WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The massive projected increase in power needs of the world’s mobile technology – a more than doubling by 2030 – underscores a call for an increasing role of renewable energy in mobile. According to a joint study released today by InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC), a mobile and video technology research and development company, and ABI Research, the 5G ecosystem will see a 160% increase in power requirements by 2030, reaching the expected equivalent of all UK households in that year.
The study, Environmentally Sustainable 5G Deployment, quantifies the energy footprint for approaching 5G deployment and identifies best practices to encourage energy sustainability as wireless and technologies evolve. Written by ABI Research and commissioned by InterDigital, the report cautions that anticipated advancements in 5G technology are also a catalyst for growing energy consumption – a trend that should be closely followed by the evolving tech industry.
“The advent of 5G holds unprecedented promise for the wireless ecosystem and our world, but we must remain clear-eyed about the staggering energy demands of 5G and its life-changing use cases to develop appropriate and timely solutions,” said Henry Tirri, Chief Technology Officer, InterDigital. “We must consider the environmental footprint, in addition to the technological impact, to ensure 5G and future generations of wireless technologies exist and thrive in a responsible and energy-stable world.”
According to the report, mobile telecommunications represents one of the wealthiest industries in modern times, with 5.3 billion users and $1.38 trillion in service revenues. Each generation of wireless has contributed to driving demand for mobile services and opportunities for new use cases around the world and has laid the groundwork for the current race to 5G. Compared to previous generations of wireless, the expected ubiquity and flexibility of 5G make it imperative to address its energy consumption at the onset of deployment and throughout all components of network infrastructure and end devices, to make 5G as sustainable as possible.
The sustainability research identified key points of consideration to pursue more energy-conscious 5G network deployments:
The InterDigital-ABI Research paper is a part of InterDigital’s sustainability research and thought leadership initiative dedicated to identifying the primary challenges, and innovative solutions, to address energy consumption and environmental sustainability across all sectors of the technology ecosystem. InterDigital’s sustainability microsite includes the latest research and white papers exploring the impact of energy sustainability in the evolution of advanced wireless, video, IoT proliferation, and more. You may learn more here.
To read a final version of the report, Environmentally Sustainable 5G Deployment, please click here.
About InterDigital®
InterDigital develops mobile and video technologies that are at the core of devices, networks, and services worldwide. We solve many of the industry’s most critical and complex technical challenges, inventing solutions for more efficient broadband networks, better video delivery, and richer multimedia experiences years ahead of market deployment. InterDigital has licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading technology companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ and is included in the S&P MidCap 400® index.
InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital, Inc.
For more information, visit: www.interdigital.com.
InterDigital Contact:Roya StephensEmail: roya.stephens@interdigital.com +1 (202) 349-1714
Source: InterDigital, Inc.