Nokia unveils private wireless sustainability calculator

Comms tech provider Nokia has launched a tool to help companies estimate the environmental and social benefits of using private wireless networks and the Industry 4.0 applications they enable.

Nokia believes digitisation is key to accelerating industry sustainability and enabling enterprises to achieve long-term growth. It said private wireless networks provide high-performance connectivity for digitisation, enabling new applications such as drone inspections, digital twins and real-time environmental monitoring. These applications, when combined with private networking and edge computing, improve operational efficiency and contribute to sustainability goals.

The Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator was initially been developed for mining, process manufacturing and port operator industries, with the aim of aiding businesses in using private wireless networks to reach their environmental and social objectives, catering to the growing demand from investors for transparency and helping enterprises reduce environmental footprint and improve worker safety. Key benefits of the calculator are said to include improved operations, reduced costs and carbon emissions, and fewer workplace accidents.

The Nokia calculator uses data from multiple sources, including previous quantifications in other projects and network models to provide a comprehensive understanding of the private networks’ impact. The model’s insights support users to identify opportunities to enhance business operations, including improving equipment lifecycles, reducing transportation downtime and fuel consumption, and improved worker health considerations.

Through this process, the calculator offers enterprises findings and insights to improve their business – from improved operational efficiencies, worker health and safety, potential reductions in costs and environmental footprint.

In creating the tool, Nokia commissioned PwC UK to support its development based on its “extensive” experience in deploying private wireless networks for more than 760 industrial customers worldwide. The calculator draws on PwC UK’s expertise in measuring and valuing impacts, and its Total Impact Measurement and Management (TIMM) framework, which is rooted in impact pathways, to develop the environmental and social impact methodologies for private wireless networks. 

A study Nokia published with GlobalData found that 79% of surveyed enterprises saw a 10% or greater reduction in emissions after deploying private wireless solutions such as drones, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and digital twins.

In the realm of worker safety, Nokia said medium-sized chemical manufacturing plants using private wireless networks can save approximately €1.4m in societal costs, assuming consistent production volumes, and witness an average 35% decrease on average in health and safety incidents.

These costs refer to the economic and social burdens associated with accidents, injuries and illnesses, including healthcare expenses, lost productivity and the impact on families and communities. This is due to factors such as remote machine control, which reduces worker exposure to hazardous environments.

Looking at improved efficiency, Nokia observed that autonomous trucks powered by private wireless networks results in a 7% reduction in fuel consumption and wear and tear. Additionally, operations became 10% more efficient, leading to reduced energy consumption and improved worker safety.

“Many physical industries are heavy emitters of greenhouse gas and haven’t had the opportunity to reap the full potential of digital technologies yet. To reach our climate goals, we need to speed up their digital transformation through the power of networking, AI and cloud,” said Nokia vice-president of sustainability, Subho Mukherjee.

“Nokia is helping industries go digital to become smarter, more automated, sustainable and efficient. Our Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator is the first of its kind, showing our private wireless networks can help businesses be more environmentally friendly. It’s a strong step towards quantifying what Nokia believes in – that there is no green without digital.”

PwC UK sustainability partner Tom Beagent added: “Technology has a huge role to play in tackling social and environmental challenges...Monetising impacts with frameworks like TIMM really help decision-makers to understand the social and environmental return on investment and the role technology can play in delivering on their sustainability goals.”