BatteryCorp’s New Web-Based Service Enables Carriers to Comply with Recent FCC Challenge

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BatteryCorp Inc., a leading supplier of preventative maintenance products for backup power systems, today announced a new web-based service that is designed to support the FCC’s new ruling, FCC 07-107 Appendix B, which has raised the bar for backup power systems by addressing the length of time that telecommunications providers must be able to provide service on backup power. BatteryCorp’s OMS^® BatteryTrak^® allows telecommunications carriers and UPS providers to assess the readiness of battery backup systems and ensure that each will perform to the required standards in an emergency.

“Preventative battery maintenance has become a strategic imperative for cell tower operators. Yet programs for battery backup systems vary widely”

According to industry estimates, there are nearly a million remote transmission and central office facilities in the US telecommunications market, with virtually all of these installations housing some level of battery backup power systems. The challenge for facilities owners and managers is that these batteries die. The question is not will they fail, but when will they fail.

“Preventative battery maintenance has become a strategic imperative for cell tower operators. Yet programs for battery backup systems vary widely,” said Jonathan Quint, BatteryCorp President. “We have seen a range of programs that differ not only from company to company but also from market to market within a company. This makes it difficult for an organization to determine the health of its battery plant at any given time, or comply with the new FCC rulings.”

OMS - BatteryTrak is technology platform for the preventative maintenance of backup power systems. The patented process is designed to streamline and support the battery assessment process by delivering timely, insightful reporting and predictive analyses of both battery life and runtime reserve. Using a graphical dashboard for simple intuitive viewing, OMS BatteryTrak is a web-based service that accepts battery test data from most ohmic testers and remote monitoring systems, analyzes the data, generates automated reports and proposals, and delivers the information electronically. It also provides advanced analytics including runtime reserve and predictive failure analysis.

OMS - BatteryTrak helps monitor battery backup facilities by answering a range of questions that include:

• If the batteries have not failed, what is the status of their health?
• How much capacity do they currently possess? How much capacity will they possess in six months? How much next year?
• If one or two jars are weak, how will it affect the other jars in any given string?
• Should the remediation be to replace only the bad jars, or the entire string?

The actions that are taken, or omitted, have both operational and budgetary ramifications.

FCC Sanctions Need for Backup Monitoring

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, governmental authorities have created rules and regulations aimed at improving responsiveness and mitigating adverse conditions in the event of future emergencies. On June 8, 2007 the FCC approved FCC 07-107 Appendix B Final Rules that mandate the length of time that telecommunication providers must be able to provide service on backup power. The ruling requires telecommunications providers with at least 500,000 subscribers to provide emergency power backup of 24 hours for central offices and 8 hours for remote locations including cell sites.

Availability

OMS ^- BatteryTrak is available immediately.

BatteryCorp has developed a patented process and technology platform for the preventative maintenance of backup power systems. It is a web-based service that accepts battery test data from ohmic testers, analyzes the data, generates automated reports and proposals, and delivers the information electronically. It also provides advanced analytics including runtime reserve and predictive failure analysis. To learn more about the OMS^® - BatteryTrak^® solution, visit BatteryCorp online at www.BatteryCorp.com.