The Ran Modernization Guide

Sustainable
Networks
The RAN modernization guide
Ericsson | Sustainable Networks-The RAN modernization guide 3
How can network modernization Contents

help CSPs in their environmental 1 The Industry Challenge 4
sustainability strategies?
1.1 Climate change as a call for action 5
1.2 ICT sector role in fighting the climate change. 6
1.3 Networks data growth and the increasing energy cost. 8
1.4 Energy efficiency holds the key 10
2 Why 5G is the most energy efficient technology 12
Hardware equipment Improving the energy efficiency to meet the targets. Ericsson has 3 The Ericsson approach to breaking the energy curve 14
modernization is one of the of the radio access network (RAN) developed solutions to increase the
key investment areas in the will have the biggest impact on the networks capacity while reducing 4 How to support CSPs in defining impactful sustainability strategies 18
Communication Service Providers’ energy consumption of a mobile the energy consumption and 5 When and how to plan for modernization 22
(CSPs) network evolution plans. network, although other network the embodied carbon emissions.
Modernization has always been elements shouldn´t be overlooked. Ericsson is relentlessly working to 5.1 Balancing network performance and energy consumption 24
vital to meet user experience and achieve higher network capacity 5.2 Modernization steps 28
business targets. Modernization The commitment for environmental with less energy consumption and
5.3 e& methodology to modernize RAN with sustainability in mind 30
has also become increasingly sustainability is coming from the carbon footprint, in essence doing
relevant to execute on energy cost whole ICT industry and Ericsson is more with less. 5.4 T-Mobile, US redefines the ‘best network’ through high performance
reductions and Net Zero ambitions. partnering with suppliers and CSPs and sustainability 32
6 Technology innovations and new radio solutions 34
6.1 Massive MIMO radios to build 5G with precision 36
6.2 Elisa Finland improves performance and energy efficiency by modernizing
with AIR 3268 38
6.3 Optus, Australia, creates an energy efficient network with the latest
Massive MIMO for growth 40
6.4 Multi sector and multi band radio units to reduce footprint and 42
“Sustainability is a given, not an option. It is action, not a concept. embodied carbon emissions 42
At Ericsson, we take every possible step towards Net Zero 6.5 Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson (IOH) deploys 6626 network wide
emissions - from product design to commercial use. For instance,
we continuously enhance our 5G portfolio, including our industry- to improve capacity with sustainability 44
leading Massive MIMO, to boost customers’ network capacity and 7 Energy-saving functionality in the new radios 46
energy performance.”
7.1 MTN- Benin, modernization boosted with energy saving features
Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business to reduce the carbon emissions 48
Area Networks, Ericsson
7.2 SmarTone leverages on energy software features of new radios 50
7.3 Example of radio product improvements with our latest Radio 4490 52
8 How can we reduce the embodied carbon emissions in the radio products 54
8.1 TDC NET Denmark deploys radio 6646 reducing energy consumption 58
and embodied emissions 58
9 Modernization success stories 60
“Ericsson is reducing the embodied carbon emissions of its own
products to help CSPs meet the Net Zero challenge. We are 9.1 Vodafone UK expands 5G midband coverage while reducing footprint 62
enabling our customers to develop and expose new network and energy consumption 62
capabilities with the common goal of providing affordable and
sustainable connectivity for all.” 9.2 Singtel creates an advanced and energy efficient network for all
technologies in Singapore 64
Freddie Södergren, Head of Technology and Strategy,
Ericsson Networks 9.3 Telstra builds a modernization roadmap to reduce energy consumption 66
and achieve their Net Zero target 66
10 Key insights and recommendations 66
4 Ericsson | Sustainable Networks-The RAN modernization guide Ericsson | Sustainable Networks-The RAN modernization guide 5
01 The Industry 1.1 Climate change as a call for action
Challenge You might have a range of emotions

about climate change – from
confusion to hope, desperation or
As an industry, we cannot afford
the emissions to grow. Together, we
need to limit the risk of triggering “The climate crisis is the
possibly even denial. However, the irreversible climatic tipping points greatest challenge humanity
evidence is clear. Current climate within the Earth’s climate system.
change is human induced, and to The 2023 IPCC report clearly states is facing at the moment. How
limit global warming to 1.5°C above that we only have a brief and short we respond now will define the
pre-industrial levels, scientists have window of time to secure a livable course of our future.”
said that we need to halve global planet and a sustainable future for -Börje Ekholm,
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions all. So, more than ever, global climate President & CEO, Ericsson.
by 2030 (compared to 2020 levels), action is needed now.
The information and communication You will find case studies with the reaching Net Zero GHG emissions
technology (ICT) industry is facing challenges that are most relevant for globally by 2050 at the latest.
several global challenges that are communications service providers
increasing the complexity of evolving (CSPs) and how to overcome them
and operating mobile networks. These successfully. For most mobile Figure 1. Climate change a call for action
challenges include the rapid growth networks, over 80% of energy
of mobile data traffic, the increasing is consumed in the radio access
demand for high-speed, reliable, network (RAN), with the remainder
mobile connectivity, the cost of in the core network, support systems
energy and the required sustainability and associated cloud infrastructure.
transformation, including the The focus is on RAN modernization
achievement of Net Zero targets. as the main way to address these We’re currently at 1.2°C warming
challenges. The case studies show
Sustainability is a complex that RAN modernization is needed and the impact of climate change
challenge. To modernize mobile for CSPs to meet the traffic demand
networks sustainably, we need to of the future, and to ensure that is already widespread, rapid and
consider multiple factors, in addition their networks are sustainable and
to the energy savings. Embodied consume less energy. intensifying.
carbon emissions of the products and
the circular economy shouldn’t be We hope that this handbook will
considered in isolation. This handbook be a valuable resource for CSPs as
supports CSPs to sustainably evolve they work to modernize their RANs
their mobile networks by providing and meet today´s and tomorrow´s
a guide to help them make the best challenges and opportunities with
RAN modernization decisions. We will sustainability in mind.
show the different options available,
the benefits, the factors, and
the methodology. We must limit global
warming to 1.5°C above
pre-industrial levels.
Net Zero and Digitalization

provide a pathway to achieve
critical emission reduction targets.
1.2 ICT sector role in fighting the climate change. According to Ericsson research5, the mobile network is the often first emissions, but also result in a focus
simply using legacy ICT solutions up choice of access to internet and is a on the embodied carbon emissions
to 4G can enable a reduction of global vital part of the digitalization of society. (emissions generated before the
greenhouse gas emissions by up to The potential of 5G unlocking new first use of the product) and circular
During the past years, the overall energy greenhouse gas emissions from a sectors to move towards the low- 15 percent by 2030. With 5G, we will use cases for digitalization is huge for economy as important tools for
usage and life cycle greenhouse gas life cycle perspective1. Although, the carbon economy that will be central unlock a world of new possibilities to additional reductions in emissions. 5G operators to reduce their upstream
emissions of the ICT sector have been impact of this industry is relatively low, to preventing further climate change. sustainably improve digitalization, and connectivity are critical to solutions scope 3 emissions 6.
debated. Energy use, cost and the it is a matter of commitment with our Since ICT industry can provide more network capabilities with less representing potential reductions of
carbon footprint have become some of society to take every action possible to solutions with high potential, if energy consumption and footprint. 20% of the EU´s total emissions5. A holistic view with a full value chain
our industry’s largest challenges. The achieve Net Zero targets. Therefore, used correctly, to avoid and reduce approach in our decarbonizing efforts
point has been raised that the digital these actions start with reducing our emissions across sectors. This is Over the last few decades, cellular For CSPs, energy consumption is a must, and as an industry we
economy would sharply increase its own generated carbon emissions, reflected in the Exponential Climate communication has changed societies has historically been a significant must reduce emissions from our own
energy use as more data is transported both those from usage of our products Action Roadmap3, which describes 36 and people’s lives. From 1G and 2G consideration as it is one of the activities as well as upstream, and
through the communication networks. and emission created when producing initiatives to halve global emissions communication allowing us to make highest operating costs. Now, this downstream. We must show that Net
them. Currently, 43% of the CSPs by by 2030 across different sectors. calls to people and not places, to consideration is even more important Zero not only is a target - it is also a
Our peer-reviewed research shows revenue is committed to reach Net These projects show that the overall today’s high speed 5G networks. While due to the Net Zero targets, while way of working.
that the entire ICT industry uses Zero by 2050 or earlier2. digitalization of industries and society 4G was a consumer-centric technology also adding a need to lower emissions
approximately 4% of the world´s is crucial to increase efficiency and that enabled the building of the app across the full value chain.
electricity for its operation and The ICT industry has a unique competitiveness, and to accelerate the economy, the 5G wave ahead has an
represents 1,4% of the global potential to enable other industrial transition towards a Net Zero future4. industrial focus with high data speeds, CSPs are acting and setting ambitious
low latency, and the ability to create Net Zero targets. These commitments
dedicated bandwidth for critical users not only cover the emissions from
– so-called network slicing. Today, the mobile networks, CSPs scope 2
Figure 2. 5G bringing new opportunities for digitalization with sustainability
Figure 3.
ICT industry commitment
to Net Zero
43%
Immersive customer New industry Benefits
experience applications to society
Wide range of services Ultra resilience Fast, reliable, accurate positioning of mobile industry by revenue have
Guaranteed latency and scalable throughput Enhanced coverage, capacity, user experience committed to Net Zero by 2050 or
earlier. (GSMA report 2023)
More capabilities with less energy and footprint
1 ICT Sector Electricity Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions – 2020 Outcome by Jens Malmodin, Nina Lövehagen,
Pernilla Bergmark, Dag Lundén :: SSRN
2 Exponential Roadmap - Exponential Roadmap Initiative
3 Decarbonizing industries with connectivity & 5G - Ericsson 5 GSMA | Mobile Net Zero: State of the Industry on Climate Action 2023 - #BetterFuture
4 Connectivity and climate change (ericsson.com) 6 GSMA | Mobile Net Zero: State of the Industry on Climate Action 2023 - #BetterFuture
1.3 Networks data growth and the increasing energy cost. Figure 5.
Global mobile network
data traffic
While traffic has grown exponentially factor of 3.5 between the end 2022 networks covering all major regions
over the last 10 years, service and the end of 2028, from 93 EB per of the world. These measurements
providers’ global network energy month to a projected 329 EB per form a representative base for
consumption has risen by only 64 month.This will have an impact on calculating worldwide total mobile
percent, from 91TWh to an estimated the energy consumption; although network traffic. Mobile network data
150TWh [5]. Data traffic has an data and energy consumption follow traffic also includes traffic generated
impact on the capacity need in different growth curves, there is a by FWA services. More detailed
mobile networks, as well as on the correlation between network capacity measurements are made in a select
energy use and cost. and energy consumed. number of commercial networks
for the purpose of understanding
According to the June 2023 report, Ericsson regularly performs traffic how mobile data traffic evolves and
mobile data is expected to grow by a measurements in over 100 live make traffic predictions. We share
Figure 4. Mobile subscriptions by technology
The energy cost increase in the recent years

The energy cost of mobile networks significant impact on the so-called of mobile networks and shifting to
is a growing concern for the “gigabyte economy,” which refers more data-efficient technologies and
telecommunications industry. In to the growing use of mobile data. services, the industry can help to reduce
2020, the global energy cost of mobile The energy cost has become the environmental impact of the mobile
networks was estimated in $25 an important variable in the industry and make mobile data more
billion USD. This figure has increased communication service providers’ affordable and accessible for all.
significantly and globally since 2020. operational expenditure (OPEX) The demand on mobile networks
This increase is particularly high and and they are now setting targets to will continue to grow, and thus
uncertain in Europe for geopolitical reduce the energy consumed per operators have a need to continue to
reasons. Wholesale electricity prices in gigabyte transmitted. expand network capacity to meet the
Europe in 2022 were, on average, more exponential traffic growth. Without
than twice as high as in 20219. The energy cost of mobile networks is a action, energy use and related costs
(source: International Energy Agency). challenge that the telecommunications and emissions will also grow. The
industry will need to address both now industry cannot continue with the
The rising cost of energy for and, in the years, to come. By taking same approach it used a decade ago.
externally the results in our Ericsson factor of almost 300 times. This mobile networks is having a steps to improve the energy efficiency
Mobility report (EMR)7. traffic growth has been supported by
increased population coverage and
The measurements have shown that multiple mobile generations running
mobile subscriptions have grown in parallel, adding the required traffic
from 6 billion in 2011 to 8.3 billion capacity8. In 2028, all mobile data
in ten years (from 2011 to 2021) traffic growth will come from 5G, as
driving traffic from just below 0.25EB 4G traffic declines.
per month to 65EB per month – a
7 Past and present reports - Mobility Report - Ericsson

