Beyond Speed: sustainability with a 6G future-back design

When we talk about sustainable development, we are aiming for “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” as outlined in Brundtland report in 1987. Sustainability is commonly described in three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic.

Environmental sustainability carries the greatest importance as it encompasses all ‘natural capital’, meaning all living forms (including us), the raw materials and all natural assets and cycles associated with land, water and air. A healthy and diverse environment needs to be maintained if society and economies are to thrive.

Unfortunately, the environment is under threat from human exploitation, pollution and rising levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) that are generated from burning oil, gas and coal to power our homes and industries. While many countries and companies are trying to move to renewable energy sources, soaring energy demand across all industries means that fossil fuels remain the primary energy source. The result is that higher concentrations of GHG are heating land and water temperatures. Droughts and floods are more frequent and extreme and this impacts where crops can be grown and where people can live safely. In fact, many businesses see climate change as a top risk to their operations (ESG Materiality). They are also developing net-zero strategies to decarbonize their operations and minimize the risk they pose to the environment, in line with the double materiality assessment required by regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Chinese Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS).

Rising energy costs, climate change, and evolving ESG regulations aimed at achieving net zero and aligning with the 1.5°C trajectory of the Paris Climate Agreement are presenting key strategic priorities for Communication Service Providers (CSPs), driving the need for innovation and transformation. At the same time, infrastructure resilience is under strain as climate change and socio-economic volatility threaten energy supplies and network stability.
Technology is central to this transition. By enabling decarbonization, decoupling energy demand from growth in data traffic and building resilience, it can help industries chart a sustainable path forward. 6G, designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind, has the potential to be a key enabler, supporting net zero and circular pathways across its entire lifecycle, from design and production to deployment, use, and end-of-life (EOL).

Figure 1: 6G will be a critical enabler of net-zero strategies 

Sustainability by design offers a way to weave key sustainability considerations directly into the design process of any system and its surrounding context. A system that embeds guiding principles and enabling features from the outset is far more likely to perform effectively and resiliently than one that relies on aftermarket add-ons to mimic those capabilities later.

At its core, the SbD framework builds on the concept of future-back design. It begins by systematically recognizing the characteristics of the future context and destination (e.g., the 2030s will be different from the 2010s or 2020s), and then defining the guiding principles needed today to ensure that designs can meet the challenges of tomorrow.
 

To address the challenges outlined above, Nokia has applied the SbD framework in the context of 6G system design.

This approach has led to the definition of five SbD principles that embed environmental, social, and economic responsibility directly into the design and architecture of 6G networks, devices, and data centers, ensuring that sustainability is addressed across the entire lifecycle. These principles were first introduced in Nokia’s contribution to the 3GPP 6G workshop held in South Korea in March 2025.

Figure 2: The five sustainability-by-design principles for 6G

1. Energy efficiency and GHG reduction 
   At the core of these principles is energy efficiency and GHG reduction, aiming to lower energy consumption in both networks and user equipment (UE) while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. This principle is especially critical as we work toward net-zero targets in the coming decades. With many ICT industry stakeholders committing to achieve net zero by 2040 at the latest, 6G deployment in the 2030s must actively contribute to this goal.
2. AI sustainability
   While it is clear that AI will be part of 6G deployments, it is imperative that the environmental impacts of AI (e.g. energy, resource and water usage) are responsibly balanced with the sustainability and efficiency gains from AI’s usage. This principle also includes the trustworthiness and compliance readiness of AI processes, resources and datasets.
3. Hardware efficiency
   Approximately 80% of material impact and cost originate from design requirements. This third principle - hardware (material resource) efficiency - promotes modularity, scalability and resource sharing. To reduce material waste and sustain a longer system lifetime, this principle also emphasizes higher utilization, for example through shared hardware and common resources such as compute capacity.
4. Resilience and climate change adaption 
   Networks must be resilient to prolonged extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, flooding, storm-force winds, and wildfires, which can cause power fluctuations and outages. In addition to these increasingly frequent environmental impacts, volatile social, economic, and political conditions make adaptability essential for maintaining reliable communications infrastructure in an unpredictable world.
5. Value-oriented design and operations
   We must design 6G technology around value-driven user requirements and inclusive access, focusing on use cases that deliver benefits for industries, individuals, and the planet while advancing digital literacy and social equity. T This vision includes 6G connectivity as a driver of industrial decarbonization through automation, as well as remote access solutions that enhance health and safety.

While all these five principles need to be addressed to ensure that 6G embeds sustainability into its design, we are going to unfold three principles in more detail.  

Network efficiencies have improved, but this has not resulted in a net reduction in energy consumption. This makes it essential for 6G to cut energy use and emissions across the entire network and device lifecycle. While new technologies are expected to be more energy efficient, we must also guard against the “rebound effect” of increased energy demand.

Many CSPs are transitioning to renewable energy sources, but this alone does not reduce energy consumption or fully decarbonise operations. Even with “24/7 carbon-free” networks, the industry must still contend with the energy and emissions linked to manufacturing and powering billions of mobile devices. This underscores the need to apply sustainability principles not only to network infrastructure but also to UE in 6G design.

