World's largest solar energy base station cluster set up in Tibet

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China Mobile (CM), the country's leading telecommunication operator, has established the world's largest solar energy-powered base station cluster in Tibet Autonomous Region, following a four-year construction.

Photo shows a base station built by the  nation's leading telecommunication operator China Mobile on Mt. Qomolangma, southwest  China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo  Source: chinamobile.com)

By the end of April, CM had set up at least 1,000 base stations in Tibet, with 78.79 percent powered by solar energy. The ratio is expected to have reached 90 percent by the end of 2010, said Dai Zhong, general manager of the Tibet Co. Ltd. of the CM Group.

In 2005, the Tibet Company launched the project to make the best of Tibet's abundant solar energy resources to boost the coverage of the regional communication network. Mobile signals are required to cover Tibet's urban and rural areas including tourist zones and frontier sentries.