8 https://www.ericsson.com/4ad7e9/assets/local/reports-papers/mobility-report/documents/2021/ericsson-mobility-report-november-2021.pd 9 Electricity Market Report 2023 (windows.net)
1.4 Energy efficiency holds the key modernizing to the latest equipment. on reducing energy consumption. efficiently. The transition from 4G to
We could see the energy efficiency 5G is the most energy efficient 5G in combination with new hardware
trend in three worldwide Tier 1 technology since it needs less equipment, which provide higher
operators which includes data for signaling and can transmit the same energy efficiency, shows a clear
CSPs need to consider many It is also very important to have an actions aimed at minimizing energy Massive MIMO radios, remote radio amount of data faster. New hardware correlation to lower energy use per
variables when tackling network industry consensus around metrics consumption in the network and at units and baseband units. equipment has proved to consume delivered data traffic, therefore an
evolution. They have the key to to achieve a higher impact. The two the same time keeping a great less energy than previous generations improved energy performance.
enable digitalization for a more metrics mentioned above (absolute user experience. We have observed that moving traffic and with the new software features
sustainable society. There are multiple value of energy consumption and from 4G to 5G has a positive impact it can be operated more energy
challenges and needs driving the energy consumption per data volume) Actionable insights
network evolution; among them, together with energy per connection, At Ericsson, we have several
energy efficiency is paving the way to per site and per revenue are also the collaboration programs with our
succeed in all the different targets. key metrics tracked by GSMA in their customers. These programs target Figure 7.
energy efficiency benchmarking to improve energy performance and Observations summary taken from the Ericsson collaboration program for three Tier1 CSPs.
There are different metrics available tool10. GSMA uses these metrics provide observability of the impact of
for operators to measure energy as benchmarking measurements the different actions in the network,
efficiency of their network. However, to evaluate the network energy such as equipment modernization. CSP Traffic shift to 5G Modernized equipment Energy Efficiency improvement
we have found that a combination efficiency of various operator The energy measurements are
of metrics will be useful to measure networks. However, in their analysis, taken directly from the equipment’s A ~10% Newest equipment +18%
and track network energy efficiency they show that other factors need performance counters, and for old
over time. The basic metrics to to also be taken into consideration equipment which doesn’t have these B >10% Relatively modern +14%
follow are the absolute value of such as temperature zone, country counters, different algorithms are C < 10% Less modern 0%
network energy consumption (kWh, topology and population density. used to provide good estimates.
MWh or GWh) and the metric ‘energy We are monitoring absolute energy
consumption per data volume’ Using different ratios and metrics consumption (kWh), total downlink
(kWh/GB or Wh/GB). The latter requires alignment to prevent data volume (GB) and energy
provides a good complement to showing skewed results. When consumption per data volume (Wh/ Moving to 5G has a relevant impact on energy efficiency, but this can be diluted due to obsolete equipment.
over time follow the development in deciding the new performance KPIs, GB) and also the traffic volume The impact of modernization can be bigger than the impact of traffic shift to 5G. As conclusion, the highest
how much energy is used to transfer we need to keep in mind what will based on radio access technology impact on energy performance is achieved with the combination of both shifting traffic to 5G and radio
1 gigabyte of data in the network. be the consequences in the network (e.g. 3G,4G,5G). equipment modernization.
Together, these two metrics provide to improve these metrics, since
a valuable overview to monitor the these measurements will serve as We have evaluated both the impact
development on network level. the foundation for driving desirable of shifting traffic from 4G to 5G and
Figure 6. What is next in Energy efficiency measurements?

Energy efficiency trend for three Tier1 CSPs, part of
the Ericsson collaboration Program (year 2023).
We need to ensure that the
measurements serve as the Going forward, we see an evolution in the energy efficiency metrics
foundation for driving desirable to capture the user experience or QoS (quality of service). Different
Energy Efficiency (Wh/GB) (Delta Trend) actions aimed at minimizing energy service level agreements will be defined to ensure a good customer
consumption in the network and experience based on the specific user applications. By extending
providing good performance.
the energy evaluation with customer experience metrics, we will
also secure the satisfaction of the end users, which is critical for 5G
20%
premium connectivity.
10%
0% 0% CSP C
0%
-14%
-10% CSP B
-18%
-20%
CSP A
Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct
10 Going green: benchmarking the energy efficiency of mobile networks (second edition) (gsmaintelligence.com)
02 Why 5G is the most The improvement in energy efficiency While Massive MIMO radios are
is even more significant when we an energy efficient solution for the
deliver the same data volume with mid-band, to ensure good network
energy efficient
M-MIMO rather than 4G FDD. There coverage, the low bands are still
are multiple examples of reducing required. Hence our approach is to
energy cost per Gigabyte, and for this modernize the low frequency band
reason, transitioning to 5G for energy radios also to reduce their energy
technology efficiency becomes an important

driver for the CSPs, in addition to
delivering 5G new use cases.
consumption and footprint, making
room to add the new TDD
Midband radios.
For every new generation of mobile clusters running LTE, and then later Figure 9. Energy
technology, from 2G through to 5G, shifting to NR (both NSA and SA) 5G TDD more than 10 (kWh)
the energy needed to transfer each showed improved DL throughput, as times energy efficient per
bit of data through the network has can be seen in Figure 8. This comes Gigabyte 4G FDD 5G FDD
decreased. For example, replacing 2G from NR making better use of the
or 3G with 4G will significantly increase spectrum. If we compare delivering
the capacity for the same spectrum the same data volume with LTE and
and it also enables the use of more with NR on the same radio equipment,
efficient energy-saving functionalities we will observe that when using NR
offered by the 4G standard. 5G the delivery will go faster, allowing 5G TDD
technologies are designed for high the radio to go to idle sooner and Massive MIMO
capacity and low network energy consequently use less energy. This
consumption, including significantly delivery speed of NR allows energy
improved support for energy savings savings of approximately 30% when
during low-to-medium traffic periods. compared to transmitting the same
amount of data over LTE.
NR is already recognized as being 5G TDD M-MIMO
10x
more spectrum-efficient than LTE, The combination of M-MIMO hardware
but there are more advantages. NR and advanced software algorithms
radio hardware can be operated more enables very efficient energy usage, more efficient per
energy efficiently, since NR enables and it also gives an even higher
Gigabyte
more efficient signaling control spectrum efficiency compared with
between the end user equipment and traditional remote radios. Some
the radio equipment. In other words, examples from the field are shared in
NR needs less signaling. Figure 8, which compares results in the Data volume (GB)
same radio cluster.
Commercial networks on existing
FDD frequency bands in network
Cluster performance (2600, 20MHz)

160
Figure 8.
NR vs LTE throughput
comparison in same 140
Median DL throughput (Mbps)
radio cluster
120
100
80
60
40
20
LTE NR
0
03 The Ericsson Traditional areas where conflicts realize their full potential, and the sustainability targets are aligned
may arise for a service provider result will be modest energy savings between all organizations.
are targets for network KPIs, user .
approach to breaking
experience, capital investments, More and more service providers are With a sustainable network
operational expenditures, and energy committing to Net Zero targets, as evolution plan in place, the network
costs. Increased use of energy- well as focusing on managing energy observations can be used to plan
saving functionality is often seen as costs, and as a result the complexity for the desired or required network
the energy curve a quick fix to save energy in mobile

networks. However, depending
on how they are configured,
increases. Often, this is combined
with aspirations to lower their supply
chain carbon footprint and increasing
modernizations, to ensure traffic
performance and to define different
operational strategies for energy
these functionalities may have a circular economy aspirations such as savings and reducing carbon
measurable impact on network KPIs. prolonged hardware lifetimes. emissions across the network.
This can result in such functionalities
either not being deployed, or being It is most important that the different
deployed in a way that does not objectives including the new
CSPs have a pressing need to consider both business and sustainability
how to evolve their current networks, ambitions. Here, a sustainable
and they are well aware that simply network evolution plan is key to keep
introducing new service offerings and all parts of the company aligned
deploying more network capacity towards the end goal – a profitable Ericsson’s core pillars for breaking the energy curve
as they did in the past will inevitably and sustainable Net Zero company.
lead to a rise in energy consumption,
operational expenditure (OPEX) and Taking this holistic view is essential Figure 11.
possibly carbon emissions too. To when it comes to running a sustainable Three core pillars to break the energy curve
change this trend, the industry needs network while meeting business and
to do things differently. operational targets. The reality is often
that different organizations within
A key part of this is to embrace a a company have different steering
holistic view of company targets and objectives, so a working process Sustainable Operate
network realities to allow for network that prioritizes a holistic view of the network evolution intelligently
planning and operation that supports solutions is needed. Embrace a holistic Leverage AI/ML
view for network and automation
planning and
Breaking the to boost energy
operation energy curve savings
Figure 10.
Factors to weight
in the holistic view
Network User
KPIs experience
Expand and modernize
Modernize existing network
while scaling up 5G
Total network
Holistic view energy consumption Traditional roll-out Breaking the energy curve approach
Net Circular
Zero economy
5G
4G
Capex/ 3G
Energy
opex cost
2G
Network roll-out over time

In the past, with each new mobile products and solutions for CSPs Modernization of networks is crucial previous technologies. To evaluate chapters, we will illustrate how CSPs
generation, we added new equipment to make possible to scale up 5G for CSPs, and this handbook aims to the impact of a site modernization can succeed in this challenge with
which effectively increased overall while reducing the overalls energy be a RAN modernization guide for when scaling up 5G, we need to the improvements in Ericsson´s
network energy consumption. To consumption. For that, we need to their sustainability journey. While correlate the measurements of both radio portfolio substantiated in our
change that trend and achieve what take the aforementioned holistic sunsetting previous technologies energy consumption and network technology innovations, and also
we at Ericsson call “breaking the approach to planning, deploying and would help with the energy challenge, performance. The higher speed our customer´s success stories of
energy curve”, we are developing operating mobile networks differently. we are specifically referring to offered by 5G supports the traffic modernization.
scaling up 5G when we refer to growth, but the target should be
modernization. We will also touch to provide the right time to content This guide will focus on the two first
upon the embodied carbon emissions (depending on the service) to achieve elements of our holistic approach:
of the new products and the need for the right balance between energy sustainable network evolution and
a circular approach in our journey to consumption and performance and expand and modernize. All the
Our recipe for success is based on three core pillars: Net Zero as part of the overall holistic make networks more sustainable. three elements are needed in the
view of sustainable network evolution. sustainability journey but this is a step
The challenge is to reduce energy wise approach for the CSPs to achieve
5G has proved to be the most energy- consumption when adding the their demanding targets for more
efficient technology so far, and it also additional hardware supporting sustainable and capable networks.
provides a better user experience than the new spectrum. In the following
Sustainable network
evolution Expand and modernize Operate intelligently
Network planning and Effective modernization of By operating intelligently, we

operations need to evolve to existing networks is essential make use of traffic variation
cater for achieving business when scaling 5G to reduce the by adapting the capacity to
targets and sustainability mobile network total energy the current demand. It’s about
ambitions with the lowest energy consumption. what we call the three pillars for
consumption possible. sustainable operation.
Expanding sites with new
By applying a work process 5G solutions often includes • Applying network insights to
that prioritizes a holistic view deploying new frequency bands, use energy saving functionality
of all perspectives, including an which requires adding more more optimized.
evaluation of organizational equipment. To avoid increasing
objectives and network realities, energy consumption, the • By connecting and getting data
the resulting network evolution installed equipment needs to from all parts of the network,
plan becomes the foundation to be modernized. This is key to including passive infrastructure
achieve the desired outcomes. changing the energy consumption elements such as rectifiers,
trajectory in mobile networks. batteries, and HVAC systems,
With a combined view of allows a service provider to
investments and operating costs, enable the use of energy-
our latest generations of multi- saving functions throughout
band and massive multiple-input the network.
and multiple output (MIMO)
radios, and basebands can help • AI/ML automation will boost
service providers to cut energy energy savings while securing
consumption and greatly improve performance.
their energy costs and total cost of
ownership going forward.
04 How to support CSPs Figure 12.

Sustainability engagement CSPs wanted position Ericsson wanted position
framework & Net Zero Targets & Net Zero Targets
in defining impactful
sustainability Sustainability Strategy
strategies
Supply Chain Portfolio in use Circular Economy
Sustainability is a complex challenge When planning for environmental

and climate change is not the only sustainability strategies, CSPs should
issue that needs to be taken into partner with their strategic suppliers
consideration. The entire value to achieve their objectives.
Sustainability engagement
chain, encompassing the supply
chain (from product birth to site),
the products in use and circular CSPs need strategic partners that
economy needs to be considered. share the same ambitions and Supply chain customers sustainability strategies. and the use of new products with low
objectives in the environmental Continuously improved energy To achieve this Ericsson has focused embodied carbon and enables a more
sustainability domain. performance and the need for on improving the design of our sustainable modernization.
expanding capacity must be combined products by reducing size and weight
with a low- emissions supply chain and while in addition also looking into As part of our supply chain
products with low embodied carbon more sustainable materials to enable improvements, Ericsson has created
emissions. This is a collaborative task reductions of carbon hotspots, such as a sustainable plastic-free packaging
for both suppliers and customers. CSPs aluminum, IC’s and PCB’s. Significant solution for shipping Ericsson Remote
are already committed to reducing not reductions are already achieved (up Radio products, transitioning from oil-
Ericsson´s sustainability engagement framework is only their own emissions, but those to 50% in some products) and we are based plastics to wood fiber materials
comprised of three steps across their full value chain. Supplier aiming for more12. for the packaging inserts. We have
collaboration is also in place, especially partnered with customers (DT and
through the supply chain leaders11 For CSPs already using fossil-free Swisscom) to pilot the solution13. The
and the climate action program that energy in their networks, carbon goal of the sustainable packaging
01 Wanted position and situational analysis. aims to get suppliers to set their own
ambitious climate targets.
emission reductions in the future will
need to focus also on the supply chain
design project is to reduce the
environmental impact of Ericsson’s
emissions. But access to renewable packaging while securing efficiency
Start by defining clear overall ambitions, targets and a timeline for those, Ericsson is committed to halving energy is not endless and more in production, logistics and disposal,
followed by data-driven situational analysis that will provide key insights our Supply Chain emissions by 2030 capacity will be needed in future. as well as eliminating the risk of
to define an action plan. and have an ambition to deliver new Holistic modernization includes good contributing to plastic pollution.
products with 36% lower embodied recycling of products at end-of life,
carbon already in 2025 supporting our smart repair, building with precision
02 Challenges, opportunities, and possible solutions. Figure 13.

