Consultancy J. Gold Associates estimated US operators could cut the electricity requirements for mobile sites by as much as 40 per cent by transitioning to newer hardware and next-generation chips, a potential boost for ongoing environmental initiatives.

Jack Gold, president and principal analyst at the company, told Mobile World Live it arrived at the figure after talks with Ericsson, which provided estimates for current power usage as a baseline.

The analyst developed a model based on CTIA estimates the total number of cell sites in the US stood at 417,215 sites at the end of 2020.

Ericsson claimed new hardware implementations including virtual RAN, improved power management using AI analysis and tools, and new chipsets could dramatically cut power consumption.

In a report, the consultancy noted it could take a while to achieve a 40 per cent reduction as site updates will take several years, but added there still would be incremental benefits during the upgrade cycle.

US cell sites use a total of almost 21 million MWh of power per year, equivalent to the average consumption of almost 2 million households.

In addition to the operational benefits for operators, Gold noted potential benefits for the US electric grid including lowering greenhouse gas emissions from the generating process.

Each 10 per cent reduction in total cell site power would result in enough electricity to power the equivalent of 195,000 households, while the 40 per cent reduction would be enough for almost 782,000.