Telenor Pakistan has launched another environmentally-friendly initiative by using solar energy to power one of its repeater sites.

 "We are first in the industry to have started using solar energy to power a commercial site. We aim to help reduce the load on the national power grid through innovative solutions and in longer term we mean to upscale this pilot project to other parts of the country after assessing its success", said Chief Technical Officer Telenor Pakistan Peter Anthony Dindial

A repeater, as the name suggests, is a tool that picks up, amplifies and transmits the cell phone signals to and fro the nearest base station. Repeaters are used by mobile operators to increase network coverage in a confined area, either indoor or outdoor.

The pilot site, which is in Buner, is a solar-electricity hybrid system that runs entirely on solar energy during the day and switches to electricity or battery power at night. Such Telenor Pakistan's use of alternate energy sources in its operations is of particular significance considering that the company has the fastest growing network in the country.