Ericsson targets for Supply chain in 2025
At Ericsson, we can support them in identifying challenges and
opportunities and propose solutions across the full value chain. Energy
consumption and energy mix including transition to renewable energy
sources are evaluated. Ericsson has different solutions to support CSPs
along the entire value chain, from supply to portfolio in use and circular
36% Reduction of total supply chain emission
business. We provide solutions in the circular economy for sustainability,

from site to reuse, recycle and refurbish.
25% Reduction of outbound transport emissions by
transitioning to seaborn freight
03 Conclusions and next steps.

350 Suppliers to have aligned 1.5C climate targets, who, together with their supply chains,
emit 90% of Ericsson’s supplier emissions
The conclusions include a summary of the situational analysis, wanted
position and the selected solutions. As final step, the agreed plan should
be integrated in the network evolution plan.
11 ericsson-net-zero-journey.pdf
12 Ericsson tests plastic-free packaging with DT and Swisscom
Portfolio in use More energy efficient HW with less

We refer as portfolio in use, all our weight and size and reduced carbon
products deployed in our customers emissions, supported by both energy Hossam Kandeel, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit MTN and Customer Unit MTN
networks. Our solutions are efficient SW and energy optimization Africa at Ericsson commented:
continuously evolving to reduce the services using AI technology.
energy consumption of our products. More details about the technology ”The Ericsson Product Take-Back program is a core strategy in our commitment to circular economies,
Our target of improving energy innovations and the new solutions can where waste products can become new resources. Improper disposal of electronic components can harm
savings in our portfolio by 35% in be found in the next chapters.
2022 has been exceeded with 39% of the environment by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and causing damage to biodiversity and human
energy savings. health. The program enables us to recycle end-of-life electronic and electrical equipment in a responsible
and sustainable way. As we collaborate with MTN Benin, we aim to encourage and actively support
sub-Saharan Africa in achieving its climate goals.”
Figure 14.
Ericsson targets and
achievements for portfolio
in use in 2022
Ericsson’s
35% 10x
Energy saving in Ericsson 5G product portfolio more
targets Radio System than legacy energy efficient, per transferred
portfolio by 2022. Science data, than 4G by 2022.
Based Target (baseline 2016) (baseline 2017)
Results
2022
39% 10x
Energy saving More energy efficient
Circular Economy approach is needed that balances that they handle according to high
Minimizing waste is essential to a the positive impact of refurbished environmental standards, such as
circular economy , and we know equipment with the energy ISO 14001 and OHSA 18001, and
that high reuse and recycling rates performance of the products and the also specific recycling standards
start with smart product design. customer’s energy mix to ensure true such as the Responsible Recycling
Currently, more than 96% of the sustainability benefits and meet the (R2) scheme. The recyclers follow
material is recycled and goes back required network capabilities. Ericsson’s standard Code of
into the material flow14 . Conduct, and their performance is
We follow a structured approach to checked regularly.
Ericsson has a complete portfolio of refurbish, reuse, and recycle used
Product Reuse services for telecom equipment to optimize hardware usage.
networks equipment refurbishment,
reuse, and recycling. Moreover in In 2005, we launched the global
2021, Ericsson introduced its latest Product Take-Back Program to
offering, Refurbished Network minimize the environmental impact
Equipment. These solutions may be of products at their end of life
suitable in certain cases, depending and ensure that they are handled
on availability of reused equipment according to high environmental
and after consultation with our standards. The program is offered to
customers to ensure that the available customers in 180 countries around
refurbished equipment meets their the world. Contracted recyclers are
specific needs. Again, a holistic audited by a third-party to ensure
14 Ericsson and MTN Benin recycle 123 metric tons of E-Waste

05 When and rental costs from increasing. Ericsson functions across the entire network. This will also create opportunities
is developing its offering to support Additionally, to achieve Net Zero, for service providers to engage with
radios for both architectural choices, service providers may also want utility companies in the demand and
how to plan for

purpose-built and cloud RAN. The to reduce the dependency of fossil response system, enabling them to
management solution for this hybrid energy sources and move towards operate their sites intelligently from
architecture is the Ericsson Intelligent renewable electricity that can be an energy perspective.
Automation Platform , which follows generated on site. This evolution
modernization the O-RAN Alliance interfaces.
Evolving energy site management

of energy management on site not
only addresses the source of energy,
but also the smart use of it. By
Increasing transmission capacity
Even if fiber-based transmission
is available on site, microwave
RAN hardware modernization combining the network management modernization may be needed, and
also presents an opportunity system with smart site solutions, a the evolution to 5G with potential
to modernize and connect site service provider can take the energy new network topologies will also
equipment. This will enable from the grid when the cost is low create new expectations on the
new site energy management and use renewable energy sources functionality on the transport
opportunities, allowing service (such as solar panels combined with network, including the site routers.
Modernization of hardware on a large Reducing energy cost and providers to use energy-saving batteries) when the cost is high.
number of radio sites in a mobile carbon emissions
network is a significant effort and New hardware can be significantly
CSPs will expect multiple benefits more energy-efficient, providing
from the modernization. The most higher performance for a
common drivers for modernization given energy consumption or
are technology shift, adding more transmitting more gigabytes with
capacity and improving TCO the same or fewer kilowatt-hours
efficiency, but there are more reasons (kWh), as we will see in some
for hardware modernization: of the modernization examples. Figure 15.
To drastically lower the total Modernization example of expanding to 5G with more than ten times capacity and reduced footprint and energy consumed.
Introducing new service offering network energy consumption, we
New hardware adds support for new need to combine energy saving
standards and functionality such as software functions and hardware
5G standalone and premium services modernization. We have also seen
enabled by network slicing. To fully our customers set carbon emissions
unlock the 5G experience we need goals as driver and criteria for sites
to maintain 5G coverage at all sites modernization (see Etisalat case).
and move towards 5G standalone They also have the goal of reducing
architecture that enables new use embodied carbon emissions, which
cases to be deployed in network can be achieved with the new radio
slices. With the vision to lower the solutions with smaller size and
total network energy consumption it’s weight, as well as multiband and
not enough to deploy the most energy multisector radios.
efficient 5G equipment on the new
frequency bands. To make room for Reducing site footprint
the 5G roll-out in the energy budget, Hardware modernization enables us
the energy consumption of the radio to reduce site footprint. Replacing
base station site needs to be reduced. single band radios with multiband
For all that, we need to modernize the radios, or multiband and multisector
installed base hardware. radios, helps to reduce the number of
physical radio units at the site, which
Improving capacity for in turn reduces both the size and
better user experience weight, and saves on site rental. The
In addition to adding 5G on new TDD operational cost is also reduced due
mid-band spectrum, new radios can to managing less equipment.
also increase capacity by adding new
FDD frequency bands and extending Evolving to new
the number of transmit branches. architectures: Cloud RAN
Sites with higher traffic may also Introducing a disaggregated
need to add baseband capacity to architecture (decoupling hardware Expand &
cope with the increasing demand and software) such as Cloud RAN, modernize Reduce energy, footprint, size and weight
while maintaining an excellent user presents an opportunity to modernize
experience. Multi-band 5G is needed the radio sites. The recommendation
to unleash the full 5G experience. The is to use hardware equipment and
more frequency bands, the more radio
spectrum needs to be activated by
management solutions that are
suited for hybrid architectures, as this >10x 44%
your radio equipment. will prevent the complexity and site
reduced embodied carbon with radio
Capacity
portfolio 2023 vs. 2021
5.1 Balancing network performance and energy consumption Network data to make the best decisions
Before going through the and other energy saving features are new opportunities to optimize Let’s take an example to show how we The essence of this segmentation is experience per site (or sector) in
modernization steps, let´s review the to lower energy consumption RAN energy efficiency. One way to help operators to use network insights that there are many sites in the green the right diagram. As always, when
principles of balancing performance without degrading network increase the effectiveness of energy to make the best informed decisions. traffic segment, typically 50-70% of we are talking about the radio
and energy consumption to prevent performance. Combining these saving functionality is to use network In Figure 16: “Traffic volume and all sites, that carry low load, or could performance of the network we need
over-dimensioned and under- features can enable huge energy insights to identify sites and service user experience segmentation”, in also been seen as areas where only to focus on the busiest and most
dimensioned radio sites. savings, with up to 97 percent less areas that have a combination the left diagram, we can see how 25% of total content in the network challenging period of the day, which is
energy consumption at low traffic of low level of data volume and a we can extract data volume on site is delivered. If we were to grade illustrated in the data volumes shown
Software functions can be used to hours compared to maximum very good user experience during level, or even sector level by use of relevance of importance it could be in the left diagram. In the diagram
optimize network performance and to power usage. Finding the right busy hours. By moving to a user performance counters. The data that those low-content delivery sites to the right, we have ranked the sites
reduce energy consumption. It is well balance of network performance experience-centric view, though volume shall be seen as a good proxy are of slightly less strategic value based on the user experience they
known that the traffic demand varies and energy consumption as data still with network KPI’s in focus, it for “data content delivered to the area compared with the fewer sites in the provide – from poor to great.
over the day and night. As mobile traffic grows and new services will be possible to have a balanced covered by the site (or sector)”. red and blue segments where the
networks are deployed to meet are introduced will help service view between network performance majority of content is distributed
expected peak traffic demands, there providers to “break the energy and energy consumption to achieve In the picture to the left we have
is an inherent headroom with over- curve”. This requires a combination larger energy savings. In line categorized the sites into three User experience is not only
capacity for most hours of the day. of replacing old equipment with the with this, Ericsson provides both traffic segments: about content delivery in terms
latest technology and hardware, consultative services to assist in the of volume; how the content has
The modernization cases are activating energy-saving software deployment and optimization of • The red traffic segment represents been delivered to the user and the
combining the latest energy on both active equipment and energy efficiency functionality, as the high traffic sites. time it takes is a big part of the
efficient HW with the activation of passive site infrastructure. well as performance counters which actual user experience. Here we
energy saving features which are are helpful to observe energy savings • The blue traffic segment need to relate user experience to a
adapted to the traffic load. There The nature of a high performing and balancing potential impact on represents medium traffic sites consistent speed of delivery, and
is a range of software features, radio network today is very different network KPIs and user experience. (red and blue together identify we can see via studies how we can
such as transmitter micro sleep or from 2G and 3G networks. By sites that bring 75% of network translate speed into user experience
micro sleep Tx (switching off radio expanding the focus on network data volume). “sufficient download speed into user
transmitters when no transmission performance to include user experience classification”.
is required), deep sleep (hibernate experience and its correlation • The green traffic segment
radios during low traffic hours) towards energy consumption, there represents low traffic sites. In Figure 16, we can observe user
Figure 16.
Traffic volume and user experience segmentation
For both these observation areas In the zoomed-in areas, we can see An energy-saving strategy that
we have counters in the network that there is a combination of sites is adapted to actual demands is Moving to a user experience-centric view, network KPIs are still in focus but with a balanced view.
that we can use to extract this that generate a low volume of data crucial for maximizing energy By adding AI and machine learning technology, we can further help optimize and automize these
information which we exemplify in and, from a user experience point of savings in the network. energy saving functions. This will allow us to save a lot more energy and we will deliver the same
Figure 17 Sites comparison to balance view, they are providing a very good data volume in the targeted areas while always maintaining the user experience at a level that they
performance and energy efficiency. user experience during peak times. experience as great or good.
So this is an easy way to identify
sites with different characteristics.
Figure 17.
Sites comparison to balance
performance and energy efficiency.
Sites are unequal and should be built and operated differently
This example shows the different The expected result is that, during holistic view, in mind and understand
levels of user experience in a high a large part of the day (except busy how to find a balance between
traffic scenario. This analysis can hours) we have a potential to remove traditional network KPIs and the
be used as method to find under- capacity from network (in order to user experience.
dimensioned sites (cluster in the save energy) and move users from
black circle), with high traffic and “very great” to “great” experience. A
where more capacity is needed to transition that is not noticed by the
meet user experience and to identify end-user but of course captured and
areas that are over-dimensioned registered in traditional network KPI
(cluster in the red circle), delivering observations (e.g DL throughput
low traffic with very good user speed). Again, it is important to have
experience status also in busy hours. Figure 10: Factors to weight in the
5.2 Modernization steps to be modernized to offer the wanted will be guided by the agreed targets, at specific times to save energy and
service and user experience, and in but it can also be opportunistically when we need the capacity, we can
our assessments over network energy driven from the aspect that where quickly return it to full power.
consumption trends we have seen that more capacity will be needed
Once all the drivers for modernization targets. Depending on the energy together. The next step is to identify these sites are key to lower the total and where 5G on new frequency At the end of these three steps a
are identified, we have defined mix available on the market, carbon how this shall be done. network energy consumption. bands will be deployed, there is sustainable network evolution plan
three steps that will secure a emissions related to electricity use an opportunity to also modernize is in place. It will describe the actions
successful modernization execution (Scope 1&2) or embodied emissions Step 2 - This step should also consider the the installed base. It may very well needed to evolve the network to
to achieve the targets. These steps from the supply chain (upstream Identify the sites for modernization operational aspects in the network also be a prerequisite to fit the new meet the business and sustainability
follow the principles of applying Scope 3) may be in focus for the In this step we use the agreed evolution plan. For instance, it could equipment within power and energy targets going forward. The “Expand
a holistic view and balancing the improvements. In either case, CSPs company targets to investigate how involve identifying which energy budgets, or to avoid doing tower and modernize” part of Ericsson’s
network performance with energy will have a need to expand both a network modernization best can saving functionality to apply to turn off reinforcement due to increased wind breaking the energy curve approach
consumption to break the energy the network capacity to manage deliver the wanted performance active parts in equipment (cell sleep, and weight load. is about hardware roll out and
curve, and they will help the service the traffic growth and to reduce the improvements. It includes an M-MIMO sleep, deep sleep, etc.). Those deploying this plan, and to take the
providers to succeed in their network energy cost. Additionally, assessment of the expansion plans software features will be activated The other aspect of “when and opportunity to modernize the existing
sustainability journey. At the end of by expanding the focus on network where new services will be offered and in specific sectors and at times when what” is to address average energy network while scaling up 5G. The
this guide, there is a checklist with the performance to include the user where new capacity will be needed, the traffic load allows some mobile consumption while maintaining a “Operate intelligently” part is about
key actionable recommendations. experience and its correlation with but also identifying sites that will broadband capacity to be reduced high level of user experience. Here using software to, at every moment,
energy consumption, we see new deliver considerable energy savings, without jeopardizing user experience we need to consider mechanisms optimize the network performance
Step 1 - opportunities for an increased use carbon emission reductions and as described in the previous chapter that will reduce consumption during with excellent user experience with the
Holistic evaluation of the targets. of energy saving functionality to site opex reductions. Using network “Balancing network performance and operation but also include savings lowest energy use.
Traditional areas in focus for CSPs optimize the RAN energy efficiency. insights on traffic volume per site and energy consumption”. from when radio products are
are network KPIs, user experience, delivered user experience combined momentary put into sleep mode from
capital investments and operational The holistic evaluation of targets with a baseline over the installed Step 3 - a capacity demand perspective. We
expenditures and energy cost. This will create the foundation for the base of products and their energy Define when and what complement the actual site locations
is now evolving to also include a sustainable network evolution plan consumption, provide valuable data to The final step defines when with the information of “traffic load
focus on carbon emissions in the and secure a “willingness to change” this exercise. Low loaded sites in the and in what order the network over time”. Using this information, we
ambitions to achieve Net Zero where all aspects have been assessed green traffic segment will also need modernization shall be executed. This can reduce capacity (radio chains)
Figure 18.
Modernization steps following
a holistic approach.
Holistic evaluation Identify the sites Define when & what

