Innovation case study reports the journey of Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi base station
Sustainability experts from the IMD business school have created a Climate Innovation Case Study that documents Nokia Siemens Networks’ drive to push forward the carbon emission reduction agenda. The study was commissioned by the WWF Climate Savers program and developed with inputs from both the staff of Nokia Siemens Networks and WWF.
“Good green business sense begins with building and running an environmentally sustainable company, and innovations such as the Flexi base station prove this,” says Anne Larilahti, Environmental affairs, Nokia Siemens Networks. “The study reports the development the most environmentally friendly base station of its time. The journey is inspiring and will prove to be a good source of learning for our peers in the industry.”
The case study dates back to the launch of the Flexi base station in 2005, with a new model following in 2006 and a third one, the Flexi Multiradio, released in February last year. The Flexi base station’s key benefit for customers is its size, 80% smaller than the norm; it was redesigned from a bulky cabinet to the size of a carry-on airline baggage. This means 80% less material, 80% less resource consumption and CO2 footprint. In addition, over 90% of the materials used are recyclable.
“The new Flexi Multiradio base station consumes only 790 watts, the equivalent of a coffee- maker while the typical 2005 base station consumed 4,100 watts,” adds Larilahti. “This in an extremely interesting proposition for mobile operators, who in the last few years have been forced to shift priorities from growing revenues per user and increasing the number of subscribers to managing a rising energy cost.”
