As the world grapples with the pressing need for sustainable practices, the telecom industry is taking significant strides to reduce its environmental impact and promote green initiatives. In 2024, several key trends and innovations are shaping the path towards a greener telecom sector. Contact online >>
As the world grapples with the pressing need for sustainable practices, the telecom industry is taking significant strides to reduce its environmental impact and promote green initiatives. In 2024, several key trends and innovations are shaping the path towards a greener telecom sector.
Many telecom companies are aggressively moving towards renewable energy sources to power their operations. For instance, some telecom operators have already achieved 100% renewable energy usage, and many more aim to reach at least 50% by 2025. This shift is crucial as the telecom sector is a significant consumer of energy, and transitioning to renewables can substantially lower its carbon footprint (Deloitte United States).
In 2024, it is expected that the telecom industry will see a 2% reduction in its carbon footprint, equivalent to about 12 million tons of CO2e. This trend is likely to continue into 2025 with similar reductions anticipated (-).
A significant sustainability initiative involves phasing out older, less efficient technologies. The industry is moving away from copper wireline networks, which are energy-intensive and less reliable compared to modern fibre optics. Countries like Singapore have already completed this transition, and many European nations are expected to follow suit, aiming for substantial copper network retirements by 2025 (Deloitte United States).
Similarly, 3G networks, which consume more power relative to the data they handle, are being decommissioned. The shift to more energy-efficient 4G and 5G networks not only improves service quality but also reduces operational energy costs by around 15% (Deloitte United States).
The deployment of 5G technology presents both challenges and opportunities for sustainability. While 5G equipment can be power-hungry, new technologies such as Massive MIMO and beamforming enable higher efficiency. Innovations that allow 5G radios to enter sleep mode when not in use are expected to save significant amounts of energy, translating to gigawatt-hours of electricity and megatons of CO2e annually (Deloitte United States).
The overall commitment of the telecom industry to sustainability has shown promising progress. According to the 2023 Telco Sustainability Index, the industry improved its overall sustainability score by 9 points, driven by better customer enablement and enhanced transparency in reporting. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in recycling and waste management practices (BCG Global).
The telecom industry is at the forefront of adopting sustainable practices and technologies. From transitioning to renewable energy and phasing out inefficient networks to greening their vehicle fleets and optimizing 5G technologies, telecom operators are making significant contributions to global sustainability efforts. As these initiatives continue to evolve, the industry is poised to make even greater strides in reducing its environmental impact and supporting a greener future.
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Telecommunications operators face pressure to build out infrastructure that supports high-speed communications, all with environmental and sustainability concerns in mind. While many operators have pledged to support climate initiatives, the reality is some sustainability strategies are unattainable without additional changes.
Recent reports from GSM Association (GSMA) and ABI Research highlighted the initiatives that telecom operators are taking to tackle climate concerns and the challenges that stand in the way of progress.
As of 2022, 50 global operators have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint over the next decade -- up from 19 pledges in 2021, GSMA said in its 2022 "Mobile Net Zero" report. Additionally, operators making up 44% of global telecom revenue committed to net-zero targets by 2050.
A mobile connection releases about 59 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide each year. By comparison, a flight from London to Berlin releases 600 kg of carbon dioxide, according to GSMA. The organization estimated that mobile operators are responsible for about 490 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent -- a metric that measures emissions from various greenhouse gases -- per year, about 1% of total carbon emissions in 2021.
Within operator networks, the radio access network (RAN) consumes 73% of energy, while the core, data centers and operations use 13%, 9% and 5%, respectively, GSMA said.
A major component of reducing carbon footprint is optimizing energy consumption -- a goal seemingly at odds with operators'' needs to provide network infrastructure that delivers data at high speeds. But, while data traffic increased 31% in 2021, GSMA said electricity and associated carbon emissions increased only 5% and 2%, respectively -- indicating operators are making small gains with their sustainability initiatives.