01 of the targets 02 for modernization 03 (roadmap aligned with targets)
A network evolution plan should Apply network insights on traffic Draft the roadmap based on
consider both business and volume per site and delivered your targets and prioritize
environmental sustainability user experience combined with the sites that will need more
targets while seeking to improve a baseline over the installed capacity or 5G roll-out and also
customer experience. base of products and their the sites that are the highest
energy consumption. energy consumer and carbon
emissions producer.
5.3 etisalat by e& methodology to modernize the RAN Modernization results

with sustainability in mind
e& , a leading technology group e& has defined an ambitious Technology Partner at COP28, e& The modernization of the first 10 sites noticeable reduction in the number
operating across 16 countries in
Middle East, Asia and Africa, has
pledged to achieving net zero within
sustainability framework for their
network evolution, supported by
a set of improvement programs
is taking decisive steps towards
advancing sustainable digital
innovation.
has been successfully completed, with
a reduction in energy consumption
between 43% and 67% compared to
of radio units and basebands.
The achieved results are perfectly

2700 MWh
energy savings yearly
its group’s own operations in the and KPIs, to guide its operating the legacy site deployment. in-line with the estimated savings. over a base of 100 sites
United Arab Emirates for Scope 1 and companies’ business strategies
2 emissions by 2030. and operations. Being the Principal Additionally, this modernization By completing the modernization of
resulted in reducing the total tower the 100 sites, etisalat by e& will be
load by more than 50%, which able to achieve 2700 MWh of energy
Sustainability engagement with Ericsson provides room to accommodate future
radio expansions without having
saving per year, which represents a
yearly OPEX saving of 1.3m AED,
1425
any additional tower-strengthening and in turn this will result in reducing tonnes CO2 reduction yearly
Ericsson, being a long-standing These initiatives include site e& and Ericsson are tracking the requirements. It also simplified the the carbon emissions by 1425 over a base of 100 sites
partner, has been selected by e& in modernization using the latest total energy consumption and connectivity of the site, thanks to the tonnes per year.
2022 for a 3-year engagement where generation of Ericsson’s portfolio, carbon emissions on network level to
both entities collaboratively join activation of latest energy efficiency properly assess the collective impact
efforts to explore initiatives aiming software features across all of all these initiatives.
at reducing energy consumption, technologies, and implementation of There is an ambitious plan to have the modernization of the 100 high emission sites completed before the
breaking the energy curve, and zero-footprint and smart connected end of 2023. On the other hand, etisalat by e& and Ericsson are working on identifying the next candidate
constructing more efficient, site solutions; to name just a few. batch of sites for network modernization using the same methodology.
sustainable networks for the future.
Figure 19.
First implementation to evaluate new hardware – Impressive results Pre- and Post-modernization Energy Consumption for First 10 Sites
As a pilot implementation, etisalat

by e& together with Ericsson 65% 65% 67%
realized enormous benefits through 58%
56% 56%
7.6
modernizing an existing radio site, 52%
52%
with 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, 49%
43% 45%
using Ericsson’s new-generation,
multi-standard, multi-sector, and
tonnes of reduction in carbon 6,5
multi-band radio portfolio. On top
reduction in energy 6 6
of the reduced energy consumption dioxide (CO2) emissions 5,5 5,5
and carbon emissions, other benefits, consumption 5,2
per site per year 4,9 4,9 4,8
such as smaller equipment footprint,
4,1
reduced tower load and
5G readiness, were realized. 3,3 3,1
2,8
2,4 2,3 2,3
2,1 2,1
1,7 1,6
Network wide Program
Based on the impressive results installed base, as a base for deciding consuming and carbon-emitting
of the pilot implementation, both on where, when, and how to proceed sites are being prioritized in the first
parties agreed to quantify, and track with the modernization actions. The implementation phases. Power consumption Pre-mod. (KWH) Power consumption Post-mod. (KWH)
the energy consumption and the approach focused on what matters Energy Consumption Saving (%)
carbon footprint of the existing radio to make sure that the highest energy-
Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer, etisalat by e& said: “With e& as the
Phase 1: Phase 2: Principal Technology Partner at COP28, e& is on track to meet its 2030 Net Zero target as it accelerates
Site-level analysis to identify The deployed radio configuration of each of the 100 sites was the implementation of climate action projects in its UAE operations. The Group's climate action projects,
the 100 highest energy- mapped to Ericsson’s latest generation of radio products, including implemented by etisalat by e& in the UAE, include investments and efforts to modernize the telecom
consuming and carbon- Radio 6626, Baseband 6631 and RAN Processor 6651. The energy network by injecting the most energy efficient equipment in energy hungry nodes and elements in order
emitting sites. and carbon emissions savings were accurately estimated. to have an accelerated impact, in addition to deploying smart power saving and shutdown features that
would optimize and control energy consumption.”
5.4 T-Mobile, US redefines the ‘best network’ through high performance

and sustainability
T-Mobile, one of the largest U.S. with Ericsson has adopted a holistic and best video performance. One of
telecommunications service approach to network planning, the enablers of this award-winning
providers, has set industry-leading deployment, and operations of performance is T-Mobile’s strategy
sustainability goals that include mobile networks. This innovative to modernize their network with
reaching Net Zero emissions by 2040 approach addresses the whole Ericsson’s Massive MIMO Antenna
and achieving a 95 percent reduction network, including hardware, Integrated (AIR) products including
in network energy consumption per software and site dimensions, and AIR6419 and AIR6449, including
data volume by 2030 (measured as considers network modernization. multiband remote radios like Radio
MWh per Petabyte). 4460, which provide higher energy
T-Mobile has been awarded for performance and supports both TDD
To help achieve these sustainability providing the fastest network with mid-bands and FDD bands.
goals, T-Mobile in collaboration lowest latency, higher consistency,
T-Mobile’s network modernization has achieved an impressive data traffic from 4G to 5G, therefore
program with Ericsson is already improvement in network energy carrying the majority of the data
demonstrating measurable efficiency performance by the traffic over 5G, which is the most
benefits for both T-Mobile and its end of Q3 2023. Network energy energy aware technology.
customers—better performance and performance is measured in
improved user experience, delivered Watthours/Gigabyte, which reflects
with lower energy consumption. the efficiency with which energy is
From year beginning in 2023 used per unit of data transferred.
and within the Ericsson portion Throughout this year T-Mobile
of T-Mobile’s network, T-Mobile accelerated the migration of mobile
06 Technology Power Amplifiers Filter technology Thermal solutions

The processing power is also needed Another important area of Regardless of how energy-efficient
to be able to make better use of improvement in PA technologies we can make a radio, we still need
innovations and new

efficient power amplifiers based is the use of wideband amplifiers to manage the heat dissipation from
GaN technology. This technology that will cover multiple bands and the vital components, so innovative
is energy-efficient, but also more allow for power-sharing between thermal solutions are crucial to
difficult to control and optimize, so them. Building advanced new radio delivering radio products with a small
radio solutions more processing power is needed.

This is enabled by Ericsson Silicon.
models filter technology is crucial to
continuous work with miniaturization
and reduce internal energy loss.
and attractive form factor.
Figure 21.
CSPs need new products and When developing new radio products, Tailor made silicon
solutions to help them successfully the objective is to improve spectrum with yearly cadence
address these new challenges. efficiency, energy efficiency and
We explored the different drivers reduced footprint. There are four
for modernization in the previous fundamental technology enablers to
chapters, and here we will share achieve these improvements in the
examples of solutions that will show radios, which are the foundation of
the value of RAN modernization. the development of our radios. RAN Compute Transport Remote Radio Massive MIMO Massive MIMO
5G Advanced Digital front- beamforming Digital front-
RAN capabilities need to be Ericsson Silicon and AI+ end and eCPRI Full uplink end
expanded for more capacity and Ericsson is continuously evolving its receiver and
adding new services while reducing tailor-made silicon to make it more eCPRI
RAN energy consumption. Different efficient. The yearly cadence of new
RAN elements have different energy ASIC will enable more processing Beamforming Digital front-end
needs – approximate figures tell power that is needed in the radios Layer 2 processing Layer 1 processing
processing processing
us that the radios use around 80 when more bands and transmission
percent of the total energy consumed, branches are needed. Reducing the
with baseband using 10 percent and embodied carbon emissions is one
transmission 10 percent. Though key target of our products design
Ericsson is focused on making energy with reduced size and weight. Our Figure 22.
efficiency improvements across the tailored approach for each product Example of Silicon
complete mobile network, the fact segment allows higher scalability evolution for Ran Compute
that radios use the majority of the and optimization.
energy of the RAN means we will
focus on them for now.
(2015 – Baseband 5216) (2020 – Baseband 6648) Gen 4
2017 - Baseband 6630 2021 – RAN Processor 6651 2024 – Next generation
24 Cells 48 Cells 300 Cells

CRAN capacity
Figure 20.
Fundamental enablers for
radio development 4G/5G 4G/5G 4G/5G
2 modes*per 3 modes*per 6 modes*per
DRAN flexibility board board board
Mbps Mbps Mbps

