What is the environmental footprint of German mobile networks? A study by Fraunhofer IZM answers this question. It models the production- and usage-relatedCO2 footprint of current and future mobile phone networks.
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The study "Environmental Technology Assessment of Mobile Communications in Germany" (UTAMO) includes an approximate life cycle assessment of German mobile networks for the reference year 2019 as well as forecasts of developments up to the year 2030. The study is the first of its kind in the world with its high level of detail. The methodological approach was developed and implemented under the leadership of Dr. Lutz Stobbe at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM. Stobbe's team specializes in life cycle assessment and eco-design of telecommunications and data center technology. These two areas of information and communication technology (ICT) form the infrastructural basis of digitalization and the cloud-based internet. Despite a continuing high pace of development with constantly improving energy efficiency, the absolute energy and resource requirements for the systems continue to rise.
How will the energy requirements of mobile networks develop after the shutdown of 3G (UMTS), the expansion of 4G (LTE) and, in particular, 5G? How much CO2 will the production of new system technology generate in the coming years? What measures can be taken to optimize the design of mobile radio sites or to implement load-adapted energy management? And what impact would the use of renewable energies have on the greenhouse gas emissions of our mobile networks? In order to answer these questions, a wide range of technical, operational and economic data must be collected and evaluated.