Operators approach sustainability using various strategies. But, ultimately, the overarching goal is to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption.
According to ABI Research, operators calculate energy efficiency using the following metrics:
Below are some of the major sustainability initiatives among telecom operators.
More than 90% of operators'' operational carbon footprint is due to electricity used to power their networks, according to the 2022 ABI Research report"A Telco Sustainability Reality Check."
Operators can measure their carbon emissions by evaluating their greenhouse gas emissions based on three scopes:
Scope 1 emissions might include the operation of base stations using diesel, while Scope 2 emissions could include energy bought to heat or cool a building. Scope 3 emissions are harder for operators to calculate but consitute the largest percentage of emissions.
Operators can choose to disclose their carbon impact footprint to the Carbon Disclosure Project for transparency and accountability. In 2021, 60 mobile operators opted to disclose their information, with 2.7 billion operator connections receiving a top score, indicating the implementation of best practices, GSMA said. The climate impact information of another 2.8 billion connections was not disclosed, however.
Operators can reduce carbon emissions and optimize energy use by implementing renewable energy to power their networks. For example, instead of using diesel generators, operators might consider solar power, wind power, lithium-ion batteries and renewable electricity from a renewable source. Additionally, they could invest in wireless technologies and equipment that consume less energy.
But operators face some barriers in obtaining and implementing renewable energy, according to GSMA.
"The use of renewables depends on factors which are often beyond operators'' control, such as the local climate, country-level regulatory environment, grid availability and the price of renewable energy from the grid," the report said.
As AI and machine learning continue to mature, operators can deploy tools that provide useful information about energy use and network performance.
For example, Ericsson supports a use case where AI-enabled technologies provide KPIs about RAN performance and 5G degradation, the ABI report said. In another use case, Ericsson uses AI for advanced root cause analysis, looking at field operations, performance, cost savings, energy and carbon reduction.
In another example ABI cited, an urban area could use AI and machine learning tools to optimize power consumption for 5G cell sites throughout the day, adjusting levels for higher traffic during busier hours or slower times during the night or on the weekends.
However, while AI and machine learning can provide useful stats about energy use and network performance, that data doesn''t matter unless someone acts on it. And a shortage of AI talent among organizations could act as a barrier to actionable changes for the near future.
"The reality is that nothing will change just by collecting more information," the ABI report said. "Behavior change must happen to reach net zero."
Advances in cellular technology have led the industry to 5G, which offers low latency, high bandwidth and increased data rates for real-time use cases. But those capabilities come with a downside, as 5G is considered an energy-intensive technology.
According to ABI Research, 5G requires three times the number of base stations for the same coverage compared with LTE. The increase is because 5G has shorter signal propagation at higher frequencies and requires higher network densification -- or more cell sites for increased capacity.
Despite its high energy consumption, 5G is still more energy-efficient than legacy 2G, 3G and 4G networks. This efficiency is due to hardware and software changes, standardization around energy efficiency, power-saving features and a higher number of data units transmitted per kilowatt of energy, according to a Nokia test of 5G RAN power consumption.
While most operators have conducted 2G and 3G sunsets, many are still using legacy 4G infrastructure to run non-standalone 5G until they finish building their standalone 5G infrastructure. Until then, operators won''t fully realize the potential energy benefits of 5G.
"Improving energy efficiency of networks and realizing the potential of 5G will require retiring older, less energy-efficient networks," the GSMA report said.
Another way mobile operators -- and the providers and suppliers with which they partner -- can implement sustainable practices is with device management.
Similarly, telecom operators and networking vendors can improve product lifecycle management, supporting a circular economy. In a circular economy, products and devices, such as old switches and routers, are refurbished, reused and recycled to minimize waste.
Operators, vendors and enterprises can also implement virtualization and wireless network infrastructure to reduce dependence on physical devices, enable software upgrades and minimize supply chain emissions.
GSMA said operators and vendors can also consider the following best practices to support a more sustainable device lifecycle:
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