Optus and Ericsson Launch Australia's Most Energy-Efficient Radio Access Network Facility
Optus and Ericsson announced that the latest energy-efficient radio access network (RAN) site in Australia will be set up at the Moorebank site in Sydney, New South Wales.
Ericsson and Optus have developed a one-of-a-kind RAN solution leveraging lightweight, next-generation radios and basebands that consume less energy.
Depending on the equipment being used after an upgrade and equipment refresh, the radios and baseband can save up to 25%. Following the initial deployment at the Moorebank site, Optus will now start upgrading these sites throughout its network, resulting in a decrease in energy consumption that, when combined with energy-saving software capabilities, can save up to about 40kWh per day.
The new RAN will also help Optus set up Australia's fastest 5G mobile network in a way that uses less energy. This will help Optus get around the problem of adding more 5G sites to meet customers' growing needs for capacity and speed in rural and urban areas of Australia.
Lambo Kanagaratnam, Vice President, Networks at Optus said, “The new RAN we’ve deployed in collaboration with Ericsson plays a critical role in not only the sustainable growth of our 4G and 5G networks but also in contributing to our sustainability commitment to reduce our 2025 emissions by 25%. Even though we are making progress toward our goal of getting all of our electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2025, we still need to come up with new ways to save energy.
"We are also working with Ericsson to improve their embedded emissions of equipment production and supply, which will be important to our Net Zero ambitions, which include emissions in our supply chain.
“Optus is committed to not only being Australia’s most loved everyday brand with lasting customer connections but delivering our services in a more energy-efficient way. Through innovation like this, Optus seeks to improve the customer experience and reduce our environmental footprint.”
Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Global Customer Unit, Singtel, said: “At Ericsson, sustainability is integral to our business and has become a fundamental part of how we operate and innovate. This new RAN deployment is an important step toward our goal of becoming net zero across our value chain by 2040 and reducing emissions in our portfolio by 50% in use and supply chain by 2030. We are proud to have collaborated with Optus in creating a RAN solution that will continue to support the development of Australia’s sustainable future.”
Optus said in 2022 that it would cut 25% of its operational emissions by 2025. This would help Australia and the rest of the world reach the goal of keeping global warming to no more than 1.5 °C by 2050. It also promised that all of the electricity it needs will come from renewable sources by 2025. This new RAN will play a critical role in helping Optus achieve those goals.
Source: Optus
