Smart Communications, a subsidiary of PLDT Inc., has deployed a new “green radio” solution across its network that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions.
“Smart’s nationwide network is supported with advance & intelligent functionalities maximizing operational efficiencies. Running the network constantly even when traffic is much lower, especially during evening hours, is costly and inefficient in the use of network resources. Our green radio innovation is proven to harness artificial intelligence to track activity on our network so that we can reduce the power consumption of our cell sites whenever they are not being fully utilized,” Radames Zalameda, head of Network Quality, PLDT and Smart said.
“This means that certain elements of a cell site are turned off when demand is low but are automatically switched on when demand comes back. Combined with Smart’s Self-Organizing Network (SON), this also enables us to adjust the capacity of the cell sites as needed to support data traffic,” he added.
Intelligent and automated shutdowns, sleep, adaptive power to traffic consumption and multilayer radio power optimization are among the newest eco-friendly innovations that Smart has implemented on its network to help cut its energy cost.
Piloted nationwide in 2023, the AI-powered solution enables remote and automatic adjustments to capacity and power usage depending on load conditions, which enables the company to consolidate and conserve radio resources. The solution is also radio coverage sensitive, which maintains network availability and is scalable with increased usage. It also has a time-based activation capability, allowing Smart to choose which time to turn the solution on or off, based on the traffic trend.
Over the last twelve months, because of implementing this green network innovation, Smart reduced power consumption by around 10,900MWH, equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from more than 1,690 gasoline-powered vehicles driven for a year or carbon dioxide emissions from electricity consumption of 920 homes for a year*. Smart continues its deliberate intent of higher energy usage savings with adoption of predictive and machine-learning capabilities in our mobile network this year.
“This initiative is a testament to PLDT’s longstanding commitment to embed sustainability practices into our operations as part of our drive to reach our sustainability goals while delivering leveled-up services to our customers nationwide,” Butch Jimenez, PLDT and Smart Network head said.
To support the PLDT Group’s decarbonization roadmap that aims to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, Smart’s mother firm, PLDT, recently secured a P1 billion Green Loan facility from HSBC Philippines to partially fund the ongoing nationwide modernization and expansion of its fiber network supporting internet delivery platforms. The group is also actively exploring integration of renewables, green technologies, and various energy optimization initiatives.
As of end-2023, Smart’s mobile network serves 97 percent of the country’s population. Supporting Smart’s mobile network is PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, the country’s most extensive.
