Nokia's new SaaS offering targets five-fold increase in energy savings

Finnish kit maker Nokia has launched a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) designed to help telcos reduce their environmental impact.

It is called AVA (analytics, virtualisation and automation) for Energy, and it uses AI to constantly monitor network traffic patterns in multi-vendor environments and make real-time adjustments to power consumption. Nokia claims that compared to non-AI systems that perform scheduled resource shutdowns, AVA for Energy can deliver a two-to-five-fold increase in energy savings.

According to Nokia, 93 percent of a network’s CO2 emissions are generated when they are in use, with base stations accounting for 80 percent of those in-use emissions. Being able to automatically power down resources and cooling systems when they are idle can make a considerable difference to CO2 production, Nokia said.

The solution can also help operators identify anomalies and benchmark the energy efficiency of passive infrastructure like batteries, power supplies, and air conditioning units. These bits of kit can account for up to 50 percent of a network’s overall energy consumption, Nokia noted.

In a statement, the Nokia said AVA for Energy “reflects Nokia’s broader commitment to cut emissions by 50 percent between 2019 and 2030 across its value chain, including its own operations, products in use, logistics, and final assembly supplier factories.”

On a related note, Vodafone UK on Wednesday signed 10-year deals with three new solar farms. When fully operational, these sites will produce up to 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of green electricity per year, enough to power a town of nearly 30,000 households. Under a power purchase agreement, 55 GWh will be supplied to Vodafone.

This week’s deal comes not long after Vodafone UK struck similar agreements with two on-shore wind farms that together will supply more than 20 percent of the operator’s annual energy requirement.

It’s all part of Vodafone’s ongoing commitment to power its networks from 100 percent renewable sources, and hit its net zero carbon emissions target by 2027. As part of this ambition, Voda has also begun using SIM cards made from recycled plastic, launched refurbished handset offers, and switched 60 percent of its company car fleet to electric or hybrid vehicles.

Its efforts have not gone unnoticed. In March, ABI Research ranked Vodafone as one the leaders of its operator sustainability index. “Vodafone had strong performances in energy efficiency, waste recycled, overall sustainability reporting, and conversion of fleet vehicles to electric vehicles,” the analyst firm said.

“Today’s announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK,” said Vodafone UK CEO Ahmed Essam, in a statement. “I’m delighted Vodafone is helping to progress the development of new renewable power sites and supporting the delivery of more green energy to the UK grid.”

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