New Report Captures Energy Saving Impact of 5G-Enabled Vertical Industries as World Tackles Climate Crisis
November 11 2021 - 4:00AM
Sustainability has never been higher on the societal agenda. Global
leaders at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP26) this week are facing hard truths – on the current
trajectory, the world will hit the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees
Celsius temperature increase by 2030 and demand a dramatic 45%
reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions from 2010 levels. With
the ICT sector expected to account for as much as 20% of global
consumption levels by 2030, any effort to reduce carbon emissions
must consider the impact of 5G.
A new report released today by ABI Research and sponsored by
InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) establishes a forecasting model
comparing 4G and 5G networks to understand how new generations of
wireless can significantly improve carbon efficiency. To quantify
the impact of enterprise 5G, the paper considers the direct energy
efficiency of network infrastructure and end-devices, and its
indirect effect on carbon dioxide emissions.
The research identifies key 5G-enabled enterprise verticals that
could drive meaningful energy and carbon mitigation. For example,
in smart manufacturing, 5G-enabled automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
are 45% more productive than non-5G counterparts, translating to a
potential 3,800-terawatt energy savings and 1.2 gigaton reduction
in carbon emissions by 2030. In smart transportation, 5G drives
operation efficiency and can decrease the annual time spent by each
car in motor traffic by 24 hours and airplanes’ average ground time
by 3 minutes per flight, which both indirectly drive significant
energy savings.
“We’re entering a critical time for both 5G evolution and the
climate health of our globe. This report helps us to identify
emerging solutions and new pathways to reap the immense benefits of
5G-enabled networks and ecosystems while mitigating and eliminating
their added energy impact on our world,” said InterDigital CTO
Henry Tirri. “With new 5G capabilities, we can even improve our
commitments to efficiently and effectively tackle climate
change.”
The paper details several critical findings around 5G impact on
energy efficiency:
- 5G is inherently more energy-consuming
than 4G due to the stringent power requirements of Massive MIMO
deployments; however, when estimating the energy required for a
single Mbps of capacity, 5G is a much more efficient
technology.
- By digitizing enterprise workflows and
other parts of daily life, 5G enables more efficient operations
that reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint. Current
deployments of 5G have the potential to reduce global energy
consumption by 290,000 terawatts by 2030, and that number balloons
to over 900,000 terawatts of energy reduction under ubiquitous 5G
coverage.
- Network operators are exploring
next-gen solutions to aggressively combat 5G’s energy footprint.
For example, operators have implemented sustainability or carbon
neutrality requirements for suppliers, considered new modes of
self-energy generation like micro-grids and smart-metering, and
explored the use of AI algorithms to predict and adjust energy
consumption.
- The external influences driving the
ICT sector’s 20% capture of global electricity consumption by 2030
include the demand for ubiquitous connectivity and immersive
experiences, corporate trends towards remote work and video-enabled
training, and urban transitions towards connected smart
cities.
“Latest ABI Research reveals that 5G rollout will be critical in
helping communication service providers (CSPs), enterprises, and
consumers across the globe reach their self-prescribed
sustainability goals,” said Leo Gergs, Senior Analyst at global
technology intelligence firm ABI Research. “By 2030, 5G adoption
for key enterprise verticals can reduce global CO2 emissions by up
to 37 gigatons, and therefore be an important building block for
industry carbon neutrality by 2050. To drive this, the entire
industry must embrace this consolidated ecosystem effort and
encourage close collaboration with implementing enterprises to
understand their pain points and key requirements.”
To read the complete 5G Sustainability Report, please click
here.
About InterDigital ®
InterDigital develops mobile and video technologies that are at
the core of devices, networks, and services worldwide. We solve
many of the industry’s most critical and complex technical
challenges, inventing solutions for more efficient broadband
networks, better video delivery, and richer multimedia experiences
years ahead of market deployment. InterDigital has licenses and
strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading technology
companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ.
InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital, Inc.
For more information, visit: www.InterDigital.com
InterDigital Contact: |
Roya StephensEmail: Roya.Stephens@interdigital.com+1 (202)
349-1714 |
InterDigital (NASDAQ:IDCC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
InterDigital (NASDAQ:IDCC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024