Page 80 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2022

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

ARTICLE

Digitalization and Sustainability to Revolutionize Telecom

Energy Management

Global climate change, caused by increased CO2 and greenhouse
gas emissions is one of the most serious global concerns. The
primary source of these emissions is the energy sourced from
the use of fossil fuels and it is no surprise that telecom operators
are some of the biggest energy users in the world. Telecom
Towers and Data Centers constitute for more than 70% of energy
consumption in telecom sector. Overall, the current reality is that
telecom operators account for 2 to 3 percent of total global energy
demand.

“Telecom companies can find additional
opportunities to increase revenue and
enhance their contribution to environment
& society by reinvigorating the ESG
factors: Cost reduction, keeping customers

satisfied whilst lowering their impact on
the environment…all aspects must be taken
into account. In this sense, sustainability
is an important topic that should not be
disregarded.”

Sandeep Chandna With the rise of 5G technology and the expected increase in
network traffic, it is no surprise that telecom energy usage will
Chief Sustainability Officer skyrocket and the carbon footprint it leaves will grow, eventually.
Tech Mahindra As per industry estimates, 5G spectrum bands consume twice as
much energy as 4G’s, although they are said to be more energy-
efficient per gigabyte. The potential increase in data traffic (up
to 1,000 times more) and the infrastructure to cope with it in the
5G era could make 5G to, arguably, consume up to 2-3 times
as much energy. This potential increase in energy, coming from
a high number of base stations, retail stores and office space,
maintaining legacy plus 5G networks and the increasing cost of
energy supply – call for action.

80 NOVEMBER- DECEMBER 2022