In 2014 Hungary experienced an overall harsh winter, with unusual amounts of cold and thaw in combination with high winds. Due to that, there was a large build up of ice that formed on cell towers that would melt and fall during the sudden thaws.
Equipment below would often be struck by large chunks of ice, causing downtime in service and the need for expensive emergency repairs or replacements.
ACE Telecom, a Hungarian WISP that supplies their business customers with high-quality internet-based services, needed a solution that would survive these extreme winter conditions.
With the SAF Integra links, the customer can expect superb broadband connectivity under normal conditions. When these conditions become extreme, like the winter of 2014 in Hungary, falling ice could not fully be avoided and some Integra links were struck. However, even with heavy damage, the links remained operational giving users uninterrupted service. More importantly, it gave engineers time to work out a plan for swapping out the damaged parts without having to shut the system down for emergency measures.
