Mobile communications can contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by offering pervasive connectivity to improve the efficiency of human society. However, it must also achieve this in a sustainable manner. Through direct and indirect incentives, these measures should stimulate the development of new technologies natively designed with carbon footprint reduction as a key objective.
Now approaching its 6G generation, mobile communications is anchored deep at the heart of our digital society, and as such uses a considerable, and increasing amount of energy to fuel the growing demand for mobile data to an increasing number of devices. Now more than ever investigations into opportunities and innovations in sustainability much be committed, which will contribute to our society’s transformation towards carbon neutrality.
This white paper focuses on two directions for a sustainable 6G system design: energy efficiency and carbon-awareness. Energy efficiency ultimately aims at minimizing the overall electricity needs of the 6G system, while additionally, a MediaTek study shows that carbon-awareness could enable reducing and limiting the carbon footprint of the 6G system.
