Reducing networks’ environmental impact
As data traffic grows, the ICT industry needs to increase network energy efficiency to reduce its contribution to global CO2 emissions. Absolute energy consumption is expected to increase over the next ten years, primarily due to adding approximately three times the number of subscribers and about a thousand fold increase in data growth.
In Sweden, for example, the company has seen a 90-fold decrease in energy consumption per amount of data (in kWh/GB) over just four years (2006-2010). Reducing our own environmental impact and that of our products is an important part of Ericsson’s sustainability focus. Ericsson is on track with the Group target to reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent over five years (2009-2013).
Launch of Ericsson AIR, an antenna integrated radio unit that has been shown to reduce power consumption by 42 percent.
Its Network Energy Optimization (NEO) service helps operators to maximize subscriber traffic while at the same time reducing energy consumption.
Communication for All
The report also reflects Ericsson’s focus on enabling communications for all, including the 4 billion people living at the base of the pyramid. The company will continue its efforts to use technology to help meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
To this end, Hans Vestberg joined the Broadband Commission for Digital Development which delivered recommendations to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to accelerate the attainment of the MDGs by 2015 in the report “A 2010 Leadership Imperative: The Future Built on Broadband.” Ericsson is now leading the Climate Change Working Group of the Broadband Commission.