Nokia has officially announced the launch of its brand-new sustainability calculator, which is designed to serve private wireless networks. According to certain reports, the stated tool comes bearing an ability to help companies gauge the actual benefits of using private wireless networks, as well as the new Industry 4.0 applications they enable. Going by the available details, possible benefits here may include improved operations, reduced costs and carbon emissions, and fewer workplace accidents.
Anyway, more on the new device would reveal how Nokia commissioned PwC to support the development of a Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator. Alongside that, the company leveraged its own experience in deploying private wireless networks for more than 760 industrial customers worldwide. The result was a technology capable of empowering businesses to use private wireless and reach their environmental and social objectives. Geared towards sectors like mining, manufacturing and port industries, this particular tool caters to the growing investor demand for transparency.
To further contextualize the importance of such a development, we must acknowledge how digitalization is critical when it comes to accelerating industry sustainability and helping enterprises achieve long-term growth. Having said so, it’s private wireless networks that seemed to provide high-performance connectivity for digitalization. These applications, once you pack them up with private networking and edge computing, have shown to significantly improve operational efficiency and contribute to sustainability goals.
“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. Nokia is helping industries go digital to become smarter, more automated, sustainable, and efficient. Our new Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator is the first of its kind, showing our private wireless networks can help businesses be more environmentally friendly,” said Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability at Nokia.
Talk about the benefits of deploying such a technology in more detail, they include reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In essence, a GlobalData and Nokia report found that more than 79% of surveyed enterprises saw a 10% or greater reduction in emissions after deploying private wireless solutions like drones, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and digital twins.
Next up, there is the incentive of improved worker safety. We get to say so because medium-sized manufacturing plants, that bank upon private wireless networks, stand a chance to achieve almost 35% decrease, on average, in health and safety incidents. This is largely because of remote machine control, which reduces worker exposure to hazardous environments. Beyond that, they can also save an upwards of $1.5 million in social costs. As for what these societal costs include, they are concerned with accidents, injuries, and illnesses, including healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and the impact on families and communities.
Rounding up highlights would be the potential for improved efficiency, as autonomous trucks powered by private wireless networks have historically delivered a 7% reduction in fuel consumption and wear and tear. Not just that, the supporting operations also became 10% more efficient, leading to reduced energy consumption and improved worker safety.
Among other things, we ought to mention that Nokia Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator boasts substantial undertones of PwC’s expertise in measuring and valuing impacts, and its Total Impact Measurement and Management (TIMM) framework to develop the environmental and social impact methodologies for private wireless networks.
Apart from that, it takes in data from multiple sources, including previous quantifications in other projects and network models to provide a comprehensive understanding of the private networks’ impact. This is followed up by model’s insights supporting users to identify opportunities, and therefore, enhance business operations, including improving equipment lifecycles, reducing transportation downtime and fuel consumption, and improved worker health considerations.
“Technology has a huge role to play in tackling social and environmental challenges. It is great to see Nokia using its expertise to support its customers to see the potential of private wireless in tackling issues such as health and safety and carbon emissions.” said Tom Beagent, Sustainability Partner at PwC UK.
