Breaking the energy curve with 5G: Ericsson’s Nitin Bansal

Is it possible to quadruple data traffic without increasing energy consumption?

The answer is yes. It is possible to meet the massive traffic growth by lowering the total mobile network energy consumption from today’s level. As per Ericsson estimates, the current yearly global energy cost of running mobile networks is estimated to be $25 billion. And this energy consumption would increase dramatically if 5G were to be deployed in the same way as 3G and 4G.

Yet, 5G can be a game changer. While every previous new generation of mobile networks has increased energy consumption and carbon emissions until now, 5G is the most energy efficient standard ever developed. 5G uptake is faster than expected: poised to reach 2.6 billion subscriptions by 2025, covering up to 65 percent of the world’s population and generating 45 percent of total mobile data traffic globally. Thanks to the 5G standard and our development efforts, it is possible to significantly reduce energy consumption.