Claro Utilizes Kentrox for Comprehensive Site Management

Reducing operating costs and improving remote site management

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kentrox®, Inc., an innovator of intelligent site monitoring, management, and control solutions, has been selected by Claro Argentina to provide power and security management at their cell sites throughout Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Claro Argentina, one of America Movil’s (NYSE: AMX) largest business units, is a leading wireless provider throughout the country.

Claro’s recent installation of comprehensive site management includes the Kentrox Optima Management System® for complete visibility and control of Claro’s cell sites and its assets. The Remote RMM-1400 provides wired and wireless IP network connectivity for automated site monitoring and control, and the Remote RMB-1 adds intelligent I/O connections. These products and associated sensors and controllers are working together to provide generator management, fuel monitoring, AC and DC power monitoring, and surveillance management at Claro’s remote cell sites.

Legacy generators are used at many of Claro’s remote sites as the backup power source, but unfortunately, fuel theft from the generators has become common throughout the country. The Kentrox solution constantly monitors the status and health of the generators plus their associated fuel levels and notifies Claro when high fuel consumption occurs (often caused by theft) or if there is a presence of water in the fuel tank.

Door access and motion sensors are used to monitor access to a site and its equipment. When unauthorized and authorized access occurs, the relevant personnel are notified, and additional research can be conducted remotely to determine if the access is approved or if unauthorized access needs additional follow up.

Power is also monitored by the Kentrox site management solution. AC power is monitored to identify improvements within the site such as trends in the quality of AC power delivered to the site and conditions that can lead to equipment damage. Kentrox is monitoring the DC power to provide real-time and historical data to understand the condition of the equipment, power consumption, and the total distribution throughout the site to help detect equipment damage, malfunctions, or failure.

“Choosing Kentrox for our site management requirements was a good fit for Claro based on their comprehensive capabilities,” explains Victor Bargas, Energy & HVAC Chief of Claro Argentina. “We now have an integrated remote site monitoring and management system where we can obtain alarms and relevant performance information when issues occur. We can prevent service-affecting outages and also obtain the data we need to help reduce our energy costs and reduce the cost of fuel theft.”

“With the market-leading position that Claro holds, we are pleased that they chose Kentrox for their comprehensive site management needs,” states Ricardo Diaz, Vice President of Sales for Caribbean and Latin America. “Claro is utilizing our products combined with services and integration expertise from our partner, Planex S.A., to efficiently and effectively monitor their networks, often times without a site visit. We look forward to continuing with maximizing their network availability and reliability.”

About Kentrox, Inc.

Kentrox, Inc. is a worldwide leader in intelligent site management solutions, providing comprehensive monitoring, management, and control of any site. The machine-to-machine (M2M) communications Kentrox provides enable service providers, tower operators, and other network operators to reduce operating costs while improving network performance. With more than one million products successfully deployed in tower, carrier, and enterprise environments, Kentrox is a trusted partner for transforming networks into high quality, reliable systems. The company provides solutions to customers in North and South America, Australia, Africa, and Europe. It is based in Dublin, Ohio and operates as a division of Westell Technologies, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed company. For more information, please visit www.kentrox.com.

About Westell

Westell Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, is a global leader of intelligent site and outside plant solutions focused on the critical edge and access networks. The comprehensive solutions Westell provides enable service providers, industrial customers, tower operators, home network users, and other network operators to reduce operating costs while improving network performance. With millions of products successfully deployed worldwide, Westell is a trusted partner for transforming networks into high quality, reliable systems. For more information, please visit www.westell.com.

About Claro

CLARO has the largest and extensive 3G technology network across the country, reaching more than 550 cities. CLARO Argentina is the leader in mobile communications in the country, with the major GSM and 3G cellular coverage in Argentina, and the largest market share of the market. For more information, please visit www.claro.com.ar.

Media Contact:
Westell Technologies
Ben Stump, +1 (630) 375-4157
Chief Technology Officer
bstump@westell.com

Source: Westell Technologies, Inc.