Case Study

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One of the main drivers of Africa’s future economic prospects will be the quality

and depth of the infrastructure that is built there.

However, while trying to extend road and rail systems across vast tracts of often

inhospitable terrain remains a difficult and long-term challenge, expanding the

continent’s telecoms networks offers a far faster means of connecting people

and invigorating business.

Of course, to do this successfully in a sector that’s still in a state of relative

infancy will require the involvement of innovative and pioneering companies that

are able to understand and meet the particular needs of potential subscribers.

Companies such as Johannesburg-based MTN.

As a multinational telecommunications group with a commitment to generating

economic growth through communications, MTN has swiftly established itself

as a leading supplier of voice and data products and services to individuals and

businesses in emerging markets. As a result, it now holds GSM licences in 22

countries, is a proven Internet service provider in the Middle East and Europe and

has become a significant telecoms company with 201 million total subscribers

world-wide.

eCentre helps MTN Ghana stay number one

By deploying Flexenclosure eCentres, MTN Ghana has been able to rapidly expand its network capacity in a way that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible, and so remain the country’s favourite telecoms company.

“These three eCentres will be critical in helping us achieve our vision of leading the delivery of a bold new digital world.”

Abbad Reda, Chief Information Officer, MTN

The Challenge

To find a way of rapidly adding to MTN’s telecoms capacity and provide the competitive advantage needed for MTN to remain Ghana’s leading mobile telecoms operator.

The Solution

eCentre by Flexenclosure - a complete, pre-fabricated, pre-equipped, custom designed modular solution to house and power data and telecom equipment. eCentre enabled MTN to not only meet its immediate capacity needs but also expand its network at a later date with minimum disruption to ongoing operations.

The Benefits

• Rapid installation that avoided the complications of variable local on-site construction standards

• A solution that operates comfortably even in the harshest climatic conditions

• A future-proofed site where additional internal space can be created easily and on demand

• Modern open-plan technical areas suitable for the latest in data equipment

• Optimised for energy efficiency and low TCO

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Rapid network expansion required Not surprisingly, with its focus on offering an affordable,

accessible and quality service, MTN has quickly become

the ‘go to’ company for many since it took over Investcom

Holdings’ African networks in 2006.

One of the most competitive of its markets is Ghana,

where 12.6 million subscribers make it that country’s

leading telecoms provider. But to stay firmly ahead of the

competition, MTN Ghana knew that it had to rapidly

develop additional capacity to continue meet the needs of

an increasingly demanding market place, and to help it do

that it turned to Flexenclosure.

For MTN, developing this capacity meant not just creating

additional floor space, but also suitable working

environments in which 21st century power- and cooling-

hungry equipment could operate effectively and reliably.

From experience, MTN knew that if it wanted to see its

expansion plans roll out rapidly then it had to avoid the

potential scheduling and quality issues that come with

on-site ‘bricks and mortar’ construction. Similarly, it also

knew that containerised options didn’t offer sufficient

flexibility for future expansion, or provide the quality

conditions that are essential for flawless operation of the

latest data equipment.

Consequently, when it came to tendering, MTN

unhesitatingly specified Flexenclosure’s eCentre. Having

already installed fifteen bespoke eCentres in Nigeria and

another in Cameroon, for MTN they were a tried and

tested concept, and they were confident that this modular

system, built in Sweden and shipped in, was the fastest

and most reliable way forward.

Factory fabrication prevents on-site errorWith contracts awarded and Flexenclosure’s civil works

partner simultaneously at work on the foundations on site,

three eCentres were soon being tailored to MTN’s

requirements at Flexenclosure’s plant at Vara in the south-

west of Sweden.

With manufacture and testing undertaken under tightly

controlled factory conditions, the highest quality and

reliability could be guaranteed, with any potential on-site

issues avoided - a major benefit in countries where

construction standards can be variable and erratic.

Having a ‘clean’ roll out for the project was fundamental to

the ‘MTN ethos’ and in keeping with its formidable

reputation for operational excellence, technological

superiority and ability to adapt to ever-changing needs.

“Through our previous experience working with Flexenclosure we were confident that all three sites would be up and running on schedule.”

Ibrahim Misto, Project Manager, MTN

Once in place, the eCentres would together create 2,000m²

of internal open plan space, distributed between three

locations: two just outside Ghana’s capital, Accra, and

another at Kumasi, Ghana’s economically key second city.

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Pre-installation for faster roll out‘Accra One’, a multi-discipline site, was the first to be

completed, with two transmission facilities, two switching

facilities, two data centre facilities, a stand alone self-

contained energy centre, a VSAT farm and a 70 metre high

transmission tower, as well as being equipped with diesel

pumps, transformer rooms and fire-fighting facilities.

