Powering the Network: Why Yemen’s Telecom Recovery Is Really an Energy Strategy

Part 3 of the Bridge Connect Insight series: Yemen’s Digital Reconstruction

Executive summary

Yemen cannot build a reliable telecommunications network on top of an unreliable energy system.

Mobile towers, fibre transmission equipment, international gateways, data centres, exchanges and satellite terminals all require continuous power. When grid electricity fails, operators must rely on batteries and generators. When fuel cannot be delivered, batteries are exhausted or equipment overheats, communications fail—even if the network itself has not been physically damaged.

This makes energy one of the most important but frequently underestimated constraints on Yemen’s digital reconstruction.

The International Energy Agency reports that less than half of Yemen’s population has access to electricity. UNDP has described electricity interruptions extending beyond 12 hours a day in many areas. At the same time, fuel shortages, conflict, damaged infrastructure and fragmented institutions have weakened the conventional electricity system. International Energy Agency, United Nations Development Programme

Telecommunications operators have compensated through diesel generators, batteries and local power arrangements. These measures keep services running, but at a high cost. Fuel must be purchased, transported, stored and protected. Generators require maintenance and spare parts. Batteries deteriorate rapidly in high temperatures. Weak monitoring can conceal fuel theft, poor equipment performance and premature asset failure.

The result is an operating model in which a significant proportion of management time and expenditure is devoted not to telecommunications, but to producing electricity at thousands of separate locations.

Yemen’s telecom-energy strategy should therefore be based on five principles:

1. Treat power as part of the network architecture, not as a facilities cost.

2. Reduce the energy required to deliver each unit of connectivity.

3. Replace diesel-only sites with appropriately designed solar-battery hybrid systems.

4. Use shared energy infrastructure and energy-as-a-service models where they improve accountability and investment viability.

5. Allow selected telecommunications sites to anchor wider community energy and digital-service provision.

The objective is not to eliminate diesel immediately or install solar panels at every tower. It is to create a site-by-site energy transition that reduces operating costs, improves network availability and makes coverage expansion more commercially sustainable.

For Yemen, renewable telecom power is therefore more than a climate initiative. It is a network-resilience, affordability and investment strategy.

No power means no network

Telecommunications infrastructure often appears independent of the electricity system.

Mobile towers remain visible when surrounding buildings are dark. Fibre-optic cables carry light rather than electrical current. Satellite terminals communicate with systems in space. Smartphones have their own batteries.

But every layer of the network still depends on electricity.

A typical mobile site requires power for radio equipment, transmission, cooling, monitoring and security. Fibre networks need powered transmission and aggregation equipment at multiple points. Core networks, data centres and international gateways require highly stable electricity as well as backup generation. Satellite terminals need comparatively little power, but they become useless once their local batteries are exhausted.

Network resilience therefore depends on a chain of energy systems:

• The main electricity supply

• Local distribution

• Site electrical equipment

• Batteries and rectifiers

• Generators or renewable generation

• Fuel and maintenance supply chains

• Monitoring and control

• Replacement parts and technical skills

Failure at any point can interrupt service.

In countries with reliable grids, power is principally an input purchased from an electricity supplier. In Yemen, operators often have to function as distributed energy companies. They procure fuel, operate generating equipment, maintain batteries and manage energy performance at large numbers of geographically dispersed locations.

This creates costs that are not always visible in conventional network planning.

The expense is not limited to litres of diesel. It includes:

• Fuel transport

• Security and escort

• Storage losses

• Theft and diversion

• Generator maintenance

• Replacement engines

• Spare parts

• Technician visits

• Battery degradation

• Cooling

• Working capital

• Foreign-currency exposure

• Outages caused by delayed delivery

• Revenue lost when sites become unavailable

Consequently, a rural site may appear commercially unattractive because of its low telecom revenue when its underlying problem is actually the cost of producing and securing electricity.

A better energy model can change the economics of network coverage.

