In-building equipment vendors are moving toward prioritizing green and sustainability aspects in their development plans and investing in various technologies to improve their product efficiency. According to a new report from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, key actions include smart features to save energy; solutions supporting multi-band and multi-operator; software to reuse existing architecture; new materials that are more energy efficient; intelligent sensing and macro-micro coordination. All these have proven to be highly effective in enabling vendors to provide more green systems.

“Efficiency of in-building wireless has become a key concern for wireless communication and building design industries. For peak energy efficiency, building structures need to be as wireless friendly as possible,” explains Fei Liu, 5G and Mobile Network Infrastructure Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

Today, most network operators still focus on macro network deployment, but enterprises are already deploying 5G indoor solutions on their private networks. 5G enables enterprises to accelerate smart development (smart manufacturing, smart warehouses, smart transportation, and smart hospitals) and promote digital transformation, which is a critical step toward a fully green journey. Liu adds, “Greener in-building systems help enterprises to be green in the design and deployment phases. To ensure the building is greener, they need to ensure the operating stage is green by having an energy generation plan or Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in place that use 100% renewable energy.”

“Enterprises should migrate to the latest technology to reduce the per bit power consumption,” Liu recommends. “The next generation of in-building networks should also encompass a building information management system and energy management system.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s Sustainable In-Building Cellular Networks application analysis report. This report is part of the company’s 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present an in-depth analysis of key market trends and factors for a specific technology.