35 per Watt 60 per Watt 120 per Watt
Energy efficiency
1U Size 1U Size 1U Size

Size
* 5G modes: mmWave, TDD AAS, FDD AAS, TDD Radio, FDD Radio, 4G modes: FDD&TDD Radio, TDD AAS, FDD AAS
6.1 Massive MIMO radios to build 5G with precision needed onsite. Bands using GSM or output power and many radio chains, of network planning allows CSPs
WCDMA today and that are evolving facilitating superior horizontal and to maximize the benefits of a fully
towards LTE and NR need to have vertical domain beamforming. optimized network.
new radio hardware supporting
Above all, we need an efficient use of One important mechanism in LTE big step in this solution happened 2T or 4T radios. We also see the “Coverage” targets deployments It is of utmost importance that the
the radio spectrum, which is the most and NR that improves spectrum in the Massive MIMO radios with introduction of new bands in both the with large inter-site distances, such antenna provides durable multi-
important asset for a CSP. Spectrum efficiency is the Multiple Input the introduction of up to 64 TX FDD domain and the TDD bands. as suburban or rural areas with a band performance to enable stable
will change over time where new Multiple Output (MIMO) solution, as ports, which are used to enhance smaller spread of users in the vertical connection and ensure high throughput
spectrum is added, and we will it enables different configurations the control of the transmitted radio TDD mid-band spectrum has become domain. This segment has typically while it radiates, with minimal losses.
also see how existing frequency for spectrum efficiency. For GSM and energy towards the user. known as the “5G rollout band”. The fewer radio chains to lower the total This will have the effect of reducing
bands will change from older radio WCDMA, only one TX branch was extra capacity from the typically large cost of ownership (TCO) compared network energy consumption and
technologies to newer more efficient needed but for LTE and NR we need This change of how the spectrum amount of new mid-band spectrum to the capacity products as shown in ensuring the antennas are lighter,
such as LTE and NR over time. 2TX, 4TX for FDD bands and for the shall be used is an important factor provides a significant boost to the user the figure 23. compact, wind-load optimized and
TDD bands up to 8 TX ports. The in defining what kind of radios are experience with +1 Gbps download made of sustainable materials. That
speeds, but more important is the “Compact” is for sites where there will have a considerable impact on the
strong capacity boost provided by are constraints on the deployment. overall performance16.
Figure 23. the nature of M-MIMO technology, It prioritizes TCO and ensures that
Different solutions for capacity, coverage and footprint where concepts as Singe User MIMO mechanical properties are in line Since 2021 the Massive MIMO portfolio
and Multiuser MIMO outperform the with site constraints, such as size has taken a big leap in its evolution.
spectrum efficiency gain compared with and weight. These products still The capacity segment has grown to
traditional Remote Radio deployments. provide substantial performance 600MHz instantaneous bandwidth and
Capacity gains compared to conventional now provides both dual-band and wide-
The Ericsson Massive MIMO radio RRUs in many deployment scenarios. band options within a single-antenna
solutions are divided into three The solution where we integrate the formfactor. A single antenna unit for
deployment segments, with product M-MIMO products inside the passive two frequency ranges means a reduced
variants optimized for different antenna structure, Interleaved AIR, use of aluminum and total energy
cases with an optimized total cost of is treated as solution in the compact consumption, while also reducing the
ownership in mind: segment since we “hide” the site footprint expenses for the customer.
M-MIMO inside the radome for
“Capacity” covers the needs of the passive antennas. We will show two success stories of
the most demanding sites and our customers with a similar challenge:
provides superior performance in all Whether it is a passive antenna or an building more 5G sites to support
deployments, ranging from dense Interleaved AIR (integrated active demand in capacity and speeds while
AIR 6419 AIR 6428 AIR 3258 urban high-rises to rural areas. It and passive solution), selecting the reducing energy consumption.
Uncompromised performance Wide bandwidth for high-rise building Wide bandwidth for mid & low-rise supports large bandwidths, high right antennas at the very beginning
optimized for high-rise urban areas, spectrum flexibility and RAN building areas, adding flexibility and
sharing RAN sharing
64T/R, 200MHz & 320W and 19kg 64T/R, 400MHz & 400W and 29kg 32T/R, 400MHz & 320W and 27kg
weight with passive cooling weight with passive cooling weight with passive cooling
Compact Coverage
AIR 3268 AIR 3219

Industry’s lowest footprint for energy Coverage and performance for NW
efficient and easy urban and suburban wide deployment
deployments
32T/R, 200MHz & 320W and 20kg
32T/R, 200MHz & 200W and 12kg weight with passive cooling
weight with passive cooling
16 ew antenna design in wind tunnel test environment - Ericsson

6.2 Elisa Finland improves performance and energy efficiency Key results
by modernizing with AIR 3268
The drivers of the modernization are To enable 5G new services unlocking As an operator focused on climate This solution has improved network energy efficiency, customer experience, and cost-effectiveness.
energy efficiency set as one of the all the 5G potential for innovation, change mitigation and reducing carbon
strategic cornerstones while driving Elisa has also deployed Ericsson emissions, Elisa found in Ericsson an
5G commercialization through cloud-native dual-mode 5G core, 5G equally sustainability-responsible
network quality, technology standalone deployment in Estonia. partner that can provide energy-
leadership, and innovation in services. efficient products and solutions.
12% 25% 48%
increase of uplink data volume reduction in energy consumption weight reduction compared
compared to AIR 3278 to AIR 3278
Modernization with the latest Massive MIMO and automated

energy saving features
“Energy efficiency is very important part of our sustainability thinking, and we see that Ericsson shares same
Elisa replaced the AIR 3278 with Energy efficiency is further boosted kind of thinking. Seeing that we can provide high-quality 5G services to our customers and increase their
Ericsson’s ultra-light antenna- with network automation through satisfaction, motivated us on our 5G journey. In Ericsson, we found a reliable partner, ready to support us
integrated radio AIR 3268, improving Ericsson RAN Energy Efficiency equally in our monetization and sustainability goals.” Tiina Höckert, Head of Mobile Access, Elisa Finland
network energy efficiency and software. By automatically deactivating
performance. Ericsson’s AIR 3268 not-required capacity during low
has also increased the coverage of and medium traffic loads, Ericsson’s
TDD mid-band and improved the intelligent RAN energy-saving software
overall Watt per GB of the site.10 features help significantly reduce
energy consumption.
Energy saving features deployed:
Micro Sleep TX Cell Sleep AI-MIMO Sleep
Software feature that Software feature that turns on Software feature that uses AI/
automatically enables and and off the capacity cells based ML algorithm running on the
disables the radio’s main power on current traffic load. baseband to predict traffic
amplifier and other hardware patterns to activate/deactivate
blocks during fixed idle periods, radio equipment with zero
reducing energy consumption. touch. This feature is expected
It also ensures that the to provide savings up to 14%
power amplifier is ready to be while securing user experience.
switched on when needed with
zero touch automation.
19 Elisa Finland and Ericsson leverage 5G to achieve Net Zero

6.3 Optus, Australia, creates an energy efficient network with the latest
Lambo Kanagaratnam, Managing Director Networks at Optus said,
Massive MIMO for growth “The new RAN we’ve deployed in collaboration with Ericsson plays a critical role in not only the sustainable
growth of our 4G and 5G network, but also in contributing to our sustainability commitment. We are also
Energy efficiency is a Optus achieving its goal to reduce
critical component in Optus’ Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by working with Ericsson to improve their embedded emissions of equipment production and supply, which will
decarbonization journey towards 2025 (from a 2015 baseline). be important to our Net Zero ambitions which includes emissions in our supply chain”. 20
Net Zero emissions. The partnership
with Ericsson to support network
modernization plays a critical role in
The challenge: The solution:
Optus is seeking to overcome Network modernization and • Replacing 4418 B40 + AIR3239
challenges related to building energy software activation: to AIR3219 B40
more 5G sites to support demand
in capacity and speeds from its • The AIR6488 are modernized • 4G and 5G energy saving
customers in metros and regional with the AIR6419, improving features: Micros sleep TX,
Australia. At the same time, coverage and capacity Cell Sleep, Radio Deep Sleep,
the company is focused on the M-MIMO sleep mode (planned)
sustainable growth of its 4G and • Consolidation single/dual
5G network. band radios to triband radios,
replacing 4480 B1B3 + 4419 B7
to 4466 B1B3B7
6 x AAS Radios
18 Radios
12 x Classic Radios
4 Baseband
The results: 4 x BB6630
22%
Daily energy savings realized by
HW modernization and LTE/NR • Along with the modernization, total traffic increased by 11% while Evolution
SW features improving consumption from 0.066 kWh/GB to 0.047 kWh/GB, 29 per
cent reduction of energy consumed per gigabyte.
• Mix mode support for AIR 3219 B40 leading to reduction of 3x radios for
100
LTE 2300.
29% • Total footprint reduction of 50% (from 12 classic radios to 6 per site)
Reduction in cost per GB
6 x AAS Radios
12 Radios
6 x Classic Radios
2 Basebands
2 x BB6651
Ref: https://www.optus.com.au/content/dam/optus/documents/about-us/sustainability/reporting/2023/fy2023-optus-sustainability-report.pdf 20 Optus and Ericsson unveil Australia’s latest energy efficient radio access network site
6.4 Multi sector and multi band radio units to reduce footprint and Figure 25.
Example of six frequencies in three sectors with two remote radios and interleaved AIR
embodied carbon emissions
The remote radios have evolved 4415) to one triple band radio (4485), improve TCO in those cases. In figure
over time from single band (4415) we are reducing the embodied carbon 25, we can see one example where
to dual band (4499) and now we emissions by more than 50%. At the we optimized the configuration
have triple band (4466) in one radio same time, we are reducing the power based on minimizing the site
unit. This will not only reduce energy average consumption by 22% but footprint. Here, we support five FDD
consumption, but also help operators increasing the peak output power for radio bands in three sectors with
reduce site OPEX and rental fees. But high traffic load. only two remote radio units. All five
not only that - since we have reduced FDD bands are LTE and NR-ready
the embodied carbon emissions The majority of CSP radio sites are with 2T2R radio solution. Each sector
in our products, we are able to today outsourced to infrastructure will need an antenna, and, in this
further reduce the embodied carbon companies (” tower cos”). The example, we use Interleaved AIR
emissions per site. leasing contracts are often regulated which is an antenna that includes
in terms of the number of units in support for the remote radios and
As example the latest radio 4485. tower, the antenna footprint and also hosts a M-MIMO radio with 32
Comparing one single band radio energy consumption. Multiband and or 64 TX ports for midband
and one dual band radio (one 4480 + multisector radios can significantly integrated in the antenna.
Figure 24.
Reduced embodied and energy
consumption with triple band radios Another example of how the remote use 4T4R radio for each band. With
radio portfolio can be used for 4T4R in a band, we have a potential of
modernization is shown below. up to 30% more MBB capacity in the
In this case, the objective is to sector, compared to 2T2R.
maximize the spectrum efficiency by
Single band Dual band Triple Band
2T/2R 4T/4R 4T/4R 4T/4R

Figure 26.
2600 Example of seven frequencies in three sectors with six remote radios and interleaved AIR
MHz
2100
MHz
Radio 4485
Up to 640 | W25 kg
52%
Embodied
carbonreduction
1800
MHz
22%
30-50% weight reduction Energy reduction We will show examples of our customers using the multiband and multisector radios in the next success stories.
6.5 Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson (IOH) deploys 6626 network wide

to improve capacity with sustainability The solution:
Massive deployment of 6626 radio
Around 4000 sites are expected to be The features deployed to reduce

modernized using the 6626 radios. energy consumption usage are:
The challenge: The criteria for modernization are
Improving customer experience and reduce OPEX based on capacity and technology 01. Micro sleep TX
requirement in in the IOH network to 02. Low Energy Scheduler Solution
deploy overall mid-band spectrum (LESS)
Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo remote POC execution in February Following the merger, Indosat (1800 and 2100 MHz) and 4T4R. 03. MIMO Sleep Mode
Hutchison merge their networks 2022, finishing it by January 2023. Ooredoo Hutchison has a total of In a case where IOH doesn’t need
together to serve 100 million 55 MHz in midband, with 30 MHz at the full capacity, they will re-use the
subscribers nationwide, with Ericsson One of the objectives of the merger 1800 and 25 MHz at 2100. Since it 4499 radios.
selected as their partner in the capital was to have efficiency while at the offers 120 W per port, Radio 6626
city, Jakarta. The key focus area is same time serving a higher traffic B1+B3 is the perfect product to
improving the customer experience demand without sacrificing the upgrade to in order to comply with
improvement and reducing customer experience, especially the 2W/MHz requirement.
operational expenditure. The merger in Jakarta. Hence, a high-capacity
between Indosat and Hutchison was network with lower energy The results:
officially approved in January 2022, consumption was one of the
and Ericsson started the project on prime requirements.
Live measurements carried out consumption on modernized
in the IOH network through sites and 26 percent network-
performance counters shows a wide considering also the non-
32 percent reduction in energy modernized sites.
Figure 27.
modernization executed
in three different
configurations in IOH sites
Figure 28.
IOH results after
Existing (L18+L21 35 MHz) Final (L18+L21 55 MHz) introducing 6626
2T2R
Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio

2219/ 2219/ 2219/ 2219/ 2219/ 2219/ Radio 6626
RRUS12 RRUS12 RRUS12 RRUS12 RRUS12 RRUS12 1800MHz+2100MHz
1800MHz 2100MHz 1800MHz 2100MHz 1800MHz 2100MHz
4T4R
Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio 6626 Radio 6626
4428 4428 4428 4428 4428 4428 1800MHz+ 1800MHz+
1800MHz 2100MHz 1800MHz 2100MHz 1800MHz 2100MHz 2100MHz 2100MHz
Desmond Cheung, Chief Technology Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, says:

