Rapidly growing cellular bandwidth demand has driven the deployment of smaller and smaller micro/nano cell wireless base-stations. Many of these deployments are in places that may be remote, hard-to-reach, environmentally uncontrolled, or near humans where noise and aesthetics may be important. As a result, new requirements have emerged: higher reliability, easier installation and repair in difficult circumstances, silent operation, and the ability to survive harsh and dirty environments. This paper reports on recent improvements in key materials and components of telecom rectifiers that enable designs that better meet these new requirements