Verizon (News - Alert), a provider of broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services, will be opting for hardware that use thermal modeling for its network gear in order to increase its network power efficiency. With the enhanced operational efficiency resulting out of low heat dissipating hardware the company hopes to minimize the requirement of costly air conditioning in central offices, equipment vaults and other facilities.

 

Thermal modeling involves using a computer to simulate the heat flow around electrical components in equipment such as circuit boards, before the equipment is built. This enables the equipment to be designed in a way that minimizes heat generation and thus improves energy efficiency, and saves time and costs.

 

Verizon officials said that it can design and place equipment in such a way to reduce heat generated from hardware such as circuit boards and cabinets used in the network and thereby improve energy efficiency. The company believes that they can go to the heart of the process by optimizing efficiency at the simplest level.

 

The new Technical Purchasing Requirement outlines the goal of the testing program, details test procedures to be conducted and establishes a process for review of the results and approval of the equipment design.

 

Company officials also said that they had already set global telecom industry’s first energy-efficiency standards, designed to reduce by 20% the power consumed by new telecom-related equipment. The reduction in power consumption will not only save money but also help protect the environment.

 

Chuck Graff, Verizon director of corporate network and technology, said that the new thermal-management requirements are actually a process for helping the equipment makers meet the 20 percent improvement goal, which then helps Verizon reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint significantly. Circuit boards can work fine when they are generating more heat than necessary, but they work better and save operating costs when attention is paid to heat issues up front.

 

Verizon has said that the benefits they will get enjoy because of these thermal-management requirements are cooler operating temperatures, faster deployment because thermal issues are addressed earlier in the process, and lower costs for air conditioning.

 

Recently Verizon announced Quad-Play bundle combining wireless with home phone, TV and broadband and inked new agreement with Nissan North America.