14 DAY TRIAL // Vodafone Germany is the first mobile operator to implement Ericsson's new Base Transceiver Station Power Savings feature, which significantly reduces energy consumption in mobile networks, making an important contribution to cutting carbon-dioxide emissions. Vodafone Germany will install the energy-saving software upgrade across its base stations by the end of 2007.
The feature saves power during periods of low network traffic by putting those parts of the network that are not being used in standby mode, unlike the traditional practice of keeping radio equipment continually turned on, which results in energy being wasted. Depending on the network traffic pattern, this innovation can save between 10 and 20 percent of the energy per base station, without compromising functionality. If deployed across the 1 million GSM Ericsson base stations globally, the power-saving feature could lead to a reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions of 1 million tons.
"Our initiative with Ericsson shows that Vodafone takes its responsibility for the environment seriously. We have a leading role in this field in the telecoms sector", said Hartmut Kremling, Chief Technology Officer of Vodafone Germany.
The Base Transceiver Station Power Savings feature is the latest in a series of energy optimization innovations from Ericsson. In 2006, Ericsson reduced the power consumption of its latest generation of WCDMA base stations by 35 percent and has pioneered the introduction of alternative energies, such as biofuel and solar power, to make mobile telephony economically and environmentally sustainable in emerging markets. Recently, Eriscsson has won the China Information Industry Energy-Efficiency Innovation Award for its accomplishments in this field.
"Reducing energy consumption is a key area where the telecommunications industry can make a positive contribution to international efforts to respond to climate change", said Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and head of Ericsson's radio network business. "At the same time, reducing power consumption also reduces operational expenditures for operators, so it is a win-win."