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Ericsson tops own energy efficiency metrics

Tony Chan | June 12, 2009 | 0 Comments

Ericsson says that its network IP edge and metro platforms deliver the industry’s lowest energy consumption according to a set of Ericsson developed metrics, which provide a more accurate view of the actual energy used to service subscribers.

The new metrics, which go beyond how much power a platform or port consumes, are more in line with how service providers monetize their business and plan infrastructure investments, said Ericsson. Based on the functions performed by each platform, Ericsson’s new metrics provide practical views into energy efficiency, mapping energy usage granularly by subscriber and circuit, the company said.

Ericsson commissioned network testing organization, Iometrix, to test and verify the results of the SmartEdge Multi Service Edge Router and SM 480 metro Ethernet platforms using the new metrics. As expected, Iometrix reported both platforms became more efficient the higher the subscriber or circuit load.

For the IP edge, Iometrix tested the power needed to deliver multimedia-enabled subscriber services for varying subscriber traffic loads of up to 256,000 subscribers. The SmartEdge consumed 5.16 milliwatts per subscriber at the 256,000 level. According to Ericsson, this represents a 53-280 percent power savings per subscriber as derived from publically available competitive data. For the metro, Iometrix evaluated the watts per circuit for point to point Ethernet-Line services as well as the watts per circuit for multipoint Ethernet-LAN services. The SM 480 consumed 5.375 milliwatts per circuit per Virtual Leased Line (VLL) at the 256,000 level. According to Ericsson, this represents a 60-80 percent power savings per circuit as derived from publically available competitive data.
According to Ericsson, the Iometrix test results are in line with the Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER) methodology and standards set by ATIS, an industry standards body providing technical and operations standards the industry. As a member of ATIS, Ericsson has supported the creation of energy efficiency standard measurement methods and metrics.

The TEER calculation for the Ericsson SmartEdge for 256,000 subscribers is 196 subscribers per watt (5.0 milliwatts per subscriber). The TEER calculation for the Ericsson SM 480 is 193 circuits per watt (5.2 milliwatts per circuit).

The new metrics are the latest sustainability effort from Ericsson, which in 2008 committed to provide up to a 40% reduction in carbon emissions per subscriber across its product portfolio within five years.

In addition to the focus on the IP edge and metro Ethernet, Ericsson has reported significant reductions in energy usage for its WCDMA radio base stations (an 80%improvement in energy efficiency from 2001 to 2008), for its mobile softswitch solution (60%more efficiency per subscriber), and for site power management.

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