Per Narvinger, head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson (pictured), highlighted the extraordinary gains in spectral and energy efficiency the mobile industry has made over the last ten years, with data traffic soaring 300-times while power consumption only grew 64 per cent.

Ahead of his participation in a session today on Evolving The Network For The Future, Narvinger noted 5G traffic is expected to jump fivefold in five years, making continued investment and innovation vital.

Digital infrastructure can be the most powerful tool to accelerate and enable operators and other industries to achieve their energy and sustainability goals, he stated, adding networks not only have to be sustainable themselves, but enable society’s sustainability goals as well.

Narvinger believes supporting bandwidth AI applications demand will become a primary competitive differentiator for operators, adding: “We’re only just beginning to touch the surface of AI and what it can do.”

He explained the development of more cloud-based and automated network elements provides a bridge to the enterprise market, creating a larger addressable market.

Ericsson is showcasing seven new 5G RAN products at MWC Barcelona, led by its flagship dual-band radio unit, which consumes 25 per cent less power and enables up to 50 per cent more output power compared with the current model.