4T4R DB “IOH is committed to continue providing world class digital experiences along with our strategic partners.
We are certain by the collaboration and innovations will support us to deliver a marvelous user experience
Radio 6626 Radio 6626 to our consumers. And today, we are excited to be part of Radio 6626 introduction to the market, that it
Radio 4499 Radio 4499 Radio 4499 1800MHz+ 1800MHz+ also helps us to minimize power consumption and weight on the tower using green technology align with
1800MHz+2100MHz 1800MHz+2100MHz 1800MHz+2100MHz 2100MHz 2100MHz our overall effort to reduce the carbon footprint for a better environment.”
07 Energy-saving only for a very short time. Still, this is M-MIMO sleep mode that reduces the The final state called 5) is a state
an important condition to be aware number of transmitters (amplifiers) to we call “deep sleep” to indicate that
of since, this operational point is the save energy. A remote radio can then we have also shut down parts of the
functionality in
most demanding energy consumption be reconfigured from 4T to 2T and processing capabilities. In this state
situation that can occur, and as such even 1T while still keeping the full 4RX we can reduce energy consumption
it is crucial for site dimensioning of in the uplink. down to levels of 10-40W depending
circuit breakers and so on. Normally on platform type. The drawback here
the new radios the release of new hardware platforms

is the only way to reduce this kind of
energy consumption, which explains
The state 3) to 5) are all related
with low-traffic scenarios and in
combination with other bands. The
is that the time back to full operation
again is measured in minutes, since
many upstart functionalities need to
why modernization to employ the state 3) is called idle mode and here we be executed and the radio parts also
latest hardware makes sense from an keep the band visible in the network, needs to be stabilized before we can
energy efficiency perspective. secure in the knowledge that all be sure that the transmitted RF quality
signaling is still transmitted. Since no fulfils the standardization requirement.
The state marked 2) in the picture traffic payload is transferred, we can
is the most important state when say that this state provides the energy When modernizing, our customers
Software functions will help optimize There is a wide range of energy-saving it comes to calculation of energy cost for a band that is ready to take are taking the opportunity to activate
the operation of the installed radio features that are enabling the consumption over time. This state is traffic if needed. If we take another these energy saving features which
hardware at any moment in time to most efficient use of the radio resources called “average consumption” and step in reduce consumption, we can brings them additional savings.
allow for performance improvements to reduce energy consumption is not fixed; it is very dependent on consider removing the signaling from
and energy savings. Short-term depending on traffic demand. CSP strategies around activating the band and then we can also remove The different energy saving features
spectrum refarming on capable software features to reduce energy the parts in the radio related to radio that will be activated in the radios and
hardware (2G/3G -> 4G -> 5G) will To understand how energy is consumption. The traffic load can transmission and reception. Then we basebands depending on the traffic
add increased MBB capacity to consumed in any radio product we can still be maintained in the network but end up at state 4). This will enable load scenario. Here is where AI and
support a new service offering and use the simplified illustration in figure since a geographical area is covered a larger savings of energy with the automation come into play, to enable
allow for more efficient energy- 29. Here we have outlined the energy by many frequency bands and radio small drawback - it can take several additional savings while securing
saving functionality. Though this will consumption (y-axis) as a relation products, an informed decision of seconds before the radio can be back performance with zero touch.
add needed capacity and help bring to traffic load (x-axis), We have how much capacity each radio needs in operation again. The benefit of state
down energy use, in the long term illustrated some defined states and to deliver per given time will result in 4 is that this applies to the complete
it will not be enough to lower the will make some clarifications here. reduced average energy consumption. legacy portfolio which is good for CSP
total network energy consumption, An example of a solution to this is the optimization of energy in the RAN.
nor to take on the data growth. The state marked 1) is a radio
Modernization and additional operating at full load all the time. This
hardware supporting new spectrum state is happens very seldom in real
will be needed. networks, and if it occurs it is often
Figure 30.
Examples of radio saving functionality
adapted to the traffic
Figure 29.
Reduce Average Energy NR Massive MIMO Sleep Mode Booster Carrier Sleep RAN Compute Deep Sleep Mode
consumption in radios
Dynamically deactivates/ Dynamic activation of carriers When radios are in deep sleep
activates Tx antenna branches based on traffic load, securing mode the equivalent silicon in
to match the capacity with the user experience. RAN compute can go into deep
actual traffic needs. sleep mode.
Booster carrier
Coverage carrier
Low traffic hours
Awake Sleep
Deep
Sleep
Tran mit
smit Trans
High traffic Medium traffic Low traffic
24 hours
7.1 MTN- Benin, modernization boosted with energy saving features

to reduce the carbon emissions Results:
MTN Benin is facing the challenge the operating company seeks saving software proved to deliver
of reducing energy consumption to reduce OPEX related to site significant energy savings and For hardware modernization, delta energy consumption and CO2 applicable to SW) (14760 kWh
to decrease CO2 emissions, running costs, including electricity carbon emissions reduction. energy consumption was calculated emission reduction were calculated. reduction due to hardware
with the aim of breaking the bills and fuel consumption. The by comparing the delta energy The CO2 emission factor is 0.6201 modernization and 8189 kWh due
energy curve. Simultaneously, new radios provided with energy consumption between the kg CO2e per kWh. to energy saving features). The
Legacy Radio and ERS Hardware total daily carbon reduction was of
configurations. For software Total daily energy savings 14239 Kg or 1839 tones.
energy-saving features, energy were measured at 22949 kWh
Solution: consumption was measured before (36% savings of which 23%
To support MTN in reducing energy consumption, two key solutions were implemented in more than 800 sites: and after activation, and then the are applicable to HW and 13%
Activation & configuration of

Modernizing legacy radio hardware to the new Energy Saving features:
Ericsson Radio System hardware
MIMO Sleep mode, Cell Sleep Mode, Micro Sleep TX,
Traffic Aware Power Saving
36% Less 1830 tones

energy savings of carbon emissions yearly
Old HW: Legacy Radios (RUS01 B3, RUS01 B8, RRUS New HW: New ERS Radios (Radio 2212 B8, Radio
01 B8, RRUS 12 B1, Radio 2217 B7 & Radio 2217 2279 B1/B3, Radio 2279 B8/B20, Radio 2238 B8/
B20) and Legacy Digital Units (DUG 20, DUW 31, B20/B28B, Radio 4499 B1/B3 & Radio 4415 B7) and
DUW41 & DUS 41) Basebands (BB6620, BB6630 & BB6631)
MTN Benin aims to provide efficient and flexible broadband coverage to remote regions, fostering
a more inclusive digital economy. The collaboration aligns with MTN’s commitment to extending
connectivity across Benin and Ericsson’s dedication to reducing carbon emissions.
7.2 SmarTone leverages on energy software features of new radios

HW modernization solution:
When introducing 5G SmarTone network wide and started in 2019. through H/W modernization and
wants to reduce the energy They want to boost energy savings deployed energy saving software. Replace from non-ERS radio to ERS radio. Non-ERS radios of 2 different bands replaced by dual band
consumption for sustainability. without impacting on performance. radio4499 and 1Tx RRUS or RUS replaced by 2Tx ERS radio systems.
Their challenge is to meet the
demand of network traffic growth In addition to H/W modernization, Radio8823 and AAS for mid-band have been deployed as new sites:
today and in the future. This SMT HK has converted some of our
modernization was deployed cell sites to non-air-conditioned sites • (Low band) Radio2212/2217/4415/4499
• (Mid band) Radio8823
• (Mid band AAS) AIR 3227/3239/3268/6419/6449
Software solution:
Results:
“Ericsson and SmarTone
have led global technology
LTE network 5G network developments in mobility and
• Microsleep TX • 25% energy saving from equal to about 111 t-CO2/day delivered multiple ‘firsts’ through
• MIMO sleep for non-coverage layers HW modernization keeping (CO2 coefficient is set to 0.462 early joint trials, shared research
and non-IoT cells during 01:00 – 6:00. the same configuration and kg-CO2/kWh) and collaborative product
• Microsleep TX for all LTE cells. RF power setting. development. Electricity is not
• Cell Sleep Mode (CSM) in LTE capacity cells. • Overall improvement of energy only the key source of energy
• TCO/ OPEX reduction due to efficiency for radio equipment for mobile business, but also
reduced footprint reached 33%
a major source of greenhouse
This modernization and software solutions were deployed network-wide (except some specific sites, not typical) gas (GHG) emissions. Ericsson
• Better cell coverage with use of
dual-band radio . sustainability solutions for energy
savings helps SmarTone improve
• Energy saving features energy efficiency to create a more
activation reduced energy sustainable future.”
consumption by 8%. This Stephen Chau, SmarTone CTO.
energy consumption saving is
Figure 31.
Site modernization impact on footprint and energy consumption at SmarTone
7.3 Example of radio product improvements with our latest Radio 4490 Comparing the first and third periods, the results are summarized as follows:
Radio 4480 Radio 4490 Change

One of our latest RRU is the Radio is a 400W capable dual-band FDD the radio is configured on Band 1 Daily average energy consumption (W) 310,3 250,3 -19,3%
4490, which is a dual-band FDD radio 4T4R radio that was first released with ESS 4x15W and on Band 3
supporting 5G, 4G, ESS, NB-IoT, 3G in 2020. The swaps are done to with LTE 4x15W. This configuration Daily energy consumption (kWh) 7,45 6,01 -19,3%
and 2G. It is a high-performance compare the 4490 with the 4480, uses only 30% of the available
radio with four transmitters and four for operators to assess the new output power, but on some sites the Daily downlink data volume (GB) 200,2 208,6 4,2%
receivers (4T4R) per frequency band. product before moving purchases full radio capability is not required to
It is available with 400W output from Radio 4480 to Radio 4490. provide the desired coverage. PDSCH resource grid (PRB) utilisation (%) 19,5% 19,4% -0,9%
power and 480W output power The blue columns show the daily
capabilities - here, the 480W version This evaluation was implemented in average radio energy consumption
is denoted Radio 4490HP where HP real networks, and these results are in watts. Energy consumption is The above table shows just under 20% the amplifiers transmit more often system provides data on a 15-minute
stands for “high power”. obtained in the field. calculated by multiplying the daily energy savings, with a slight increase and there is less opportunity for sleep basis allowing for either 15-minute
average energy consumption by the in carried traffic (4%) and almost modes. Hence, it is essential to include or hourly granularity. Micro Sleep Tx
Radio 4490 and Radio 4490HP have The following graph shows an time during which the average is identical PRB utilization.The PRB such load metrics in any comparison, is a software feature automated as
been recently released and the first example of a Radio 4480 to Radio taken, which here is 24 hours. For utilization indicates how much of the even if the configured carrier part of the HW design and should
deployments are swaps of the Radio 4490 swap, plotted over a number example, 300W over 24 hours is carrier bandwidth is used to transmit bandwidth, standards, output power be always on, since will reduce the
4480 on specific sites. Radio 4480 of consecutive days. In both cases, 7200 Watt-hours or 7.2kWh. the data. The PRB utilization is a good (and hence cell coverage) plus energy energy consumption during idle slots
metric to show the load on the radio savings features are “like-for-like”. while not impacting on performance.
power amplifiers which is closely
linked to the energy consumption. Since there are significant traffic The following graph shows the
variations within the day, it is useful three cases used for the daily
In any field deployment there are to plot data on a shorter timescale analysis previously:
natural variations in traffic, as can be to illustrate the behavior of the
seen by the orange curve in the graph products, and to highlight where 01. Radio 4480 with Micro Sleep Tx
Figure 32. above. Days with higher traffic tend to the primary energy savings arise. 02 Radio 4490 without Micro Sleep Tx
Energy and have higher energy consumption since Ericsson’s performance monitoring 03. Radio 4490 with Micro Sleep Tx
transmitted data
comparison
Figure 33 Radio 4480 and Radio 4490 (LTE 4x15W + ESS 4x15W)
Comparison using Micro Sleep TX 500
450
400
Radio power consumption (W)

350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
PRB utilisation
The above graph shows that even with an increase in energy consumption. 4490, significant engineering effort
zero traffic, the radio still consumes The impact of Micro Sleep Tx is higher was made to ensure reduced energy
power, which is due to the cells being at lower load where there are more consumption both when transmitting
enabled and the radio transmitting opportunities to sleep. The deviations of and not transmitting. While not seen in
Three distinct time periods with different values of energy consumption can be seen in the above graph: traffic independent signaling to provide the points from a straight line are mainly the above example, Radio 4490 also
coverage. This phenomenon is the due to the amount of Micro Sleep Tx offers low energy consumption in cell
basis for operators’ push for “zero which is more strongly correlated to the sleep mode (measured at 62W), and a
watts and zero load”. The improvement TTI (time domain) PDSCH utilization, Deep Sleep mode measured at 27W.
01. Prior to 20 April, energy 02. 20 April – 4 May, energy 03. Starting 5 May, energy of Radio 4490 (green dots) tending rather than the PRB (time-frequency
consumption averages 310W, consumption just under 300W, consumption averaging 250W, towards 160W at zero traffic load domain) PDSCH utilization. Radio 4480 has been a popular choice
and varies from 290-320W, and varies from 290-300W, and varies from 240-260W, compared to Radio 4480 (orange to modernize sites with older radios,
where Radio 4480 was during a transition period with with Radio 4490 utilizing dots, tending towards 225W) is visible. Note how the green dots are always offering two bands in one radio, higher
deployed Radio 4490. However, this was the same energy savings Targeting this region was one of the below the brown dots, indicating performance, 5G readiness and energy
without implementing its key functionality as Radio 4480 major design criteria for Radio 4490. Radio 4490 always consumes less savings. There are still many sites left
energy savings functionality power than Radio 4480 in this like- to modernize where using Radio 4490
Micro Sleep Tx The above graph also shows how for-like configuration, regardless of will bring even larger energy savings
the increase in load correlates with traffic load. When designing Radio compared to Radio 4480.
08 How can we reduce Ericsson has been conducting life emissions by 2030, and this will
cycle assessments (LCAs) for many lead to reductions in the embodied
years as a research activity. The LCA’s emissions of our products.
the embodied carbon

are conducted for research purposes To reduce the embodied carbon
on product families, rather than on LCAs show that the majority of emissions in the products we
individual products. They provide embodied emissions occur upstream
need design improvements,
information on key environmental from Ericsson, in the supply chain.
emissions in the radio improvement areas. The assessments Ericsson has an ambitious, 1.5-degree supplier collaboration and
show that the lion’s share of the aligned target to halve its supply chain continued integration for
embodied emissions occurs upstream emissions by 2030. This will lead to lower weight.
products
from us, in the supply chain. Ericsson reductions in the embodied emissions
has an ambitious, 1.5-degree aligned, of its products.
target to halve our supply chain
Figure 35.
The embodied carbon emissions To develop products with both Carbon hot spots identified
of a product are carbon emissions excellent energy performance and with a life cycle assessment
occurring from “cradle to gate”, low embodied carbon emissions,
covering all emissions occurring from we have estimated reductions in
activities done before the first use of embodied carbon for newer product
a product as result of the following versions compared to previous ones.
upstream activities:
• Extraction of raw materials

• Transportation to suppliers’ Newer product versions are
production not only lighter with higher
• Suppliers’ production capacity and better energy
• Ericsson activities such as
performance, but also have
production, design, business
travel and office facilities significantly reduced embodied
• Product transportation up carbon emissions.
to customer site
Figure 34. Design for Environment strategy

How to reduce embodied Sustainable Design
focusing on emission hotspots
emissions
Collaborate with suppliers and industry

Supplier action
peers via i.e. Supply Chain Leaders
Embodied Carbon Emission

Product carbon footprint
calculations
Network Rollout and Sustainable Network Rollout & Carbon hot spots
Product transportation Carbon lean product transport
Supplier production
Raw material
01 processing of
aluminium 02 Die casting
of aluminium 03 of electronic
components such
as IC or PCB
Areas to reduce embodied emissions
Reduced embodied carbon emissions proof points Figure 37.

