A case study is described of a telecommunications system wherein the utilization of power was given serious consideration from the point of inception. The objective was to determine the power processing architecture that optimized such figures of merit as efficiency, life cycle cost, first cost and reliability without imposing any of the traditional constraints that result from initiating powering-system design after the powered-system design is complete. The two designs were considered in parallel as a total system design. The resulting system has power processing integrated both physically and functionally so that the sharp line that traditionally delineates powering-system from powered-system is not at all apparent. Paramount is the fact that every figure of merit in improved substantively over that of the less distributed, bulkier powering architectures that are common today in telecommunications systems. The use of board mounted power modules, BMPMS throughout the system provides peripheral, efficient control of power so that idle circuitry can be powered down. This is accomplished with no loss of function or perceivable delay. Simulations project that this can reduce operating electrical energy to 30 percent of what it would have been. First cost of the distributed powering scheme was significantly lower than that of traditional powering schemes. Life cycle cost is greatly reduced by the lower first cost and lower operating cost provided by distributed power processing. Reliability was very closely scrutinized by computer modeling because two effects act in opposition.