With cabling and power sockets pre-installed beneath

raised floors and fire prevention, alarm, UPS and air

conditioning systems all in place, connection to the

backbone network was swift and straightforward, and by

the end of 2010, MTN Ghana had 54 eCentre modules in

place.

“Through our previous experience working with

Flexenclosure we were confident that all three sites would

be up and running on schedule. However, the speed with

which we’ve been able to roll out the project, as well as

the quality of the result, has exceeded our expectations.

The eCentres offered us not just the quality of product that

we were looking for, but also future flexibility in what is

a fast developing market. And, because they assumed

turnkey responsibility, Flexenclosure also gave us an

uncomplicated and seamless process right from initial

design through to completion,” said Ibrahim Misto, Project

Manager, MTN.

Now well established, the significance of the projects has

been profound, as together they have formed the

cornerstone of a major upgrade that has helped turn MTN

Ghana’s national network into a modern and stable 21st

century telecoms infrastructure.

eCentres for the futureWhat’s more, because additional foundations and cabling

were put in place during the initial build – a simple process

with eCentre – all three sites are effectively future-proofed.

This means that extra transmission and data centre

modules can be added as required, to meet the needs of

an ever growing population of subscribers.

In fact, so significant has been the impact of the eCentre

solution on MTN Ghana in terms of network performance,

OPEX savings and meeting business needs, that the Accra

One site has become a benchmark for quality and flexibility

across the entire MTN group, not just its in-country

operations.

“All in all, these three eCentres will be critical in helping

us achieve our vision of leading the delivery of a bold new

digital world,” said Abbad Reda, Chief Information Officer,

MTN.

Thanks to this investment MTN Ghana’s subscribers have

benefited from expanded services, enhanced speech

quality and improved coverage that has seen network

expansion into new areas of the country.

All of which has put the company at the forefront of

Africa’s ‘mobile revolution’, by creating the personal and

business communication infrastructure that will be so

crucial in positioning Ghana and the rest of the continent

for economic success.

“The speed with which we’ve been able to roll out the project, as well as the quality of the result, has exceeded our expectations.”

Ibrahim Misto, Project Manager, MTN

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eCentres delivered to site Once delivered to site, the eCentre modules were simply

lifted into position on the foundations, ready for final

fitting and commissioning. At the three sites were there

were a total of 54 modules of 42m2 each, creating some

2,000m2 of new open plan data centre space.

Flexenclosure factory3,700 miles away the eCentres destined for the two

sites at Accra and a third at Kumasi were manufactured

and tested at Flexenclosure’s plant in south-west

Sweden. Factory fabrication under controlled conditions

allows for a far higher specification of quality and finish

than can be achieved by building from scratch on site.

Accra One From greenfield site to fully operational

Foundations laidAfter clearance of the site just outside Accra, our civil

works partner laid concrete foundations for the eCentre.

Extra foundations laid at this time effectively future

proofed the site, allowing for the eCentre to be expanded

with additional modules providing extra capacity when

required.

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Energy centre An eCentre can be used for several purposes as

determined by customer requirements, including a data

centre, switching centre, meeting rooms, staging areas

and NOC. And in this case, an energy centre.

Accra One in operation All three eCentres in Ghana are now well established and

fully operational, and playing a crucial part in the

development of the country’s telecoms infrastructure.

Sun roof installed Although a sun roof is not essential, it does provide the

eCentre with further protection from the extremes of

weather.

Fully customisable interior A modern alternative to traditional brick and mortar

structures, an eCentre’s modular construction allows

bespoke configuration to precise open plan working space

requirements.

www.flexenclosure.com

ECEN-M-CAS-002 (Rev 0)

Flexenclosure is a specialist supplier of intelligent power management systems

and prefabricated data centres for the ICT industry. The company provides

systems that are fully integrated, modular, factory tested for reliability,

adaptable to local conditions and quick to install. eSite is a portfolio of

energy-efficient hybrid power systems for base station sites in areas where

grid power is unreliable or unavailable. eSite can deliver a 90% reduction in

diesel fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy related OPEX compared

to traditional diesel based systems. Fully integrated into eSite is eManager, a

one-stop interface for remote management and energy optimisation of eSite

networks.

eCentre is a prefabricated, fully equipped modular data centre solution, to

house and power data and telecom equipment. Optimised for energy

efficiency and low TCO, eCentre is specifically designed to be fast to deploy

and fully future proof. Flexenclosure was founded in 1989 and is based in

Vara, Sweden, headquartered in Stockholm and with additional offices in

India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan and the UAE.

Customers include global companies airtel, MTN, Vodacom and Zain.