In 2023, a total of 105.05 Terawatt Hours (TWh) of electricity was consumed by the world’s 1.55 billion installed base of residential Wi-Fi Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). This figure, the equivalent of the entire average annual energy usage of 6.82 million homes within the European Union (EU), represents a major source of energy demand that must be addressed if Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Wi-Fi CPE vendors globally are to fulfill their sustainability obligations. Yet, on its current trajectory, the annual energy consumption of Wi-Fi CPE is projected to more than double between 2023 and 2030, climbing to 215.14 TWh annually. This highlights the urgency for industry collaboration on improving the energy efficiency of Wi-Fi CPE.
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the question of sustainability within the Wi-Fi industry, including:
- Government regulation and industry initiatives on Wi-Fi sustainability
- Measuring the impact of broadband infrastructure on the environment
- Methods of improving energy efficiency
- Calculating the global energy consumption of Wi-Fi CPE
- Addressing Wi-Fi's sustainability challenge
- Profiles of WAA member companies
