Telecommunications networks and data centers

 A valve-regulated lead-acid battery (VRLA) is a battery type that is popular in telecommunications network environments as a reliable backup power source. VRLA batteries are used in the outside plant at locations such as Controlled Environmental Vaults (CEVs), Electronic Equipment Enclosures (EEEs), and huts, and in uncontrolled structures such as cabinets.

GR-4228, VRLA Battery String Certification Levels Based on Requirements for Safety and Performance, is a new industry-approved set of VRLA requirements that provides a three-level compliance system. The compliance system provides a common framework for evaluating and qualifying various valve-regulated lead-acid battery technologies. The framework intends to alleviate the complexities associated with product introduction and qualification.

For a VRLA, the quality system employed by the manufacturer is an important key to the overall reliability of it. The manufacturing processes, test and inspection procedures, and quality program used by a manufacturer should be adequate to ensure that the final product meets the needs of the end user, the application, and industry-accepted standards and processes (i.e., ANSI/IEC,TL9000, and GR-78, Generic Requirements for the Physical Design and Manufacture of Telecommunications Products and Equipment.