- Vodafone’s wide -strip battery backup routers in the event of breakdowns
- BT, Kcom and Zen Internet will also offer the device to customers, with a white brand product in the pipeline
- Vodafone Business will offer battery backup “in the near future”
The new OFCOM regulations in the United Kingdom have given birth to a new backup battery for small businesses supported by ISPS Vodafone, BT, KCOM and Zen Internet.
The main objective of backing up the wide-band battery Vodafone is to keep customers dependent on the fixed line, including those who depend on the one to contact the emergency services, activate an alarm of the telecreters or to live in a distant area with a low mobile coverage, connected before the deactivation of the public telephone network (PSTN) in 2027, in favor of VoIP suppliers.
However, it will offer up to 7 hours of battery life for a 25W router (4 hours for a 55W router), can supply a router and a modem simultaneously, and has a USB-C port to charge commercial smartphones and commercial tablets, making it an attractive development for SMEs and corporate customers.
Vodafone wide -band battery backup
Rob Winterschladen, director of consumers of Vodafone UK, said that the company had recognized “the vital importance of the safeguard of customers dependent on the fixed line”, referring to important unfavorable weather events such as Storm Darragh of 2024, which left 70,000 residents without electricity.
Research shows that the British have unreliable access to power. In 2023 Ukpower noted that 66% experienced a local breakdown, 23% reporting that they occur almost every year.
The battery key draw is its compact size compared to previously available comparable products, and an emergency mode which reserves 25% of the battery – useful in the event of a night failure.
“This new device is a great improvement compared to everything available on the market, and essentially, is easy to install, to support vulnerable consumers more thanks to the withdrawal of the traditional fixed line,” noted David Barber, director of the Zen Internet strategy.
Meanwhile, Ian Shepherdson, Kcom technology director, “said that”[the company] will use the devices to provide a longer battery for “at risk” customers who have their migrated vocal service and delivered via the full fiber network. »»
They also tempered expectations. “Although it does not provide full internet connectivity because of the way the KCOM network is configured, the devices will offer up to 12 hours of emergency coverage for voice calls in the event of a power supply or similar event.”
Perhaps even more important for readers of Techradar Pro, Vodafone Business has announced that its battery backup will be available for its customers “in the near future”, and that it will be published in a white label variant for other ISPs and telecommunications to offer to their customers on a later date.
