SUSTAINABILITY IN TECH
SUSTAINABILITY IN TECH
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HOW CAN TELCOS HARNESS SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
― Telecommunication companies have transformed the way we connect with people around the globe. But what does it take for telcos to deliver innovative solutions that will meet the ever-changing needs of customers?
by BT
Telecommunication companies have transformed the way we connect with people around the globe. But what does it take for telcos to deliver innovative solutions that will meet the ever-changing needs of customers? How far will operators go before the world feels the environmental reverberations of their tech developments? The ecological impact and costs of technological advancements made by the telco industry might be more sinister than we think.
Impact on environment As the world emerges from the aftermath of Covid-19, the unprecedented demand for digital communications has compelled telco infrastructures into greater energy consumption. According to GSMA Intelligence, energy consumption accounted for 15 – 40 percent of telcos operating expenditure in 2021. And with global data traffic expected to grow around 60 percent per year, the industry’s share will grow further unless investments in energy efficiencies can offset the effect. Telco operators are significant contributors to both carbon emissions and waste. The energy-hungry infrastructure adopted by telcos required to cope with skyrocketing data traffic and the energy exigencies of broadband customers’ routers account for a majority of telcos’ carbon emissions. Apart from carbon emissions, digital waste is also a primary cause for a telco’s sizeable environmental footprint. A United Nations University study shows that Asia generated 24.9 million tons of e-waste in 2019, or 5.6 kg per capita, of which only 11.7 percent was documented to be collected and properly recycled. About 80 percent of e-waste is discarded in landfills, burnt or illegally traded every year, according to Global E-waste Monitor.
Implementing sustainable practices into business decision-making To limit the repercussions of their energy usage, telcos need to go above and beyond current capabilities to implement effective initiatives that will help them limit their environmental impact. Remote equipment monitoring and diagnostics enabled by telco services can help businesses maintain their hardware more efficiently while reducing emissions. By increasing the quality of these electronic devices, the amount of e-waste generated will also be reduced. Incorporating digital carbon calculators into devices will help to measure, monitor and reduce power and carbon
22 /orient-magazine.com
Issue 92 / May 2023