This week, Finnish cellular vendor Nokia reported on research completed with Telefónica which confirms that 5G networks are up to 90% more energy efficient than 4G networks. The report characterized 5G as “a natively greener technology with more data bits per kilowatt of energy” than any earlier wireless technology generations, but noted that additional action is going to be needed to slow rising CO2 emissions that may result from more network traffic.
“Nokia’s technology is designed to be energy efficient during use but also require less energy during manufacture,” said Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokiat. “This important study highlights how mobile operators can offset energy gains during their rollouts helping them to be more environmentally responsible while allowing them to achieve significant cost savings.”
Many cellular leaders worldwide, including the major carriers in the US, have pledged to take measures to reduce their contributions to global warming. Verizon pledged in 2019 to be carbon neutral by 2035, and AT&T joined that commitment in September of this year. T-Mobile committed in 2018 to moving to 100% renewable power by 2021, by purchasing enough wind power annually to account for every unit of electricity the operator consumes, although their merger with Sprint may alter those plans.
