Breaking the energy curve and reducing carbon emissions [video]

Mobile operators have committed to help curb global warming by reducing carbon commission. Ceragon’s EVP Portfolio Management, Ulik Broida, and Dr. Dahlit Brin discuss how Ceragon’s wireless hauling solutions can significantly help save energy consumption and make 5G networks green.

Full interview transcript:

Hello, welcome to the Backhaul Lounge. I'm Dahlit Brin and I'm joined by Ulik Broida, who is our EVP of Portfolio Management. Ulik, there are increasing worries that 5G means a higher energy consumption, which inevitably is going to lead to increased global warming. Now, the GSMA calls for operators to help break what they call “the rising energy curve”. Now, what can we, as wireless backhaul experts do to help operators reduce carbon emissions?

Well, this is indeed an important topic. We at Ceragon, we are aware of the fact that this energy consumption issue is becoming more and more important in the last few years. And for more than a decade, Ceragon is constantly introducing new technologies and concepts that will save the energy consumption of a wireless backhaul or wireless hauling.

For example?

I would say the most important concept, that Ceragon was the first to introduce to the market, is the all-outdoor wireless hauling system. Traditionally a wireless hauling node, the wireless backhaul node, would include an indoor part, a networking part, and an outdoor and some cable connecting between them. Ceragon introduced an all- outdoor system, meaning there is no need anymore for the indoor part. Therefore, there is no need for a shelter, equipment, a cooling system for that equipment and so
on. And by that, a large percentage of the energy of that node would be saved.

Ok, great. So what you're saying is we're saving all that stuff that's in a shelter which now doesn't need to be cooled or even warmed, which saves a lot of energy. So we now understand that all-outdoor is a preferred network structure, but that's not all we have to offer, is it.

No, of course not. I think that the next major step was that Ceragon introduced to the market, the multicore concept.

The multicore concept actually states that each radio that you would install from Ceragon, each box, will include actually more than one radio.

And it's very easy to show that one box, with multiple radios, will consume much
less energy than the equivalent multiple boxes with one radio installed in each one of them. This concept allows additional value for our customers. For example, our customer can install this box, operate only one radio and save the energy of the other radios and turn them on from remote, only when they are needed. We call it "One-click, double capacity" and this concept is very much appreciated by our customers.

I can see that there are many reasons for why that is beneficial. And as you explained, for the energy consumption as well. Now we're very excited about our latest platform of products which have a very exciting new capability. And in the all-outdoor arena we're the only ones who can actually support wideband up to 224 megahertz. How can that help save energy?

Ok, so this is a good topic. Ceragon has a unique capability to support ultra-wide channels in one box. Ultra-wide channels up to 224 megahertz channels in all our microwave products actually state that one box can deliver the capacity of multiple regular channel boxes. And of course, this saves a lot of energy for the network.

Of course, this saves a lot of CAPEX, capital expenditure, for our customer, less boxes
to buy, to install; less OPEX, less boxes to maintain and operate, and part of that is less
energy throughout this network.

5G is also very much concerned with bringing high capacity everywhere, even very, very remote distances and locations. So that again, raises the concern of having to invest in the network that will consume a lot of energy. How can we help that?

So we are aware of the fact that specifically insuburban and rural areas, links tend to be lengthy.And we developed very high power products,which include, which can transmit up to 8 Dbsmore than regular products.And when you transmit higher power, it saves the need for repeaters for these long links.And of course, less repeaters, less towers,less nodes, less of everything, including energy consumption for your network.

Absolutely. And I understand that not only compared to our regular radios do we have a system gain advantage, but also compared to other high-powered radios out in the market.

Yes, yes. We are always looking into our competition capabilities and always trying to develop things that are more and beyond whatever existing in the market so our customers can benefit from these capabilities.

Wonderful. Ulik, thank you so much for speaking to us today. So we've seen there are so many ways in which our wireless hauling solutions can help curb global warming. I'm Dahlit Brin. Thank you for staying with us in The Backhaul lounge, see you next time.

How operators can help curb global warming