Polar Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: POLA), a global provider of prime and backup DC power solutions, has received a multi-unit purchase order of its 15 kilowatt (kW) back-up diesel DC generator set from its new Tier-1 wireless carrier customer in the United States. The initial 57 units will be shipped over the next two weeks to hurricane-affected telecom sites on the island of Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Maria, which lingered over Puerto Rico for 10 days in early to mid-September, caused extensive destruction and a humanitarian crisis in the region. Of the 3.6 million people who reside on the island, the vast majority have no power. According to the FCC, 91% of cellular sites are out of service and according to Wired.com, of the 1,600 cellular sites, at least 1,300 are out of service. Of the four fiber-optic providers in Puerto Rico, one is mostly broken and one is completely down. Roughly 75 percent of fiber coverage, including cellular service, isn’t working, and neither is about 40 percent of the wired network.
“We are pleased to receive our first material, multi-unit purchase order with our newly signed Tier-1 wireless carrier customer in the United States,” said Polar Power CEO, Arthur Sams. “It comes at a time when over 3.5 million U.S. citizens are without some form of access to cellular phone or data to communicate with family and friends.
“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with all of our Tier-1 wireless carrier customers as we work together to provide solutions to aid in the redevelopment of Puerto Rico’s wireless networks. We’ve seen an increase in inbound RFP requests due to the recent hurricanes and look forward to working with our partners to implement innovative solutions to restore service to areas hardest hit by these natural disasters,” concluded Sams.
