Consumption of Fiber Optic Communication
Per capita per year, performing at 50 Mbps, fibre networks consume 56 kWh compared to 88 kWh for DOCSIS – a carbon emission equivalent of 1. The higher the speed of connectivity, the greater the difference in energy consumption. Fiber-optic communication is a form of optical communication for transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. With the growing global deployment of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks driven by the demand for ensuring high-capacity broadband services, mobile network operators (MNOs) face challenges of excessive energy consumption (EC) of wired optical access networks (OANs). Cushman & Wakefield reported in its 2023 Global Data Center Market Comparison that the 11,000 data centers around the world used 7. 9 GW in 2022 and that all the extra energy used was expensive with utility costs rising by a median of 16 percent. Fiber optic networks, which form the backbone of modern communication infrastructure, present a significant opportunity for enhancing energy efficiency and reducing the overall carbon footprint of global communications.
Read More