Yemen’s energy crisis shapes its digital divide

Energy unreliability affects different locations in different ways.

In urban areas, networks may suffer from inconsistent grid supply, voltage fluctuations, congestion and high cooling loads. A site can be physically close to the electricity network while receiving power too unreliable for continuous telecommunications operation.

In rural and remote areas, grid connections may not exist at all. Fuel deliveries can be costly and difficult, while technical teams may need to travel long distances to maintain generators and batteries.

Mountainous terrain creates additional access challenges. Coastal areas face heat, humidity and corrosion. Dust and high temperatures affect solar panels, batteries, electronics and cooling systems. Conflict or changing local control can make routes inaccessible with little warning.

Energy failure also affects users.

When households lack electricity, phones cannot be charged reliably. Retailers cannot keep point-of-sale terminals, routers and computers operating. Schools and clinics cannot use digital services consistently. Even where a mobile signal is available, lack of user-side power restricts meaningful connectivity.

The digital divide is therefore partly an energy divide.

Connecting a village with a new mobile site will produce limited economic and social value if residents, businesses and public institutions cannot power the devices and equipment needed to use the service.

This is why telecom reconstruction and energy planning must be coordinated. Coverage maps should be considered alongside electricity access, economic activity, public-service requirements and the availability of local energy businesses.

The diesel-dependent operating model

Diesel has several advantages. It is a familiar technology, generators can operate day and night, and additional fuel can extend runtime. Existing operators already have maintenance processes, staff and supplier relationships built around it.

Diesel will therefore remain part of Yemen’s telecom energy mix for some time.

The problem is dependence rather than the technology itself.

A diesel-only or diesel-dominant site is exposed to:

• Fuel-price volatility

• Currency depreciation

• Import restrictions

• Supply interruption

• Road access

• Theft

• Poor-quality or contaminated fuel

• Generator failure

• Frequent servicing requirements

• High lifecycle costs

The operating risk becomes particularly serious when an operator cannot confirm how much fuel was delivered, consumed or removed.

Internationally, this remains a widespread telecom problem. The GSMA estimates that hundreds of thousands of off-grid or weak-grid mobile sites continue to operate using diesel, with substantial associated costs and emissions. Its research also highlights the role of renewable energy, monitoring and energy-service companies in reducing operator dependence on fuel-based generation. GSMA Renewable Energy for Mobile Towers

In Yemen, the strategic consequences are even greater.

Fuel is not simply a commodity. Control over fuel procurement, movement and allocation can create economic and political influence. A site that depends on regular diesel deliveries is also dependent on everyone involved in that supply chain.

Reducing diesel consumption therefore reduces more than operating expenditure. It reduces a network’s exposure to disruption, informal payments, local interference and logistical failure.

Solar is an obvious resource—but not an automatic solution

Yemen has strong solar potential. UNDP reports an average of approximately eight hours of intense sunshine across the country and has supported solar installations for health facilities, businesses and community energy services. UNDP Yemen

This makes solar photovoltaic generation an important part of the solution.

But installing solar panels does not by itself create a reliable telecom power system.

A site must continue operating:

• At night

• During dust and reduced solar output

• When demand increases

• When batteries age

• When panels are dirty

• When individual components fail

• During unusually high temperatures

• When maintenance is delayed

The system must consequently be designed around the site’s full energy profile—not the theoretical output of its panels.

A typical hybrid arrangement could combine:

• Solar photovoltaic panels

• Battery storage

• An efficient rectifier and energy-management system

• Grid supply where available

• A smaller generator for extended backup

• Remote performance monitoring

• Intelligent control of power sources and loads

At some sites, solar and batteries may supply nearly all annual demand. At others, they may principally reduce generator runtime. Both outcomes can be valuable.

The correct measure is not the number of “solar sites”. It is the improvement in availability and the reduction in total lifecycle cost, diesel consumption and maintenance visits.