Triple band radios benefits
Embodied carbon emissions reductions methods and will collaborate with emissions of a site with 2021 portfolio
will depend on product-specific other external stakeholders to reach an (2460, 4480, 4415, 3278 radios) with Baseline with 2 radios Radio 4485
assumptions and emission factors. industry consensus. a site with 2023 radios (4486, 4485,
They cannot be compared with the life 3268), we have estimated 44 percent Dual-band + single-band FDD Triple-band FDD
cycle assessments of other vendors Most important is to reduce the less embodied carbon emissions.
because of different estimation embodied carbon emissions of a
methods and the lack of industry complete site. For example, if we >50%
consensus. Ericsson is exploring design compare the embodied carbon
+ less embodied
carbon footprint
Ericsson new Massive MIMO radios up to 46% of embodied carbon emissions reduction 1800 MHz 1800, 2100 & 2600
2100 MHz 2600 MHz MHz4T4R on all bands
Figure 36.
Massive MIMO Weight 53 kg Weight 25 kg
improvements in embodied Configurable output power 480 W Configurable output power 640 W
carbon emissions and
energy consumption Average power consumption 672 W Average power consumption 523 W
Ericsson new triple sector radio (6646)

up to 61% less embodied carbon
emissions. Comparing to three triple
40% band radios.
Energy reduction
Figure 38.
Triple sector radios benefits
46%
Triple band Triple sector
Embodied carbon reduction
AIR 3278 AIR 3268

32T32R | 200W | 25kg 32T32R | 200W | 14kg
Ericsson new triple band radios up to

50% of embodied carbon emissions Radio 6646700
reduction . Comparing the radio 4485 800 | 900 MHz | 38 kg
to a dual and a single band.
40% Energy reduction
61% Embodied carbon reduction
Selecting products with low embodied carbon, reducing reliance on diesel generators in favor of renewable
energy sources for off-grid cell sites, and expanding the use of free cooling at sites will contribute to
improving the environmental sustainability of the sites.
8.1 TDC NET Denmark deploys radio 6646 reducing energy consumption Extend 5G reach and maximize performance
and embodied emissions
TDC NET is executing on their energy efficiency of its network and site in a rural area with the target
objective to build a strong, future reduce overall carbon emissions to evaluate the product selection Deploying low-band spectrum with radio 6646 will significantly enhance both the 5G coverage and mid-
proof and nationwide network from its infrastructure. One of TDC from a sustainability perspective. band (3.5GHz) performance in an energy-efficient way. This radio can extend the total 5G coverage,
with no negative climate and NET’s initiatives is to explore more For this specific case the energy with the combination of the low bands-and the mid-band TDD and Massive MIMO, operators can further
environmental impact, while ensuring sustainable radio solutions for its performance of radio 6646 was strengthen 5G Standalone deployments and provide wider reach and capacity to boost business.
excellent customer experience and future network evolution to lower evaluated against the radio 2238
best in class network performance. energy consumption and embodied that provides site solution of a 2T2R
CO2e emissions in the radio sites. configuration on the low bands.
Having validated its SBTi 2030 net- Three single-sector radios 2238
zero target, TDC NET is continuously Ericsson and TDC NET have were replaced by one triple-sector
seeking ways to enhance the partnered to execute a trial on one and triple-band radio 6646. Key results from the trial
The energy consumption levels

were monitored, and the savings
A new level of sustainable radio solution achieved per day were close to
10kWh in average per day, expected
to lead to a reduction of 1.3kg CO2e
The radio 6646 combines the Two radios 6646 can be combined to emissions per day for 2023. Average potential of energy
frequency bands 900, 800 and 700 achieve 4T4R capacity in a site. During Energy performance with savings by ~10 kWh/day/site,
MHz into one compact 2G-5G capable low traffic hours, one of the radios can radio 6646 enhanced by 36.4% resulting in 1.3 Kg avoided CO2e
radio performing the job of three triple go into deep sleep mode. The main with the chosen configuration. emissions per day.
band radios such as radio 2238. benefits of this solution are reduced
footprint, energy consumption and 60% reduction in weight and 1.7
The energy efficiency proposition is embodied carbon emissions. metric tonnes less embodied CO2e
at a new level compared to single- of radio 6646 compared to three Future Plans
sector solutions. Passive cooling is radio 2238 units.
applied to minimize maintenance.
TDC NET plans to continue benefits expected for the next TDC NET is also partnering with
evaluating radios for network year are estimated in 360MWh Ericsson in deploying solutions
expansion that will lead to lower of energy savings for every to operate intelligently, with AI/
carbon footprint, with the best 100 sites where radio 6646 is ML technologies, to boost further
Figure 39. user experience. The potential deployed instead of radio 2238. energy savings in their network.
Radio 6646 implemented in TDC NET
”This is a great product! We are always on the lookout for innovative solutions. It has been a pleasure to
work with Ericsson on introducing this new radio in our network” Søren Elsborg, VP of Mobile Innovation
TDC NET Denmark.
“We are excited to demonstrate our commitment to the climate by testing solutions that will bring us closer to
our net zero target for CO2 emissions in the value chain by 2030. This specific solution is a great example of
how our collaboration with Ericsson is constantly evolving to include also CO2 emissions from equipment and
materials on top of the energy saving features. This is absolutely key for us to build a green mobile network in
the future.” Peter Søndergaard Andersen, Senior Director, Head of Sustainability, TDC NET Denmark
09 Modernization
success stories
Hardware modernization is a key part network, type of site and specific

of the sustainability journey for CSPs targets, there are different solutions
to improve coverage and capacity that are best suited. We invite you
in mobile networks while reducing to explore the different solutions
energy consumption. As showed implemented worldwide by CSPs
earlier, by upgrading to newer radios leading in the sustainability journey
with higher transmit power and more in all the chapters of this guide. They
antenna elements, CSPs can not illustrate what are the benefits that
only provide better service to their can be expected when modernizing
customers but also reduce the energy the RAN network from different
consumption, site footprint, and deployments and different strategies.
carbon emissions.
In this guide we have shared some The next cases in this section show:
of the latest inspiring success stories
from our frontrunner customers in • Expanding 5G capacity is an
their sustainability journey. These opportunity for modernization
are examples of how hardware - Vodafone UK
modernization in combination with
energy saving software can deliver • Modernizing radio sites while
important results to support the net rolling-out 5G - Singtel
zero challenge.
• A clear roadmap with different
As we have seen previously, milestones will help to achieve your
depending on the specific customer targets - Telstra
9.1 Vodafone UK improves 5G midband coverage while reducing Baseband modernization to reduce Additional savings with energy
Vodafone, as Ericsson,
energy consumption saving software and automation
footprint and energy consumption By replacing Baseband 6648 with The Deep Sleep software feature, believes that urgent and
the RAN Processor 6651, power put radios into hibernation, turning sustained action is required
Energy efficiency is a key pillar of Boosting the 5G network with Introducing 6626 radios, one radio consumption was cut by 23 percent off Silicon and other components to address climate change.
Vodafone UK’s strategy. Over the mid-band Massive MIMO and 5G to doing the job of six and reducing thanks to the intrinsic energy-saving during hours of low traffic. Deep Therefore, Vodafone has
years Vodafone UK has focused on standalone capabilities for new energy consumption capabilities of the new Ericsson Silicon. Sleep was introduced across all
more responsible management of services. Vodafone UK and Ericsson partnered new Massive MIMO radios, with committed to removing all
energy, including rationalization of to trial the 1 Radio 6626 B20B8 The result was 23 percent (100W) automation via Ericsson Network carbon emissions from its own
network assets to decommission Massive MIMO introduced without in July 2023 on one suburban site less power consumption moving Manager. This energy savings are operations by 2027, and its
unnecessary equipment, upgrading increasing the footprint in Northampton. The network from Baseband 6648 to RAN the subject of continued study. wider supply chain by 2040.
technology to ensure the most To provide an excellent connectivity modernization trial involved Processor 6651.
efficient and optimized network, experience, the network needs replacing 6 single band radios (2
and trialing new concepts to further the best possible 5G. With mid- radio per sector; 3 Radio 2217 B20
enhance efficiencies.. Vodafone, band spectrum paving the way, and 3 Radio 2212 B8) with 1 single
as Ericsson, believes that urgent Massive MIMO solutions, and their 3-sector Radio 6626. Combining
and sustained action is required to performance sweet-spot, are rolled three sectors and two frequencies Figure 40.
address climate change. Therefore, out across the country. The new in one radio unit, Ericsson’s Radio Radio site after modernization
Vodafone has committed to Interleaved AIR 3218, and active- 6626 effectively enabled Vodafone
removing all carbon emissions from passive antenna, proved to be a UK to radiate all three sectors in their
its own operations by 2027, and its key solution. Mid-band Massive towers through just one radio unit.
wider supply chain by 2040. MIMO could be added to the sites, This multi-standard and multi-band
without increasing the number of coverage offers an opportunity to
Reducing the total cost of ownership antennas. The beam-through design lower operating expenses (OPEX)
and RAN energy consumption is also lets TDD Massive MIMO signals due to energy savings and reduce
of key importance, meaning new pass through the passive antenna in carbon footprint at the same time.
solutions needed to bring savings on both directions, without impacting The target of the radio upgrade trial
infrastructure, rollout and on energy the signaling for either frequency was to monitor that performances
consumption - in tandem with ranges. The sites could be upgraded are not impacted while measuring
optimal user experience. with a visibly like-for-like antenna energy performance counters.
footprint, speeding up both upgrade
Vodafone and Ericsson have been site acquisitions and the mid-band As a result, the radio upgrade trial
working in partnership for several rollout. showed that there was no service
years to trial and implement new degradation observed, also no dip in
energy efficient solutions in the UK With the increased presence of mid- traffic levels across all technologies
network. This meant introducing band spectrum, Ericsson introduced and across all sectors, meaning that
solutions from the Ericsson Radio a performance boost by deploying radio performance was not impacted.
System portfolio, for both mid-band Carrier Aggregation of mid-band In addition, there was no change in
TDD and low-band FDD, reducing plus FDD. The 900MHz band was the 4G (800/900) coverage as per
energy consumption and site chosen for CA with mid-band, and pre & post coverage analysis. Finally,
footprint. The key considerations 5G standalone was deployed in power saving of 36% was achieved
proved to be site access lead time parallel. 5G SA enabled new services with the 6626 Radio when Pre
and cost for site rollout, as well including network slicing. and Post energy consumption was
as avoiding increased rental cost. evaluated at the test site.
36% reduction of
Energy consumption
watt hours
Baseline Scenario
3 x Radio 2212 B8
+
3 x Radio 2217 B20
New Scenario
1 x Radio 6626 B8 B20
hours
9.2 Singtel creates an advanced and energy efficient network for all
technologies in Singapore Results:
Singtel’s mobile network infrastructure, Since 2018, Singtel has been energy-efficient technology, it also
supporting both 3G and 4G services, upgrading its hardware from prepares for future customer needs. • 50% of radio footprint reduction • 29% of energy savings in 78% • 26,851 MWh (MegaWatt hours)
relies primarily on Ericsson RAN Ericsson’s RBS6000 to Radio 2212 3G services in Singapore will be in all the sites, that will improve of the radio sites only due to savings and 10,955 metric tonnes
hardware. Their spectrum resources B1/B8 and Radio 2219/B3 which phased out by 31 July 2024, and OPEX hardware modernization of CO2 savings in a year for the
encompass critical frequency bands, translates to higher energy savings upgrading all the sites across the deployed 1827 sites
including 900 MHz (Band 8), 1800 and reduced radio footprint, lowering country ensures that it can support
MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1), operating expenses by 50%. the increasing number of customers
2600 MHz (Band 7), and 2500 MHz transitioning to 5G.
(Band 38). Notably, Bands 1 and 8 Singtel aims to achieve net-zero
are dedicated to 3G services, while emissions by 2045. The network
all bands collectively provide robust
coverage for their 4G network.
upgrade not only brings it one
step closer to its goals with more 25%- 29% 10,955
of energy savings metric tonnes
in the 98% of the sites of CO2 savings per year
Modernization plan with three different configurations to build 5G with precision
The modernization efforts encompass the following key upgrades

