Case Study: China Mobile expands rural coverage with Ericsson wind-solar radio base stations

China Mobile and Ericsson join together to enhance communications in Inner Mongolia

China Mobile, one of Asia’s largest telecom operators, wanted to expand reliable network coverage into remote parts of Inner Mongolia, where many rural areas lacked access to electricity and had little or no telecommunications service. To reach these isolated communities, the company needed a future-proof, adaptable, and low-maintenance power solution for its network rollout, and turned to Ericsson for support.

Ericsson implemented power-efficient outdoor radio base stations, including the RBS2202, RBS2206, and RBS2302, as part of a combined wind-solar energy solution tailored to each site. The deployment now supports more than 6,400 operational base stations across 250 sites, delivering reliable voice and data service to rural users, increasing subscriber numbers, reducing operating costs by avoiding fuel and frequent maintenance visits, and giving China Mobile a sustainable competitive advantage.

China Mobile

Li Li

Deputy General Manager