Different sites need different energy designs

Yemen should avoid a single standard energy package for every location. Site requirements differ too widely.

A national telecom-energy programme should classify sites into practical archetypes.

1. Reliable-grid urban sites

Some urban locations may have comparatively dependable electricity.

The priorities are likely to be:

• Power-quality protection

• Efficient rectification

• Short-duration battery backup

• Energy-efficient radio equipment

• Remote monitoring

• Limited generator support for longer failures

Solar may still be useful, but it is not necessarily the first investment.

2. Weak-grid urban and peri-urban sites

These sites may receive grid electricity intermittently or at unstable voltage.

A suitable design could combine:

• Grid supply when available

• Solar generation

• Batteries sized for frequent outages

• Generator backup

• Intelligent source selection

• Voltage and surge protection

The system should prevent repeated shallow charging and discharging from shortening battery life.

3. Off-grid rural sites

These are often the strongest candidates for solar-battery systems.

The design may include:

• Larger solar arrays

• Longer battery autonomy

• A high-efficiency, low-power radio configuration

• Generator backup for exceptional periods

• Secure equipment housing

• Remote alarm and energy management

• Local maintenance arrangements

Reducing the frequency of fuel and technician visits can materially alter the business case for rural coverage.

4. Critical national sites

Core networks, international gateways, data centres and major aggregation sites require much higher levels of availability.

They need:

• Diverse electricity feeds where possible

• Uninterruptible power supplies

• Generator redundancy

• Adequate onsite fuel

• Solar or other renewable contribution where appropriate

• Geographically separated recovery capacity

• Tested maintenance and emergency procedures

• Enhanced physical and cyber monitoring

These facilities should not depend on one generator, one fuel supplier or one electricity connection.

5. Rapid-deployment and emergency sites

Portable mobile systems, satellite terminals and emergency coordination facilities require independent power that can be transported and installed quickly.

Potential solutions include:

• Foldable or portable solar arrays

• Modular batteries

• Efficient generators

• Vehicle-based charging

• Preconfigured satellite and radio equipment

• Standardised connectors and spares

The equipment should be tested through exercises rather than stored without routine verification.

6. Community-anchor sites

Some rural telecom locations could support both connectivity and local electricity services.

A larger solar and battery installation might power:

• The mobile or fixed-wireless network

• A community Wi-Fi point

• Phone charging

• A clinic

• A school

• Refrigeration

• Water pumping

• Small commercial users

These arrangements require careful design. The telecommunications load must remain protected and commercial responsibilities must be clear. Nevertheless, shared infrastructure can improve project economics and local support.

UNDP-backed projects have already demonstrated community-oriented renewable-energy models in Yemen, including solar micro-grid businesses serving households and local enterprises. UNDP renewable-energy programme

Telecommunications sites could become another anchor for this decentralised energy economy.

Start by reducing the network’s energy demand

The cheapest unit of energy is often the one the network no longer needs.

Before installing larger generators, batteries or solar arrays, operators should examine how much electricity each site consumes and whether that demand can be reduced.

Measures may include:

• Replacing obsolete radio equipment

• Using more efficient power amplifiers

• Decommissioning unused legacy technology

• Consolidating equipment

• Activating radio power-saving features

• Reducing unnecessary air conditioning

• Using passive or intelligent cooling

• Improving shelter insulation

• Modernising rectifiers

• Matching capacity to actual traffic

• Using sleep modes during low-demand periods

• Sharing equipment and facilities

• Moving appropriate network functions to more efficient platforms

Older networks often contain multiple generations of equipment, each with separate power and cooling requirements. Decommissioning obsolete systems can produce energy savings while releasing space and simplifying maintenance.

However, energy-saving features must not reduce coverage or availability. In a fragile network, aggressive shutdown of equipment may create new service risks.

The correct approach is to use traffic data and performance monitoring to balance energy efficiency with customer experience.

