“Regulators are going to push the telecom industry to become much more environmentally friendly and energy sufficient,” says Peter Jarich, an analyst with Current Analysis. “Regardless if whether you are a telecom company or an operator, you need to position yourself ahead of that push. You don’t want to have to play catch-up when that push really comes into play.”

At the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Ericsson has demonstrated and reinforced its track record when it comes to sustainability.

“Sustainability has become a core part of Ericsson’s product portfolio,” says Mikael Bäck, vice president, Product and Portfolio Management at Ericsson. “We will continue to satisfy the market with sustainable innovations and techniques to optimize energy efficiency and general environmental performance at every step of our product and solutions development.”

Elaine Weidman, director, Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson, adds: “Reducing energy costs goes hand in hand with reducing emissions, and we have a solid understanding of how to optimize energy in our networks.”

Ericsson’s solutions are dramatically reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

“We are now working with Celtel Uganda to convert its diesel-driven radio base stations (RBS) to Ericsson’s new, customized hybrid energy solution, which works outside the power grid,” says Linda Ekener Mägi, marketing manager, Communications Expander at Ericsson. “Celtel will cut its fuel costs by 45-50 percent.”

Also, Ericsson’s solar-driven GSM RBS (Main-Remote RBS 2111), is ideal for deployment in areas with limited access to electricity. It has a smaller environmental footprint than a standard RBS, with up to 60 percent lower energy consumption than a standard macro product. That enables low maintenance alternative energy solutions, like solar power, and means significantly lower operating expenses for network operators.

In 2007, the latter was deployed in rural Sumatra, Indonesia. The base station does not require diesel fuel. The site is self-contained with maintenance-free batteries. It has a three-day power backup in case of a lack of sunlight. By placing the remote radio unit at the top of the tower, feeder loss is reduced and power saved. The base station’s distributed architecture means that no site floor space is needed, reducing the total site cost and making it easier to roll out. The heaviest component weighs only 35kg.

“Operators appreciate the importance of lower operational expenditure, and this particular solution is a way for them to offer services in these remote areas that would otherwise be too costly,” Mägi says.

The increased coverage and the lowered energy consumption that the new generation of radio base stations bring enable growth in emerging markets without increased emissions.

An example of how Ericsson’s sustainability solutions have worked has been illustrated by using the “persona” Mosi, at the Mobile World Congress. To illustrate Ericsson’s unique consumer insight, the behavior of different types of consumers has been thoroughly analyzed by Ericsson’s unit for consumer insight and segmentation, ConsumerLab. As a consumer in an emerging market, Mosi is the “empowered mobile user.” He is a village carpenter in Nigeria who used to be completely dependent on word-of-mouth to generate business.

His biggest challenge was the great distances between villages and to the timber dealer and he often arrived only to discover there was no stock left. His life changed when he got his mobile phone. Now he rings the timber dealer before leaving, people call him with job requests and he makes payments by text message.

Coverage in Mosi’s village was enabled by using Ericsson’s solar-driven base station.

So, how does he charge his mobile phone if the base stations run outside the power grid?

He uses an Ericsson Village Solar Charger for mobile phones.