can be managed from one QowisioBox controller? 

Because ours is a fully wireless system, the capacity of a QowisioBox is over 1,000 sensors. Unlike competitive wired solutions, there is no limit in terms of the number of ports on the controller. We can connect to any new piece of equipment installed in the field directly from the NOC – so it’s easy to extend the sensor network, and the field technician doesn’t have to connect and configure the solution onsite.

TowerXchange: It seems to us that a tower owner can pay anything from $500 to $10,000 per site for RMS depending on the quality and functionality of the solution they select. What are the potential cost savings enabled by Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range radio communication technology, and how does that give you an edge in the higher quality end of the market which you address? 

Using one centralised controller instead of multiple RMS controllers on each of several nearby sites is efficient from both a capex and opex point of view.

Sharing one controller between three of four sites can save more than 30% on capex.

With each controller having two SIM cards, if you have three towers within a couple of kilometers, you need three controllers and six SIM cards with other RMS, but you need only one Qowisio box with two SIM cards, thus reducing transmission opex costs, which can be substantial.

We generate even more savings as a result of making sites more secure. While wired RMS solutions are easier to tamper with to disable fuel monitoring and steal diesel, for example, by simply cutting the wire (even with internal power, the vandalized sensor will need a maintenance visit). With the Qowisio solution, not only may there be no wires but no controller onsite to even attempt to tamper with!

TowerXchange: How proven is the solution in the field?

Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range communication technology has been successfully deployed on over 1,000 sites in France.

We have signed some contracts with towercos already as our long range, wireless communication technology gives us a genuine competitive advantage over classical, wired RMS solutions. As a result, we’re able to supplement towercos’ core business, becoming more of a partner than a supplier.

TowerXchange: How can Qowisio supplement the towerco’s core business?

Qowisio’s Ultra Long Range communication technology enables towercos to access the IoT (Internet of Things) ecosystem and provide new services. As well as monitoring their own and their tenant’s assets, towercos could monitor third party assets within the controller’s radius, like refueling stations’ monitoring sensors, providing more data deeper into their own supply chain, but also transmitting sensor data as a value added service to other businesses, opening up telemetry / M2M revenues beyond towercos’ locations.

With a range up to 35km, it would enable towercos and MNOs using our equipment to connect to any object with an embedded sensor, providing a myriad of data to other companies.

TowerXchange: TowerXchange has profiled 27 different RMS and Site Management Systems, and spoken to hundreds of towercos about their experiences with RMS. For the last three years it has seemed like no single solution has yet been able to meet all the towerco’s requirements. What do you see as the primary challenges to making remote monitoring and energy management work and how are Qowisio working to overcome those challenges?

Many competitive RMS solutions have been developed from industrial monitoring, using wired controllers linked with an Internet or GSM modem, and developed for countries where grid power is stable. Qowisio’s solution has been designed from an emerging market tower operator’s point of view. We recognise the challenges of making advanced functionality simple to deploy, making it remotely configurable, and making it tamper-proof.

Qowisio’s solution is easy to install and maintain. With no cabling, it’s all ‘plug and start’ –the field technician doesn’t need expertise to configure the system. Everything is in the cloud; settings can be changed remotely from the NOC.

We’ve been pushed to design a solution that is robust against tampering, which is especially important when monitoring cell sites in remote areas where diesel is effectively a local currency, and where pilferage is widespread.