More energy efficient cities with  broadband technology 

What will next generation of broadband technology look like and how can it improve the environment? These are some of the questions answered in this interview with Jonas Mårtensson, scientist at Acreo.

• Hi Jonas, you are one of Acreos most prominent scientists within broadband technology. What is most up to date in your research area right now?

We work with several different parts of the network. Right now I focus on high speed transmission. As the Internet use increases every day we will need more capacity and higher speed to handle all information. Right now the highest speed on the market is 100 gigabits per second and channel / wavelength. What we hope to develop is a speed of 400 gigabits per second and channel. The purpose is to be able to send as much information as possible, as quickly as possible.

• What is the best part of your job?

As a scientist at Acreo you have the possibility to make a difference and to affect the future with your research. The industry and society can benefit from what we do.

• What is the biggest difference between being a scientist at a university and to work at Acreo?

We work closer to the industry and we have to limit our research in another way. We can’t focus on one thing for 20 years. We always have a deadline for what we do, because our research projects are customer focused. At the same time we cooperate with universities and have a good exchange of each other.

• In what way can research within broadband technology improve the environment?

In countless ways! As the Internet takes an increasingly larger part of total energy consumption, one important thing we do is to produce energy efficient high speed technology. Another thing is the area of smart homes where our research within broadband technology hopefully can make whole cities more energy efficient.

• What do you hope that your section has accomplished in five years and where are you heading then?

In five years we have high-speed products out on the market, based on the research we are doing now. And hopefully we are bigger and even better than we are now and on our way to spin off an exciting company within our field.