Sustainability assessment of 4G and 5G universal mobile broadband strategies

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the environmental sustainability of 4G and 5G universal mobile broadband strategies, quantifying their carbon emissions and impacts to inform SDG Goal 9.

Contribution

It provides the first ex ante assessment of the sustainability impacts of global 4G and 5G broadband deployment strategies.

Findings

5G has higher initial emissions than 4G but offers long-term sustainability benefits.

Universal broadband strategies can significantly influence global emissions.

Assessment informs policy decisions for sustainable digital infrastructure.

Abstract

With infrastructure systems lasting for decades, even centuries, there is growing need to assess sustainability impacts. However, compared to energy or transportation networks (which each contribute roughly one third of global emissions), broadband networks have arguably received less attention due to their much smaller footprint (~1.8-3.9% of global emissions). Nevertheless, many countries are looking to provide universal mobile broadband over the next decade to meet Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this paper evaluates the future sustainability impacts of providing either 4G or 5G mobile broadband, quantifying the carbon and other environmental emissions associated with each universal broadband strategy. This paper contributes the first ex ante sustainability assessment of global universal mobile broadband strategies aimed at delivering SDG Goal 9.