in 1827 radio sites:
The new radio solutions, 01. Modernization of Band 1 and Band 3 Radios: The existing 2T2R setups, for Future plans
with their 4T4R capability, example, 2xRUS03 B3 + 1xRUS02 B1 + 1xRUW01 B1, are being upgraded
significantly enhance site to a more efficient 4T4R configuration using the Dual-Band 4T4R Radio
4499 B1 B3. Similar enhancements are being made for other configurations.
capacity while reducing
In pursuit of a more sustainable
energy consumption and 02. Modernization of Band 8 and Band 28 Radios: Existing 2T2R setups network, Singtel has accelerated "As a leading telco in Asia, we’re committed to making positive
physical space requirements. on Band 8, such as 2xRUS02 B8, are being transformed into 4T4R its transition to newer radios for impact on the environment and the communities we serve.
They also prepare the sites configurations with the Dual-Band 4T4R Radio 4499 B8 B28. This new its current NR massive MIMO That includes continuing to invest in greener technologies and
for NR 700MHz readiness, hardware is also Band 28 capable. deployment. This includes the shift infrastructure so we can reduce our carbon footprint, protect natural
from AIR 6449 B42 to AIR 6419
aligning with Singtel's resources, and mitigate the impact of climate change.”
03. Modernization of Band 7 Radios: Previously 2T2R setups, like 2xRUS01 B42 and from AIR 3227 B42 to AIR
acquisition of Band 28 B7 or 1xRRUS11 B7, are being upgraded to 4T4R configurations using the 3268 B42.
spectrum. Radio 4415 B7. - Cheong Hai Thoo, Vice President, Mobile & Voice Engineering,
Singtel Singapore
04. Modernization of Band 38 Radios: The existing 4T4R setup, 1xRRUS72
B38A, is being upgraded to 4T4R using the Radio 4418 B38A.
Figure 41.
Radio footprint reduction
through modernization in Legacy site 2023 site
Singtel´s network solution solution
Configuration 1
(78% of sites) 7 radios 4 radios
Configuration 2
Configuration 3
9.3 Telstra builds a modernization roadmap to reduce energy consumption Boosting energy savings with
new software
and achieve their Net Zero target
Telstra has recorded substantial expected from additional features
Telstra is committed to achieving the hardware modernization was In 2023 the most common energy savings of approximately currently under field trials like MIMO
net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) reduced footprint from 21 radios new site solution is: 26 MWh per day by activating Micro Sleep, AI MIMO Sleep and Baseband
emissions by 2050 and has embraced to 9 radios per site and network- Sleep Tx and LTE Cell Sleep mode Power Saving features.
the challenge and ambition to reduce wide daily energy savings of • 3 x Low-Band radios featues. Further savings are
absolute emissions by at least approximately 11.24 MWh (only due (3 x 4480 B5/B26 B28)
50 percent from the FY19 baseline to hardware modernization). • 3 x Mid-Band radios
by 2030. To break the energy curve, (3 x 4466 B1 B3 B7)
Telstra is expanding and modernizing In 2019 the most common site • 3 x Mid Band M-MIMO radios
using the latest energy efficient solution was comprised of the (3x AIR3258) Telstra RAN energy saving features
hardware and operating intelligently following radios: Maximizing energy savings
by deploying Ericsson’s suite of
energy saving software. Telstra • 12 x Single-Band radios
is enabling the 5G network with (6x RUS02 B28B, 3x 2212 B5,
the latest technology for best user 3x RUS01 B5) Deployed Network-Wide
experience but in a more sustainable • 6 x Dual-Band radios
way. This modernization program (3 x 4443 B1B3, 3x 4415 B7A)
was conducted over several years, • 3 x Mid Band M-MIMO radios Micro Sleep Tx LTE Cell Sleep Mode
across the network. The result of (3x AIR6488)
Discontinues transmission on downlink Capacity cells are dynamically and automatically

during low traffic turned on and off based on current traffic load
Figure 42.
Telstra site modernization reducing
footprint and energy consumption ~26 MWh per day additional energy savings from network-wide deployment
of RAN energy saving features
Telstra 5G - sustainable growth

Increasing capability & capacity while reducing energy
Total of 37 MWh network-wide daily energy savings
Legacy site Energy 2023 site Network wide
solution savings solution DAILY saving*
Low Band -50%

(700MHz, 850MHz) 12 radios 3 radios 8.6 MWh
What is next in Telstra´s roadmap
Mid Band FDD ” We are committed to
(1800MHz, 2100MHz, 6 radios -27% 3 radios 2.4 MWh Modernizing Telstra’s RAN radios and the latest energy-saving advancing our technology
2600MHz) network and enabling Ericsson’s features that will further reduce the leadership to provide the best
energy saving software features energy consumption while providing
have yielded a combined total of an even greater user experience. experience for our customers in a
Mid Band M-MIMO approximately 37 MWh savings per sustainable way. We are pleased
(3600MHz) 3 radios -38% 3 radios 0.24 MWh day. Telstra will continue activating to have a strategic partner like
new energy saving features such as Ericsson to deliver this outcome.”
MIMO Sleep, AI MIMO Sleep and Chana Seneviratne, Technology
Baseband Power Saving features.
Telstra plans to continue this journey Development Innovation
by deploying more energy efficient Executive at Telstra.
LTE MIMO Sleep Mode LTE AI MIMO Sleep Mode Baseband Power Saving
Energy consumption can be

~11.24 MWh per day energy savings from 2019 to 2023 solution modernization Automatically mutes antenna Uses AI to predict low traffic to
reduced on baseband units by
*Network savings calculated by deploying Ericsson Radio 4480, Radio 4466 and AIR 3258, respectively branches when low traffic improve MIMO sleep mode
using power saving mode
10 Key insights and Actionable recommendations for CSPs
recommendations 01. Include energy consumption

and customer experience
targets from the start.
The foundation of the sustainable network evolution plan is a holistic
evaluation of targets to meet business and sustainability ambitions. There
are multiple objectives; among them, energy efficiency is paving the way to
succeed in several targets (OPEX, environmental sustainability). Customer
experience improvement will provide competitive advantage and secure the
business. Energy efficiency together with customer experience are the key
metrics to consider in a successful network evolution plan.
01 We need a holistic approach to achieve Net Zero

and sustainable business growth
02. Measure energy performance Set measurable targets and improvement plan across the full value chain.
with well-defined metrics. Use energy efficiency metrics as the foundation for driving desirable actions
aimed at minimizing energy consumption in the network and improving
A network evolution plan should consider both business and
customer experience.
environmental sustainability targets while seeking to improve customer
experience. New solutions will improve energy performance and reduce
the cost per gigabyte transmitted.
03. Speed up the transformation Site modernization with the latest generation of energy-efficient radio
To modernize mobile networks sustainably, we need to consider multiple
to more energy efficient radio equipment will significantly reduce energy consumption and operations cost
factors in addition to the energy savings. Embodied carbon emissions of
solutions to do more with less. while increasing your network capacity. To achieve your targets, identify the
the products and the circular economy shouldn’t be considered in isolation.
sites that will deliver significant energy savings, carbon emissions and OPEX
reductions. The new hardware equipment, which provide higher energy
ICT industry can reduce the environmental impact of the mobile networks
efficiency will reduce the cost of gigabyte transmitted.
and make mobile data more affordable and accessible for all.
02 Moving traffic to 5G is paving the way

to more sustainable networks
We have observed that moving traffic from 4G to 5G has a positive

impact on reducing energy consumption. 5G is more spectrum-efficient
than 4G and previous technologies.5G requires less signaling and
transmits the same data faster, it is more than 10 times more energy- More
efficient per gigabyte compared to 4G.
• Use cases and user demand
Transitioning to 5G will make mobile networks significantly more energy- • Network capacity
efficient and unlock new use cases for digitalization, enabling additional
reductions in emissions across industries. Less
• Carbon footprint
• Energy consumption
Intelligent
03 Network modernization is crucial to break the
energy curve and to reduce OPEX • Intent-based
• Zero touch
To lower the total network energy consumption (break the energy

curve), shifting traffic to 5G is not enough. We need to combine the most
efficient hardware and software functions to replace the old equipment.
New radio hardware not only supports multiple frequencies. It consumes
less energy, has reduced embodied carbon emissions, size, and weight,
which enables site rental cost reduction.
We have shown that by modernizing the existing equipment and adding
new 5G bands we can increase mobile broadband capacity more than
10 times, while reducing absolute energy consumption on the radio site.
04. Migrate to 5G for energy 5G's higher speed supports traffic growth and enables energy consumption
efficiency and growth. reduction by delivering the same data faster. CSPs need to accelerate the
data migration from 4G to 5G with campaigns to promote 5G capable
devices. Improving 5G coverage will also enable new business opportunities
for both enterprise and consumer segments.
05. Take the opportunity to By modernizing the existing equipment, you will make room for the 5G TDD
modernize your existing radio Midband roll out in the energy budget. This will enable to reduce site rental
sites and equipment when you costs and other operational expenditures, such as energy costs, which will
roll out and expand 5G. improve the business case for introducing 5G and expanding capacity for
better user experience.
06. Boost energy savings with By using the energy saving features on the new equipment and looking at the
the new software features. user experience as metric additional energy savings can be achieved. These
energy saving features are activated in the radios and basebands depending
on the traffic load to secure user experience. For this reason, we should use user
experience metrics to balance energy consumption and network performance.
07. Select products with reduced To reduce the upstream emissions, select products with lower embodied
embodied carbon emissions. emissions while still satisfying capacity and coverage requirements.
These products have typically less weight and size that will improve your
operational costs (site rental and tower reinforcement).
08. Evolve your energy site Expanding the use of free cooling at sites can reduce the overall energy
management to reduce consumption and the reliance on diesel generators. In the sites with diesel
carbon emissions. currently in use, the evolution should start with migrating progressively to
renewable energy sources for off-grid cell sites. The next step is to have a site
running completely on renewables with possibility to supply energy to the
grid during low traffic hours. Even if your site runs completely on renewables,
the most clean energy is the energy that you don´t use, energy efficiency
should be at the top of your targets.
09. Partner with your suppliers to Make sure to handle the obsolete equipment to minimize environmental
use a circular approach. impacts. Secure that old equipment is sent to the Take Back process. Also
consider the different solutions to reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions with
your key partners, these include packaging, recycling, and refurbishment.
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value
of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans the following business areas:
Networks, Cloud Software and Services, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Global
Communications Platform, and Technologies and New Businesses. It is designed
to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams.
Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and
mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq
Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.
www.ericsson.com
Ericsson © Ericsson 2023

SE-164 80 Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone +46 10 719 0000
www.ericsson.com

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Sustainable

How can network modernization Contents

01 The Industry 1.1 Climate change as a call for action

Challenge You might have a range of emotions

Net Zero and Digitalization

Figure 4. Mobile subscriptions by technology

The energy cost increase in the recent years

7 Past and present reports - Mobility Report - Ericsson

Figure 6. What is next in Energy efficiency measurements?

technology efficiency becomes an important

Cluster performance (2600, 20MHz)

the energy curve a quick fix to save energy in mobile

Network roll-out over time

Network planning and Effective modernization of By operating intelligently, we

04 How to support CSPs Figure 12.

Sustainability is a complex challenge When planning for environmental

02 Challenges, opportunities, and possible solutions. Figure 13.

business. We provide solutions in the circular economy for sustainability,

03 Conclusions and next steps.

Portfolio in use More energy efficient HW with less

14 Ericsson and MTN Benin recycle 123 metric tons of E-Waste

how to plan for

modernization the O-RAN Alliance interfaces.

Evolving energy site management

Sites are unequal and should be built and operated differently

Holistic evaluation Identify the sites Define when & what

5.3 etisalat by e& methodology to modernize the RAN Modernization results

The achieved results are perfectly

As a pilot implementation, etisalat

5.4 T-Mobile, US redefines the ‘best network’ through high performance

06 Technology Power Amplifiers Filter technology Thermal solutions

innovations and new

radio solutions more processing power is needed.

24 Cells 48 Cells 300 Cells

Mbps Mbps Mbps

1U Size 1U Size 1U Size

AIR 3268 AIR 3219

16 ew antenna design in wind tunnel test environment - Ericsson

Modernization with the latest Massive MIMO and automated

Energy saving features deployed:

Micro Sleep TX Cell Sleep AI-MIMO Sleep

19 Elisa Finland and Ericsson leverage 5G to achieve Net Zero

The challenge: The solution:

Single band Dual band Triple Band

2T/2R 4T/4R 4T/4R 4T/4R

6.5 Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson (IOH) deploys 6626 network wide

Around 4000 sites are expected to be The features deployed to reduce

Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio Radio

Desmond Cheung, Chief Technology Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, says:

the new radios the release of new hardware platforms

7.1 MTN- Benin, modernization boosted with energy saving features

Activation & configuration of

36% Less 1830 tones

7.2 SmarTone leverages on energy software features of new radios

Radio 4480 Radio 4490 Change

Radio power consumption (W)

the embodied carbon

• Extraction of raw materials

Figure 34. Design for Environment strategy