Nortel is greening the telecom sector with a new trial conducted with China Mobile that helps reduce radio network power consumption in GSM networks and delivers significant energy and cost-savings for mobile operators.

Nortel smart power management software enables network operators to switch off radio network equipment dynamically when there is no caller traffic being processed by the system. This can provide up to a 33% percent reduction in energy savings by reducing base transceiver station power consumption. This feature, combined with other enhancements made to Nortel's GSM technology, reportedly make today's Nortel GSM portfolio up to 50% more energy efficient than it was five years ago.

"As the cost of power and concern for the environment increases, continuous innovation in energy saving techniques is critical," said Graham Richardson, vice president and general manager of the CDMA/GSM business at Nortel. "In Nortel's labs we constantly look at how to deliver improved performance with less power input. Capabilities such as Smart Power Management reduce network OPEX and CO2 emissions while simultaneously enhancing operator profitability."

The SPM feature is available as a simple software upgrade to Nortel GSM radio base station equipment. Other enhancements recently made by Nortel to increase the overall energy efficiency of its GSM portfolio include hardware improvements to increase power amplification efficiencies, and optimization of BTS cooling systems.