In recent years, Axians, the VINCI Energies ICT brand, has developed solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of telecommunications towers and streamline their installation.
The 2050 zero carbon emissions target affects all sectors, and the telecoms infrastructure industry is no different. Three of the new innovative transmission tower types developed by Axians in recent years are: All In One (AIO) Tower, Nedea, and GreenTower. These new tower types are helping to drive the sector forward thanks to their rapid installation and low carbon emissions.
AIO Tower – the Olympic standard
“We installed 64 towers to ensure telecoms coverage for the Olympics in Paris.”
The All In One (AIO) Tower is a simple, fast and environmentally friendly solution for rolling out additional mobile networks in disaster locations and areas in need of enhanced mobile coverage (see Agile all-in-one telecoms infrastructure).
With a footprint of less than 5 sq. metres, it can reach a height of 12 to 25 metres, and can be installed in half a day on up to a 7% incline with no need for civil engineering or earthworks. Based reusable low-carbon concrete ballasts, it offers numerous environmental benefits, including the fact that it leaves no trace once dismantled.
“Since we started marketing AIO Towers in 2018, we have installed around 200, including a hundred in 2024 alone,” says Axel Marty, International Business Manager at Axians Services Infrastructures Solutions. “We installed 64 towers to ensure telecoms coverage for the Olympics in Paris, and another three in Marseille for the arrival of the Olympic Torch Relay”.
An upgraded, larger-scale version of the AIO Tower was released in late 2023. “We made the original model larger so it could reach 30 metres in height,” explains Axel Marty, “with a 36 sq. metre technical zone able to accommodate three telecoms operators on site, compared with two in the classic AIO models.” This model enables Axians to reach a new type of customer – the tower companies that manage telecoms infrastructure on behalf of the operators. In due course, Axians plans to export its AIO Towers to Europe and its overseas territories. Axians teams in Poland and Portugal have been provided with training on this new product. “We also have our sights set on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina,” adds Axel Marty.
Nedea – the optimised tower
In 2019, Axians Pylônes Services France designed a new type of lattice tower, dubbed Nedea, which makes innovative use of low-carbon concrete foundations (Portland cement with blast furnace waste) and optimised processes (less steel used, faster assembly requiring smaller lifting capacity, and the option to use alternative materials such as fibreglass and flax for accessories like doors and tower caps).
“We have also industrialised the design process,” explains Pierre-Jean Laborie, Business Unit Manager at Axians France. “We spent two months calculating customer needs in order to create a product range and establish a stock of spare parts. By optimising the engineering and the use of materials, the time saved, together with the reduced production costs, allowed us to adapt to the highly competitive market for towers.”
A new version of Nedea is currently under construction for an operator that required wider spacing at the top of the towers. “This new range will be more optimised and will meet all the operators’ needs,” says Pierre‑Jean Laborie.
GreenTower – the featherweight
GreenTower is a telecommunications tower built using 100% renewable energy. Its innovative steel design reduces its weight by up to 50% compared with conventional towers, and half of the steel plates required are made from recycled materials.
“The production site basically has its own 160 kW photovoltaic power system and can manufacture using exclusively green energy,” explains Domenico Scialli, Product Manager at Axians Switzerland. “The surplus electricity is sold back to the electric company. The weight saving is down to GreenTower’s polygonal profile, which offers greater stress resistance than conventional round tubing. And lastly, the recycled materials used are mixed in at the nearby steelworks from which the tower manufacturer acquires its steel.”
Another benefit of GreenTower is its simplified installation. “The linking parts can be assembled vertically, or horizontally on the ground, which makes the work easier and less hazardous,” says Domenico Scialli. “The tower can also be assembled in a workshop and transported completely to site, access routes permitting.”
By comparing 39 types of towers of different heights and different installation configurations, Axians Switzerland calculated that GreenTower emits 414.1 tonnes of CO2 in total, compared with 724.8 tonnes in total for round-tubing towers – a saving of 310.7 tonnes.
03/13/2025
