infoTECH Feature

June 10, 2009

Ericsson Touts New Energy Efficient Metrics

The “green” trend isn’t just about recycling and reusing products. A growing number of companies are exploring new ways they can make a difference in the telecommunications industry. And for Ericsson (News - Alert) (News - Alert), that effort involves a focus on energy efficiency.

Ericsson, a provider of technology and services to telecom operators, today introduced new metrics to measure “green” in the telecommunications industry. The Sweden-based company said its network IP edge and metro platforms consume the lowest amount of energy using the new measurement tools.

The new metrics are designed to be more in line with how service providers monetize their business and plan infrastructure investment, Ericsson said. The metrics focus on power per service compared to the traditional way of power per port.

In developing the metrics, executives explained the industry can’t operate on the current metrics available, adding that new standards should be put in place to boost energy efficiency.

“We do feel the need and see the value in metrics,” Jeff Baher, senior director of product marketing, Packet Networks for Ericsson told TMCnet in an interview. “While metrics are useful we have only a few today. We need to go beyond the few metrics that we have.”

Baher likened Ericsson’s energy metrics to metrics consumers use when deciding to buy a car. For example, a person interested in more miles per gallon may favor a Toyota Prius for its four-seat, 40 MPG offering. Likewise, a customer wanting more space may lean toward an eight-seater minivan for passenger capacity, despite its 20MPG ability.

“One metric doesn’t fit all,” Baher said using the above example. “Metrics could lead to the wrong purchase decision. We need to move beyond the ‘one size fits all’ Watts/GE model.”

Ericsson’s new metrics map energy usage by subscriber and circuit. The company tapped Iometrix (News - Alert) (News - Alert), a network testing firm, to test and verify the results of the SmartEdge Multi Service Edge Router and SM 480 metro Ethernet platform using the new metrics. And as a result, both platforms were more efficient the higher the subscriber or circuit load, the company said.

Iometrix tested the power needed to deliver multimedia-enabled subscriber services for varying traffic loads for up to 256,000 subscribers. The SmartEdge delivered 5.16 mWatts per subscriber. That represents a 70 percent to 92 percent power savings per subscriber, Ericsson said.

Meanwhile, results for the metro found that the SM 480 delivered 5.375mWatts per circuit per Virtual Leased Line for up to 256,000 subscribers, a power savings of 72 to 77 percent per circuit compared to data from competitors, Ericsson said.

“This gives carrier more choices,” Baher said of the new metrics.

The new metrics are the company’s latest sustainability effort as part of a five-year plan. In 2008, Ericsson said it would reduce carbon emissions by up to 40 percent per subscriber across its product portfolio.

“Power consumption at the edge has always been important to carriers and a critical factor in OpEx,” Glen Hunt, principal analyst at Current Analysis (News - Alert) (News - Alert), said in a statement. "Ericsson is leading the way in providing more relevant and practical metrics for determining the efficiency of carrier IP networking equipment. This is particularly important as carriers transform their infrastructure to IP and next generation service delivery.”

In addition, Ericsson reported reductions in energy usage for its radio bases stations (15 percent since 2007, the equivalent of 1 million tons in carbon-dioxide emissions), for its mobile softswitch solutions (60 percent more efficiency per subscriber) and for site power management.

What does the future hold for Ericsson and its new metrics?

“Our goal is not to make a standard of these metrics or to offer a new methodology, but to work with existing bodies and methodologies to have them understand the new practical views these metrics provide in addition to watts per GigE,” Baher said. “Whether they become new standards or not, if they resonate with carriers they will be used.”

The announcement comes after Ericsson CEO and President Carl-Henric Svanberg (News - Alert) (News - Alert) allayed fears about the down economy during a recent shareholders meeting, saying the company is strong, TMCnet reported.

The “green” trend seems to be on many vendors’ radar, but not necessarily a priority for customers. In describing Ericsson’s experience with the trend, Baher said, “Concern for the environment is on everyone’s agenda, including service providers. “We see this in the RFPs that we get from them. Energy consumption has become an important factor in their decision making.

“While energy efficiency isn’t the sole factor driving buying today, increasingly it is important for carriers to get the most out of their equipment and deliver the most services as possible in order to help their bottom lines,” he added.

The effort isn’t the first green initiative for Ericsson. As TMC (News - Alert) (News - Alert).net previously reported, Ericsson is working with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Sweden to reduce global CO2 emissions. The two firms are encouraging the use of telecom solutions across industries by promoting climate-smart telecom solutions, and introduce the concept of being "climate-positive" to companies in the ICT sector, TMCnet said.

Edited by Amy Tierney

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