5G Sustainability Report Highlights Critical Role of New Generation of Wireless in Reducing Carbon Emissions

Strategic Insights -

A new report by ABI Research and sponsored by InterDigital, Inc. establishes a forecasting model comparing 4G and 5G networks to understand how new generations of wireless can significantly improve carbon efficiency. The report finds that 5G adoption for key enterprise verticals can reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 37 gigatons by 2030, and therefore be an important building block for industry carbon neutrality by 2050. The research identifies key 5G-enabled enterprise verticals that could drive meaningful energy and carbon mitigation, including smart manufacturing, smart transportation, and smart cities.

Key Takeaways:

  • 5G is expected to account for 20% of global energy consumption by 2030, making it a critical factor in reducing carbon emissions.
  • The direct energy efficiency of 5G network infrastructure and end-devices can reduce carbon emissions by up to 3,800-terawatt and 1.2 gigaton by 2030.
  • 5G-enabled automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in smart manufacturing are 45% more productive than non-5G counterparts, translating to a potential 3,800-terawatt energy savings.
  • 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.
  • The report details several critical findings around 5G impact on energy efficiency, including that 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 than 4G.
  • Network operators are exploring next-gen solutions to aggressively combat 5G's energy footprint by implementing sustainability or carbon neutrality requirements for suppliers, new modes of self-energy generation, and AI algorithms to predict and adjust energy consumption.
  • 5G rollout will be critical in helping communication service providers (CSPs), enterprises, and consumers across the globe reach their self-prescribed sustainability goals by 2030.

Statistics:

  • By 2030, 5G adoption for key enterprise verticals can reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 37 gigatons.
  • 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.
  • 5G is expected to account for 20% of global energy consumption by 2030.

Sources:

  • ABI Research, "5G Sustainability Report"
  • InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC)
  • United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)
  • Global leaders at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)
  • ABI Research
  • Leo Gergs, Senior Analyst at ABI Research
  • InterDigital, Inc.
  • Roya Stephens, Email: Roya.Stephens@interdigital.com
  • Global Data Point, "5G Sustainability Report Highlights Critical Role of New Generation of Wireless in Reducing Carbon Emissions"
  • SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info)