Communications service providers (CSPs) are gaining more motivation to implement sustainability initiatives, both due to customer requirements as well as financial benefits. Enterprise customers are increasingly prioritizing sustainability in their requests for proposals (RFPs) to CSPs, and CSPs have observed a notable change with sustainability evolving from a secondary consideration for their enterprise clients to a core strategic focus.
While sustainability efforts are not new to CSPs, the need for innovative, sustainable solutions becomes increasingly urgent as the demand for global telecommunications services grows. Due to this trend, CSPs are developing initiatives to adopt renewable and environmentally friendly technologies. These technologies will promote environmental sustainability while also significantly reducing energy expenditures and other costs, and improving CSPs’ network performance.
Leading service providers have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, a goal supported by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). In addition, many have set ambitious targets for emissions and waste reduction, along with reduced energy consumption. Among them:
- AT&T: Aims to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by scaling its renewable energy use, accelerating network optimization and energy efficiency projects, and transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles. The goal is to become carbon neutral across global operations by 2035.
- Verizon: Has committed to increase energy efficiency across its operations and power its business with 50% renewable energy by 2025 – on the path to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
CSPs are actively enhancing their environmental performance by implementing eco-friendly strategies and practices including the following.
Energy Efficiency
CSPs are increasingly embracing renewable energy to power their network infrastructure. By utilizing sources like solar and wind power for their equipment, they are significantly reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. CSPs are actively working to minimize their carbon footprint and combat climate change through adoption of clean energy solutions. This shift to renewable energy sources is a crucial component of a comprehensive sustainability strategy, highlighting their commitment to environmental responsibility.
According to its press release, T-Mobile is the first and only US provider to create a plan to source 100% of its total electricity usage with renewable energy. T-Mobile has made significant investments in wind and solar power to match its entire electricity consumption with renewable energy generation.
CSPs are also creating and managing network systems that minimize power usage across devices and data centers. This approach seeks to optimize energy consumption in network hardware like routers, switches, servers, and wireless access points. The goal is to reduce overall energy requirements while preserving or improving network performance and reliability.
In addition, CSPs are also implementing sustainable practices such as upgrading to energy-efficient hardware, improving power usage effectiveness (PUE), utilizing network functions virtualization (NFV) to decrease physical infrastructure needs, and exploring innovative cooling technologies.
Electronic Waste Management
The global accumulation of electronic waste, or e-waste, is rapidly accelerating. According to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the world produced 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste in 2019, a 21% jump from 2014 levels. Without intervention, this amount could double by 2050. Unfortunately, only 17% of e-waste is recycled properly. Improper e-waste disposal and recycling results in environmental and health risks, and the loss of valuable resources (gold, silver, copper) that could be recovered and reused. Proper e-waste management is necessary to protect the environment, human health, and recover valuable resources.
Sustainable practices in product design, manufacturing, and disposal help to address e-waste management. For example, modular design allows for easier disassembly and component replacement, which will extend the lifespan of products facilitating repair and recycling efforts. This approach helps CSPs reduce their ecological footprint and supports a circular economy.
Similarly, choosing recyclable or biodegradable materials for products facilitates eco-friendly disposal, reducing e-waste in landfills. By integrating sustainability into product design, CSPs support a circular economy and shrink their ecological impact.
- Apple has several initiatives that focus on recycling and circularity, including using more sustainable materials, selling refurbished devices, and having a recycling robot.
Recycling Programs
Establishing effective recycling initiatives is crucial for CSPs and their suppliers in addressing the e-waste challenge. Developing comprehensive programs enable customers to safely discard outdated devices, preventing them from ending up in landfills. Meanwhile, offering incentives such as price reductions or complimentary recycling services for devices can boost participation and foster responsible e-waste handling.
- Samsung: Aims to use recycled resin in 50% of plastic parts by 2030. By 2050, the goal is to incorporate recycled resin in all plastic components, showcasing a long-term commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices.
CSPs and equipment vendors can also work to collaborate with accredited recycling centers ensuring appropriate processing, reducing the environmental impact. These recycling efforts play a crucial role in advancing a more sustainable, circular economy by completing product life cycles.
Software Innovation
Network operators are leveraging three key software innovations to decrease energy consumption and CO2 emissions. They include:
- Software-Defined Networking (SDN): Utilizing open application programming interfaces (APIs) enhances operators’ visibility and control over existing network assets. This includes improved traffic engineering capabilities such as bandwidth-on-demand. By maximizing the use of multi-layer and multi-vendor networks, CSPs can optimize their hardware requirements and reduce associated energy consumption. When open APIs are combined with dynamic inventory capabilities, they facilitate the identification of equipment for decommissioning or replacement.
- Virtualized Services: Technologies, like 5G, allow operators to utilize Cloud-based Network Functions (CNFs) running on data center servers, rather than multiple physical network devices. This approach eliminates numerous power-intensive devices throughout the network.
- Intelligent Automation: CSPs are moving away from siloed legacy operations support systems (OSS), which are often inefficient due to system and process duplication, manual tasks, and human error. CSPs are adopting orchestration, analytics, and machine learning (ML) to automate network and service operations. This transition toward “zero-touch” networks, powered by a cloud-native and automation-optimized OSS stack, substantially improves CSP workforce productivity and reduces energy consumption.
In summary, CSPs recognize the importance of their role in global sustainability. Their efforts include reducing carbon emissions through the adoption of renewable energy sources, implementing circular economy principles to minimize waste, and investing in sustainable software technology. Looking to the future, sustainable practices in the industry are expected to evolve and expand. Innovations in clean technology, such as advancements in renewable energy, sustainable materials, and waste management solutions, will continue to drive progress.
CSPs can expect an increased emphasis on transparency and accountability, with more rigorous reporting and measurement of environmental impacts. Consumers will likely demand even greater sustainability from companies as awareness of climate change and environmental issues grows. As a result, CSPs will need to invest in more green technologies and sustainable business models, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient industry.
