DC/DC Power Supply Solutions for 5G applications
CONTENT:
The telecommunications industry has been one of the few industries whose growth has steadily expanded despite the disruption caused by the recent pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, there has been a constant demand for higher-speed networks, as more people have started working from home and attending online classes.
The global telecom services market size was estimated at USD 1,707 billion in 2021 and is expected to experience a growth rate of 5.4% from 2021 to 2028. The rising spending on the deployment of 5G infrastructures and more interconnected IoT-based smart homes are one of the factors driving the growth of this industry with considerable potential.
Reliable and stable power supplies are indispensable for powering the increasingly complex infrastructure and systems used by the telecom industry. Below we will review more details on how reliable power supplies can help alleviate the challenges faced by the telecom industry.
The Challenges & Potential of 5G Applications
As 5G wireless networks become more widely available and sophisticated, engineers are faced with a series of challenges when designing power modules for these applications. The latest technological advancements are meant to support increasingly higher expectations in terms of network speed and performance.
For 5G networks, consumers expect even more reliable and faster communication and internet services. And yet, 5G base stations are much denser and consume a lot more energy than 4G base stations. Engineers need to design power supplies that can provide high reliability while also reducing the impact of cellular densification on the complexity of the electric circuit in each 5G base station.
With the growing potential of this network infrastructure, engineers need to design power modules that contain the costs, while also guaranteeing reliable performance and the lowest chances of disruption.
For a more in-depth review, below are some of the main challenges that affect electrical designers and engineers operating in the telecom industry:
● Increasingly higher power demand for denser 5G base stations
As the need for telecom services grows, global users are expecting even more from their telecommunications service providers. Specifically, the 5G network has a faster frequency than the 4G network, resulting in the need for more 5G base stations to be installed at the same time. For this reason, engineers need to consider this aspect when designing power supply systems for 5G applications, including how to guarantee higher reliability in denser 5G base stations.
● Low acceptance of any type of power disruption
Users are becoming more accustomed to the continuous availability of telecommunications services, from mobile communication to the internet. Regardless of whether for residential or commercial applications, telecom systems need to provide non-stop service at any time of the day. Any network outage or downtime can cause frustration and dissatisfaction from telecom service customers. Engineers are tasked with designing 5G network power supplies that ensure minimal or no disruption under all circumstances, including high moisture indoor levels and extreme outdoor weather conditions.
● More costly and energy-consuming telecom architectures
In recent years, telecom operators in several countries have invested large sums to build robust 5G network infrastructure to capture the maximum market in both rural and urban areas. For example, in February 2021, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications spent around USD 70 billion combinedly on the 5G spectrum to provide improved network connectivity to U.S. users. 5G base stations are becoming more popular, but they also create new challenges for designers. Power consumption is almost twice as high with 5G networks as their 4G counterpart. Energy costs can grow even more at higher frequencies, due to a need for more antennas and a denser layer of small cells. This increased energy use can have a potentially damaging impact on the environment, as well as shrink the profit margin for both engineers and telecom service providers.
Power supplies are essential for providing stable, continuous power to the data communication systems used in the telecom industry. There are also many different types of power supply installations, both indoors (for communication centers) and outdoors (for mobile telephone base stations). Indoor applications require a wiser use of space in a power supply, while DC/DC converters for outdoor telecom infrastructure need to withstand the effects of the surrounding environment.
The Importance of Quality in Power Supplies for 5G Applications
The quality and reliability of power supplies can be ensured by selecting products that comply with the relevant international industry standards, including DOSA. DOSA refers to the Distributed-power Open Standards Alliance, which is a series of standards established to ensure the compatibility and standardization of DC/DC power converters by defining some of their requirements including their pin output interface, standard package size, standard electrical interface specification and control.
In 5G base stations, selecting DOSA-compliant power converters ensures that all the components in an electric circuit are strongly compatible with each other, thus reducing the occurrence of issues caused by poor compatibility.
Power supplies for 5G applications need to provide reliable power to the whole communication infrastructure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Engineers also need to select DC/DC converters with the best possible power conversion efficiency to keep up with the growing demand for speed while also ensuring lower power consumption. High power efficiency and reliability are achievable by selecting DOSA-compliant DC/DC converters designed precisely for 5G base stations.
MORNSUN's Power Supply Solutions for 5G applications
MORNSUN can offer a broad portfolio of high-performance DOSA-compliant DC/DC converters for telecom applications. MORNSUN's 5G network power solutions include both isolated and non-isolated modules.
MORNSUN offers a wide selection of power supply products that satisfy the high-reliability requirements demanded in the telecommunication power supply market. The MORNSUN VCB/VCF and K12T power supply solutions are DOSA-compliant DC/DC converters for the telecom industry that comprises different brick sizes, including 1/4 brick, 1/8 brick, and 1/16 brick. In addition, MORNSUN's power supply solutions also include the isolated DC-DC converters in SIP package wide input and regulated single output.
Moreover, each series of DC/DC converters for the telecom industry has unified requirements for each pin, which allow for standardized quality and higher compatibility with various types of equipment. The MORNSUN power supply solutions for these applications also come with more features, including a wide operating temperature range, light-load efficiency, and low no-load loss.
MORNSUN's expertise space beyond power solutions for 5G base stations and telecom infrastructure. With over 23 years of experience in the power supply industry, MORNSUN can provide a more holistic range of solutions to powering telecom signal chains and other similar equipment.
Contact MORNSUN to request more information, support, or a sample of their reliable power supply solutions for the telecom industry.
