Orange is working with Huawei on inventing more energy efficient network infrastructure, with plans to deploy it by 2020.
Among the new tech it is exploring, fibre optic-based network architecture will enable networks that offer more bandwidth and can connect longer distances. Both companies said new components and signal processing algorithms to improve power.
Other plans include using network functions virtualisation to make infrastructure more efficient, switching data storage to the cloud, using new types of power supply using 400 volts of direct current compared to the existing 48 units, as well as using liquid cooling systems and renewables.
The ultimate goal of the scheme is to design and implement end-to-end energy efficient infrastructure, across equipment, sites and networks.
Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, Senior Executive Vice President of Orange’s Innovation, Marketing and Technologies division, said: “This partnership will accelerate the implementation of high energy-efficient solutions in Orange’s infrastructures to achieve our 2020 objective of reducing CO2 emissions per customer-usage by 50 percent. This innovative approach in research and development of ecosystems will assist society in energy and environmental transition.”
The plans, part of Orange’s wider Essentials 2020 strategy, builds on work Orange and Huawei have been doing during the past two years to make networks more efficient.
They have designed customer connector cards that halve energy consumption for ADSL access and by 70 percent for fibre-optic access.
Another achievement was energy saving features that reduce consumption by 10 percent, technology that Orange is now deploying across its network. The operator will also trial cooling technology in its network next year.