Sophia Antipolis, 30 November 2023

ETSI is pleased to announce a new White Paper developed by some of the members of its F5G Industry Specification Group, entitled “All-optical network facilitates the Carbon Shift”, highlighting the role of fibre networks as a key ICT enabler to meet the UN sustainability goals.

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an inevitable surge in the use of digital technologies and placed broadband networks as a key enabler for various digital applications in homes and businesses, including teleconferencing, online education, 4K / 8K ultra-high-definition video, VR / AR gaming, cloud computing, etc. Meanwhile, Industry 4.0, which focuses on digitizing manufacturing to improve operations, is generating vast amounts of data for decision-making and other operations such as predictive maintenance.

Deploying cutting-edge fibre optic technologies can help to achieve both the objectives of satisfying the changing needs of consumers and the need for telecom operators to reduce their carbon footprint by using technologies that consume less energy and last longer.

According to IDATE, by December 2023 there will be 887 million FTTH/B subscribers worldwide and 1 200 million FTTH/B homes connected. FTTH promises connection speeds of up to 1000 Mb/s, 20 to 100 times faster than a conventional cable modem or DSL connection.

The ETSI White Paper provides an overview of an all-optical network and the recent development of optical technologies. It also explains how innovations can help operators to support the sustainable development. The White Paper contains six main parts:

  • Part 1 introduces the climate change caused by global carbon emissions and the setting of carbon emission targets by countries around the world.
  • Part 2 shows the carbon emission in the ICT industry and key factors affecting carbon emissions related to transmission networks operation. It also discusses the latest advancement in optical technology.
  • Part 3 provides an overview of the current broadband market trends, covering data-heavy residential applications and digital transformations of enterprises.
  • Part 4 discusses how an all-fibre infrastructure contributes to achieving sustainable development by reducing energy consumption in fixed networks, as well as by helping industries to reduce carbon emissions. The section also provides quantitative forecasts of CO2 emissions reductions by 2030.
  • Part 5 provides a perspective on current evolution in China on FTTR and vertical industries.
  • Part 6 presents the document conclusions.

To know more, download the White Paper at the following link:

https://www.etsi.org/images/files/ETSIWhitePapers/ETSI-WP-60-All_Optical_Network_facilitates_the_Carbon_Shift.pdf

About ETSI

ETSI provides members with an open and inclusive environment to support the development, ratification, and testing of globally applicable standards for ICT systems and services across all sectors of industry and society. We are a non-profit body, with more than 900 member organizations worldwide, drawn from over 60 countries and five continents. Our members constitute a diverse pool of large and small private companies, research entities, academia, government, and public organizations. ETSI is officially recognized by the EU as a European Standardization Organization (ESO). For more information, please visit us at https://www.etsi.org/

 

ETSI Press contact:

Claire Boyer
Tel.: +33 (0)6 87 60 84 40
Email: claire.boyer@etsi.org