LAS VEGAS—Going green is great PR. But underlying the talk of carbon footprints, environmental friendliness and rosy images of fauna and flora lay shrewd, financially sound reasons for being eco-friendly.

The appeal of green goes straight to money, and that’s where Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has hit a sweet spot, says Chris Ebert, director of 4G strategic marketing for NSN’s North America region.

Ebert draws direct correlations between Nokia Siemens’ green technology, cost savings and its popularity with operators. Not surprisingly, Ebert points to Nokia Siemens’ award-winning, eco-conscious base station, the Flexi.

“When you think about the total equation of green, it’s not just about power consumption,” Ebert says. “It’s about what it really takes.”

The base station’s diminutive size and novel design allow it to fit in areas its gigantic peers could never dream of reaching, eliminating the need for costly heavy equipment. The Flexi can be carried by a single person, something only Superman himself could accomplish with the older base station models.

Right off the bat, operators can save on installation expenses and costs related to renting square footage for large base stations. The Flexi is software-upgradable, so there’s no need to bring out personnel and trucks when it’s time to update the network.

With traditional base stations, there is a bucket of costs the carriers have to budget for, Ebert says. “You have to find a place to put an 800-pound box. In metropolitan markets like New York, base stations might have to be moved every three years when the lease is up. [Budget personnel] are familiar with rates for helicopters and cranes.”

And don’t forget about the manpower costs of moving those base stations and upgrading network hardware, he adds. That’s where the Flexi’s appeal comes from, no matter how eco-friendly the base station is.

Like other eco-friendly technology solutions, the device offers up a smorgasbord of savings that instantly catch the attention of cost-conscious carriers. About 180,000 of the minute base stations are up and running now, a phenomenon Ebert attributes more to the base station’s potential for comprehensive cost savings than its reduced carbon footprint.