Batteries are strategic network assets

Batteries are sometimes treated as consumables purchased as part of a wider site installation. In reality, they are central to the performance and economics of a renewable telecom-power system.

Battery selection must consider:

• Ambient temperature

• Required cycle life

• Depth of discharge

• Charging regime

• Expected autonomy

• Maintenance capability

• Weight and transport

• Fire risk

• Theft risk

• Supplier support

• Replacement cost

• Recycling and disposal

High temperatures can shorten battery life significantly. A battery that performs well in controlled laboratory conditions may deteriorate much more rapidly in an exposed Yemeni site.

Lithium-based systems can offer higher efficiency, deeper cycling and longer service life than traditional lead-acid batteries, but they require appropriate battery management, thermal control and fire protection.

Lead-acid systems may remain suitable in some locations where skills, supply chains and recycling arrangements already exist.

The decision should be based on total lifecycle performance rather than lowest initial cost.

Battery condition should also be monitored remotely. Operators need to know:

• Available capacity

• State of charge

• Charge and discharge history

• Cell temperature

• Abnormal degradation

• Unauthorised disconnection

• Expected replacement date

Without this information, an operator may discover battery failure only when the grid or generator fails.

Remote monitoring changes the economics

A renewable-energy transition will underperform if operators cannot measure what is happening at each site.

A national programme should establish a common energy-monitoring capability covering:

• Grid availability

• Solar generation

• Battery performance

• Generator runtime

• Fuel level

• Site consumption

• Temperature

• Equipment alarms

• Door and access events

• Outage duration

This data supports several objectives.

First, it enables predictive maintenance. A deteriorating battery or inefficient generator can be addressed before service fails.

Second, it provides evidence for procurement and supplier management. Operators can compare promised and actual system performance.

Third, it helps identify theft or abnormal consumption.

Fourth, it improves investment decisions. Sites with the highest fuel cost, outage exposure or maintenance burden can be prioritised for conversion.

Fifth, it makes energy-as-a-service contracts possible. A supplier cannot credibly guarantee site availability unless performance is measured independently.

The monitoring system itself must be secure. It should not create a route through which an attacker can interfere with site power or obtain sensitive network information.

Energy as a service

Operators do not necessarily need to own and operate every solar panel, battery and generator.

Under an energy-as-a-service model, a specialist provider finances, installs, operates and maintains the energy system. The operator purchases electricity or guaranteed site availability under a long-term contract.

Potential benefits include:

• Lower upfront capital expenditure

• Transfer of equipment-performance risk

• Professional energy management

• Faster deployment

• Clear service-level accountability

• Incentives to reduce fuel consumption

• Aggregated procurement across many sites

The model can also attract investors whose risk appetite and technical expertise are better suited to distributed energy than mobile-network operation.

However, contracts must be designed carefully.

If the supplier is paid for fuel consumed, it has little incentive to reduce diesel use. If payment depends only on equipment installation, long-term performance may be neglected. If service obligations are unrealistic, the supplier will either fail or price excessive risk into the contract.

A stronger commercial model would pay for outcomes such as:

• Site energy availability

• Maximum permitted downtime

• Reduced diesel consumption

• Battery health

• Renewable-energy contribution

• Response time

• Verified lifecycle performance

Contracts must also address foreign currency, equipment importation, political risk, site access, asset ownership, termination and the consequences of territorial change.

Yemen may benefit from several regional energy-service providers rather than one national monopoly. This would encourage comparison and reduce systemic dependence.

Tower companies and shared power

Infrastructure sharing creates another route to improved energy performance.

Where several operators use the same tower or compound, they may share:

• Solar generation

• Batteries

• Backup generators

• Fuel storage

• Security

• Monitoring

• Maintenance teams

• Backhaul

This reduces duplication and can make renewable systems more economic.

A neutral-host or tower-company model could be particularly valuable in rural areas, where several separate sites may not be commercially sustainable.

