September 23, 2010
Northbrook, Ill., Sept. 23, 2010 - Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in product safety testing and certification, announced today that it has been recognized by Verizon Communications, Inc. as an Independent Test Laboratory (ITL) for its Thermal Modeling, Simulations and Test (TMST) program. UL's testing and certification services will help Verizon attempt to achieve its goal of realizing a 20 percent reduction of overall power requirements in network gear.
The goal of Verizon's program is to reduce energy consumption while maintaining equipment reliability. Thermal modeling helps decrease heat generation that can impair equipment performance and require costly air conditioning be used in central offices, equipment vaults and other facilities. The thermal modeling program will become part of UL's Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) compliance services.
"As demonstrated by this collaboration with Verizon, UL has the capabilities to help companies review, build and analyze new models for electronic cooling of telecommunications equipment, from single components to full systems," said Carlos Correia, vice president, UL High-Tech Division. "Through our leadership in NEBS compliance, we continue to look for and engineer new ways for our customers to improve network efficiency."
The NEBS family of standards evaluate the personal safety of the equipment operator and service technician, as well as the protection of the facilities housing the equipment, all while ensuring the integrity of the overall telecommunications network. This family of requirements is what members of the Telecommunication Carrier Group (TCG), such as Verizon, AT&T, Qwest and smaller local service providers, use to evaluate telecommunications equipment to maintain network integrity and protect against hazards associated with the location of equipment.
As an ITL for the program, UL will offer two services to evaluate thermal models - the first will be an assessment of a thermal model developed by vendors seeking compliance with the requirements; the second involves vendors seeking thermal modeling support from UL in building and running thermal models of their equipment.
The appointment of UL as an ITL is an extension of the collaboration that already exists between Verizon and UL. In August, UL announced it will co-sponsor the NEBS Verizon Conference through 2014.
About Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. For more information, visit http://www.UL.com/newsroom.