Thank you for this info! I think most of us kind of know there are backup power strategies in place but this is very detailed and appreciated. The little communication I have had with family on the island they tell me no internet, no cable tv, etc so this timing is good to know for when the few cell towers that survived start to go dark. - J On Wed, Sep 20, 2017 at 4:36 PM, Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com> wrote:
On Wed, 20 Sep 2017, Javier J wrote:
How long usually till generators at cell sites run out of juice?
Rough, every provider is different, backup power hierarchy:
Neighborhood pole boxes: 1-4 hours, batteries only. May be re-charged with portable generators when safe to access area. There is likely severe physical damage to neighborhood lines.
Cell towers: 8-12 hours battery. Some, not all, towers have a natural gas generator or 24 hours diesel generator
Central offices and cable headends: 8-12 hours battery, 1-3 days diesel generators. Core, tandem, and hub sites usually have more backup.
Major colocation data centers: <1 hour battery, 3-14 days diesel generators
Submarine cable landing points and satellite control stations: 24 hours battery, 30 days diesel generators