But shared power creates allocation questions. The system must measure each operator’s consumption, protect priority loads and define what happens when available energy is limited.

Contracts should prevent one tenant’s additional equipment from reducing the availability experienced by others without corresponding system upgrades.

Telecom sites as local economic infrastructure

A telecom site can create value beyond connectivity.

Reliable power and broadband together can support:

• Digital payments

• Remittance services

• Agricultural market information

• Remote health consultations

• Online education

• Refrigerated medicine storage

• Local government services

• E-commerce

• Small business

• Phone and device charging

In remote communities, the combination of energy and connectivity can be more transformational than either service alone.

This suggests a different approach to rural investment.

Rather than assessing a mobile site only against operator revenue, Yemen and its development partners could examine the wider economic value generated by a combined digital-energy hub.

Public funding or concessional finance may be justified where a project creates measurable benefits for healthcare, education, financial inclusion or local enterprise that cannot be captured fully through telecom tariffs.

This does not mean every telecom tower should become a mini-grid. The commercial, technical and governance requirements are different. But selected sites could be planned jointly with rural energy, public-service and development programmes.

Financing the energy transition

Converting a large portfolio of sites requires substantial capital. Operators facing uncertain revenues and foreign-currency constraints may struggle to finance the initial equipment, even where the lifecycle economics are attractive.

A financing framework could combine:

• Operator capital

• Energy-service-company investment

• Tower-company financing

• Vendor finance

• Development-finance loans

• Results-based grants

• Political-risk guarantees

• Climate-finance mechanisms

• Donor funding for public-service sites

• Community or local-enterprise participation

Different sites should receive different financial treatment.

Commercially attractive urban and high-traffic locations should generally be financed by operators or private infrastructure providers.

Rural sites that become viable after energy savings may require long-term debt, guarantees or shared infrastructure rather than permanent subsidy.

Sites serving clinics, schools, humanitarian operations or isolated communities may justify targeted public or development support.

Critical national facilities may require direct government or reconstruction funding, but should still be subject to technical due diligence, competitive procurement and lifecycle planning.

The investment case should be based on total cost of ownership, including:

• Capital equipment

• Installation

• Civil works

• Fuel

• Maintenance

• Site visits

• Security

• Battery replacement

• Generator replacement

• Monitoring

• Financing

• End-of-life disposal

• Expected service interruptions

A solar-hybrid system may have a higher initial cost than a replacement generator but a much lower cost over its operating life.

A practical transition programme

Yemen should not attempt to convert every site at once.

Phase 1: establish the baseline

Operators and relevant institutions should identify:

• Site energy consumption

• Grid availability

• Generator condition

• Fuel use

• Battery type and condition

• Solar potential

• Access and security constraints

• Outage history

• Criticality

• Maintenance cost

• Equipment efficiency

Sites can then be grouped by technical and commercial archetype.

Phase 2: address the highest-risk sites

Initial investment should focus on:

• Core and international gateway facilities

• Sites with frequent energy-related outages

• High-cost diesel locations

• Strategically important rural sites

• Locations with strong solar economics

• Sites supporting hospitals, ports or emergency services

• Areas where power improvement unlocks additional mobile coverage

This phase should also establish standard monitoring, procurement and performance requirements.

Phase 3: aggregate and scale

Once early deployments establish reliable costs and performance, Yemen can procure larger portfolios.

Aggregation can reduce equipment prices, attract energy-service providers and support external financing.

However, national scale should not eliminate local adaptation. Standardisation should apply to interfaces, monitoring, safety and performance—not force every site into the same design.

Phase 4: integrate community services

Selected locations can then be developed into combined energy and connectivity hubs, working with local authorities, healthcare providers, schools, financial institutions and development partners.

The telecom network must remain protected, but surplus generation and shared infrastructure can support wider local services.

What could go wrong

Renewable telecom programmes often fail because too much attention is given to installing equipment and too little to operating it.

