Renewable energy will be one of the major ways mobile network operators (MNOs) will reduce their carbon emissions over the next decade.
However, this will be a big challenge for other parts of the world, such as Africa and Latin America, said Steven Moore, head of climate action, GSM Association.
Moore was among the speakers at Huawei’s Day0 Forum 2022, hosted on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022.
MNOs, mostly in Europe, have set ambitious targets; however, “in Latin America, Africa and in Asia, it can be difficult to access renewables in many markets. Renewable is more expensive because of fossil-fuel subsidies, and in some countries it’s just not possible to buy renewable electricity,” he explained.
Hervé Suquet, Orange Group energy senior vice-president, also noted challenges around access to green energy in Middle and Africa, when detailing issues on the road to achieving net zero emissions.
The ICT industry, through the International Telecommunication Union, is targeting 2030 to reduce carbon emissions by 45%. In addition, at last year’s United Nations climate conference, COP26, countries increased their ambition to limit global heating.
Resultantly, there’s been a big increase in commitment and investment in the renewable space in recent months, Suquet pointed out.
“For example, Verizon and AT&T have both signed eight power purchase agreements, with Verizon aiming to use 50% of the energy they use coming from renewables by 2025.
“We have some European operators such as Vodafone and Telia that have already announced they are using 100% renewable energy electricity in certain markets.”
Moore said, to date, almost 50 operators are committed to cutting their carbon emissions rapidly over the next decade. Furthermore, around half have gone even further, committing to be net zero by 2050 or even before.
He pointed out that European operators Orange and Telefónica have committed to be net zero by 2040 as part of the European Green Digital Coalition.
“We’ve seen a massive acceleration in ambition over the last year. But the targets are not just for operators to reduce their own emissions; it also includes their supply chains. It will mean working closely with Huawei and others to achieve their goals.”
MWC 2022 is taking place in Barcelona, Spain, until 4 March.
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