Skip navigation

Focus on sustainability: Imagine Live Innovation Days kick off in Aachen, Germany

  • Ericsson presents the new energy efficient 5G Radio 6646 in the context of the "Breaking-the-Energy-Curve" approach – which is intended to help plan, build, and operate mobile networks with greater energy efficiency in the future.
  • Ericsson also presents the "5G Trailblazers" program, which provides a platform for pioneers in the field of 5G technology and innovation.
  • Ericsson has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in its own operations by 2030, as well as reducing emissions in its portfolio and supply chain by 50 per cent, whilst continuing to work towards achieving net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.
News
Sep 27, 2022
Focus on sustainability: Imagine Live Innovation Days kick off in Aachen, Germany

On September 27th 2022, the Imagine Live Innovation Days will kick off for the eleventh time in Aachen, Germany. The in-house exhibition of Ericsson Eurolab takes place annually and offers a platform for dialogue between customers. There, they can exchange ideas, find out about the latest innovations from Ericsson and experience them live on site. This year, the focus is on sustainability and 6G.

The digital and telecommunications sectors play an important role in reducing CO2 emissions. If a network is deployed in the same way as previous generations to meet the increasing traffic demands, energy consumption of mobile networks would increase dramatically. Ericsson has therefore developed a holistic approach called "Breaking the Energy Curve" to increase the energy efficiency of mobile networks and significantly reduce their environmental impact.

With this holistic approach, significant energy savings can be achieved, and CO2 emissions can already be reduced if four key factors are considered: network planning, the selection of the right hardware, the use of energy-saving software, and the intelligent operation of the site infrastructure.

The Imagine Live Innovation Days will show how the "Breaking-the-Energy-Curve" approach can be implemented and how communications services providers (CSP’s) can utilize it to reduce their environmental footprint:

  • Ericsson presents Radio 6646, a new 5G hardware with improved energy efficiency. The new wireless equipment combines 900, 800 and 700 MHz frequencies in one compact device. Compared to single-sector radio, power consumption is 40 per cent lower and the physical load on the transmission tower is even 60 per cent lower, as it weighs 38 kilograms, which is significantly less than previous models.
  • Ericsson shows how virtual prototyping based on a digital twin can lead to more efficient network planning and implementation. Virtual twins can be used to check how the radios behave in the physical network and what coverage they provide before implementation.
  • Ericsson demonstrates how AI algorithms can optimize the operation of a mobile site. The AI "Lexicon" gathers experience from Ericsson experts around the world to identify irregularities and predictively locate problems such as faulty components. This can help mobile network operators save costs on network maintenance.

In addition to sustainability, research on 6G will be the focus of the Innovation Days. Jan-Peter Meyer-Kahlen, Vice President and Head of ICT Development Center Eurolab Aachen, talks about the development of 6G, among other things in the context of energy efficiency and sustainability. "As with the development of 5G, energy efficiency will play a big role in 6G. For example, Ericsson has teamed up with MIT to figure out how so-called zero-energy devices can use the energy of their environment. It's an exciting approach, although it remains a thing of the future."

Niels König from the Fraunhofer IPT will also be present. Like Professor Dr Frank Fitzek, Niels is a member of the Ericsson "5G Trailblazers" program, which is launching in Germany as part of the Innovation Day. The program introduces various pioneers in the field of 5G technology who share their ideas and provide new inspiration for 5G use areas and use cases.