Yemen should avoid several predictable mistakes.

Buying the cheapest system

Low initial cost may lead to inadequate batteries, poor-quality panels, weak monitoring and early failure.

Oversizing without understanding demand

An excessively large system wastes capital, while an undersized one produces continued generator dependence and battery damage.

Ignoring heat and dust

Equipment specifications must reflect actual environmental conditions.

Failing to budget for battery replacement

Battery replacement is a predictable lifecycle cost, not an unexpected maintenance event.

Installing technology without local skills

Technicians require training, diagnostic tools, spares and authority to act.

Allowing solar equipment to become a theft target

Panels, batteries, cabling and fuel all require appropriate physical protection and asset tracking.

Using proprietary systems that create supplier lock-in

Common interfaces and access to performance data are essential.

Treating carbon reduction as the only benefit

The strongest investment argument is usually improved availability and lower operating cost. Emissions reduction adds value but may not alone justify the project.

Assuming the grid will not recover

Hybrid systems should be capable of adapting as electricity services improve. Yemen should not create a parallel energy system that cannot interact efficiently with future grid restoration.

The boardroom and policy questions

Senior decision-makers should ask:

• How many network outages are caused by energy rather than telecommunications equipment?

• What is the true delivered cost of diesel at each site?

• Which sites consume the most fuel?

• Can operators verify fuel delivery and consumption remotely?

• Which legacy equipment should be removed before new power systems are installed?

• What battery technologies suit Yemen’s temperature and maintenance conditions?

• Which sites should be converted first?

• Where can operators share power infrastructure?

• Would energy-as-a-service improve performance and accountability?

• What service levels should energy providers guarantee?

• Which sites could support community energy and public services?

• How should renewable investment be financed?

• Are procurement decisions based on upfront cost or total lifecycle cost?

• Who owns the performance data?

• What happens when batteries reach the end of their life?

• How will panels, batteries and electronic waste be recycled or disposed of safely?

• Can the energy architecture adapt as the national grid recovers?

These questions should be answered before a large national solar procurement is launched.

Otherwise, Yemen risks installing thousands of renewable-energy components without building a sustainable operating system around them.

Conclusion: telecom resilience begins with energy resilience

Yemen’s future communications network will depend on fibre, mobile, satellite and submarine infrastructure. But none of these technologies can deliver reliable services without dependable power.

The current diesel-dependent model is costly, operationally fragile and exposed to fuel disruption, theft, foreign-currency shortages and difficult maintenance. It also makes rural coverage appear less commercially viable than it might be under a better energy model.

Solar-battery hybrid systems offer a compelling alternative, but only when designed around actual site demand, environmental conditions and lifecycle performance. Batteries, monitoring, maintenance and commercial accountability are as important as the solar panels themselves.

The objective should not be a symbolic programme to make every tower “green”. It should be a systematic reduction in energy-related outages and total operating cost.

That requires Yemen to treat telecom power as a national infrastructure programme: classify sites, measure performance, reduce energy demand, prioritise critical locations, create financeable portfolios and introduce contractual models that reward availability rather than equipment delivery.

In selected rural areas, the opportunity is larger still. Telecommunications sites can become anchors for local energy, connectivity and public services—supporting clinics, schools, payments and enterprise alongside mobile coverage.

A reliable network will help Yemen rebuild its economy. A well-designed telecom-energy strategy will make that network affordable enough to operate and resilient enough to survive.

How Bridge Connect can help: Bridge Connect can support governments, operators, infrastructure providers and development partners in creating a practical telecom-energy transformation programme for Yemen. This could include site-portfolio segmentation, energy and dependency assessment, renewable technology evaluation, energy-as-a-service commercial models, investment prioritisation, procurement strategy, partner identification and the design of combined connectivity and community-energy initiatives.

Next in the series: From Cash to Digital Commerce—Telecoms and Yemen’s Economic Recovery.