On the network side, the radio access network (RAN) typically accounts for about 80% of energy consumption in the use phase, so initial strategies should focus on upgrading legacy RAN technologies. 

It is equally important to reduce energy consumption during idle periods and to avoid over-engineering networks solely for peak capacity and performance. CSPs can leverage AI-enabled, embedded smart tools, machine learning and analytics to automate and optimize features such as cell site sleep, rapid activation/deactivation of non-critical functions, efficient allocation of network and service resources, and detection of anomalies at sites with unusually high energy use. When deploying new networks, 6G design also allows CSPs to use digital twin solutions to model and validate network performance, energy consumption, emissions, and service quality.

By integrating these smart features into 6G design, CSPs can deploy and operate networks that consume less energy and generate fewer GHG emissions. The ultimate goal is to reduce the total energy consumption and GHG emissions across an entire multi-RAT (radio access technology) network with 6G. 

In an era where climate change and geopolitical instability are reshaping the global landscape, the resilience and adaptability of our communication networks have never been more critical. At the forefront of this transformation is the integration of redundancy, resiliency and recovery mechanisms within and across networks. For example, with advanced disaster anticipation and recovery strategies, we can ensure that our infrastructure remains robust against natural disasters and geopolitical disruptions. This approach safeguards service continuity while strengthening overall network reliability.

As we navigate the complexities of network disruptions, adaptive traffic and service handling become essential. Innovative design enablers are crucial for maintaining service delivery even when a significant portion of the network is compromised. By prioritizing subscriber and traffic management during such events, critical services can remain operational, albeit at reduced capacity, minimizing the impact on end-users. 

Looking ahead, deploying 6G technology in a world potentially 2°C warmer by 2040 presents both unique challenges and opportunities. 6G design cannot assume the same environmental and operational conditions as its predecessors. In times of socio-political volatility, ensuring the security and dual-use capabilities of networks is paramount. This calls for a strategic approach to design and deployment, integrating security and privacy considerations into every aspect of network planning and operation. By doing so, we can create networks that are resilient to both environmental and geopolitical challenges, ensuring their reliability and security in an uncertain world. 

New technologies are typically designed and promoted for their performance gains: higher speeds, greater throughput, and lower latency. However, 6G must be approached through a sustainability lens with a human-centric component. Rather than focusing solely on technical key performance indicators (KPIs), its development should be guided by societal, economic, and environmental key value indicators (KVIs) around diverse sustainability aspects. The goal is to deliver technology enablers that not only drive industry innovation but also create a positive impact for society and the planet. 

As 6G use cases and design choices are evaluated, their long-term sustainability implications and societal value must remain central. For example, it should help improve digital literacy, and extend and support access to public information, health, financial and educational services. This ensures that technological progress aligns with broader environmental and social objectives, fostering a more inclusive and responsible digital future.

6G will enable greater societal and economic sustainability by integrating terrestrial networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) to extend coverage into rural and remote regions, providing a lifeline for areas such as deserts or sparsely populated countryside. 6G network-based positioning can offer low-latency and precise location services without relying on energy-intensive and less secure GPS. Its adaptive capabilities could make a wide range of applications more affordable. From a social perspective, improved connectivity can help reverse rural depopulation, where communities have been left behind as people move to cities for work and services. High-speed, reliable networks can bring digital services and economic opportunities to these areas, attracting younger generations and professionals seeking more affordable living and a better quality of life.

When seen as a whole, 6G targets sustainability aspects both in its own technological lifecycle (“Sustainability in 6G”) and for its application across industries (“6G for sustainability”). 6G can contribute to nearly all the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), directly or indirectly, and benefit people, planet and the economy. This pervasive impact, and associated potential benefits or risks, are currently being considered in the 3GPP ecosystem, starting from SA1 working group when defining use cases and service requirements of 6G.

Figure 3: Sustainability aspects for 6G mapped to UN SDGs

Nokia is committed to promoting its sustainability-by-design approach into emerging international standards from ITU, ETSI (CEN/CENELEC), ISO, IETF, and the 6G standards currently under development in 3GPP.

We are also the lead partner in the EU Sustainability Lighthouse research project, SUSTAIN-6G, collaborating with 25 partners from ICT, industry, and academia. The consortium aims to identify technical enablers for more sustainable 6G networks, explore how 6G can advance sustainability in vertical applications, and develop guidelines and best practices for 6G design and deployment. Essentially, the project addresses sustainability across environmental, societal, and economic dimensions.

With commercial 6G expected in the early 2030s, we have a unique opportunity to shape its foundations with purpose. By embracing a sustainability-by-design approach from the start, the mobile ecosystem can become a powerful enabler of a more sustainable future. The next generation of mobile technology isn’t just about delivering higher technical performance; it’s about creating greater value for businesses and society while reducing energy consumption, cutting carbon emissions, and enhancing resilience. In 6G, sustainability can no longer be an afterthought - it must be its beating heart!
 

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

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