So they got rid of them, dropping power consumption from 100W down to 10W (that’s full use; it idles at 500mW). Instead of converting the signals, Blue Cell simply shifts them into a different frequency, one where there’s more bandwidth available. It then forwards this on to an existing cellular access point, which handles the network backhaul. This allows the device to be powered by a solar panel that’s about twice the size of an adult hand (there’s also a small battery that can hold three days worth of backup power). Overall, even in its preliminary state, the hardware is pretty compact and unintrusive, something that certainly can’t be said for a lot of existing cellular equipment.
Right now, the hardware requires line of sight to the cellular tower, but the engineers told Ars that they’d like to eliminate this requirement. It will still require significant reworking of the tower where the backhaul resides, but that’s less of a problem than building thousands of new towers.
While the hardware should work for dense urban areas around the globe, it may also prove useful in the developing world, where access to power can be erratic. With lots of Blue Cells deployed, the number of sites that need to be supplied with constant, reliable power can be cut down—and thus cut down on the challenges of providing reliable service.