OTTAWA — The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) released Wednesday a new report it commissioned from Accenture Strategy which looks at the role 5G will play in the fight against climate change.
The report is being released the same day the CWTA is holding a special virtual discussion featuring Tejas Rao, managing director and global 5G offering lead for Accenture’s network practice, and Steven Moore, head of climate action at the GSMA mobile industry association.
Commissioned on behalf of CWTA’s members, the report presents a sunny picture of 5G technology’s potential to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across Canadian industries, while reducing the carbon footprint of the Canadian wireless industry itself. The deployment of 5G technology is anticipated to create more energy-efficient wireless networks — for a general 5G cell site, energy used in data transmission will be 8-15% of what it currently is for a similar 4G cell site, according to the report. In addition, millimetre wave (mmWave) 5G technology can further reduce energy consumption to 1-2% of a 4G macro site, the report says.
“Considering 5G’s substantially greater energy efficiency, it is predicted that 5G will support a thousand-fold traffic increase in the next 10 years, while the full network’s energy consumption will be half the current levels,” reads the report. “With a rapid rollout, 5G will enable up to 10 MtCO2e (million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) reduction from Canadian wireless carriers between 2020-2030 compared to emissions without 5G.”
The report acknowledges, with 5G, data demand per device will increase and the number of devices will also increase (Ed. note: there’s also the massive number of transmitters/receivers which will be required to consider). However, the report highlights two ways 5G can help to improve the Canadian environmental footprint: allowing network operators to be more energy-efficient on a per unit of output level; and enabling use cases which allow industries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Looking at mmWave technology specifically, the report says a rollout of mmWave spectrum along a middle ground density scenario could, by 2030, lead to a 98% reduction in energy consumption per bit of data transmitted, compared to 4G.
In terms of helping industries to reduce their carbon emissions, a process known as abatement, the report estimates wireless technologies in general will generate between 47.7-53.5 MtCO2e of abatement across industries in Canada by 2025. Of this total abatement enabled by wireless technologies, 18-23% can be attributed to 5G, says the report. The report’s authors estimate 70% of the carbon abatement contributed by 5G will come from three use-case categories: smart working, living and health; smart transportation; and smart buildings.
“5G and other wireless technologies will play a key role in the effort to meet our emission commitments. Without the improved abatement and wireless network efficiency driven by these technologies, the gap would continue to grow. We have found a fast deployment positions Canada significantly closer to meeting its emissions targets than a slow deployment. Realizing these environmental benefits requires a recognition by all stakeholders of the importance of 5G to Canada, and the support from federal, provincial, and municipal authorities to remove barriers to deployment of 5G and create an environment that encourages private sector investment in 5G networks,” concludes the report.
To access the Accelerating 5G in Canada: The Role of 5G in the Fight Against Climate Change report, please visit the CWTA website.
