Asian Telcos Going Green
Asian telcos, in an effort to reduce costs, are placing greater emphasis on green IT this year, according to Ovum's senior analyst of telco operations Sally Banks. "Estimates suggest that telecom operators can achieve a 1- to 2 percent reduction in global carbon emissions by implementing green initiatives within their operations.
"…(T)he telecommunications industry is expected to enable other businesses to reduce emissions by up to five times this amount," she said, adding that improving brand perception is an additional benefit for telcos to go green.
Over in the Asia-Pacific region, Ovum has observed that mobile operators including those in Cambodia, China and Pakistan, have implemented solar powered infrastructure "as a way of not only lessening their impact on the environment but also reducing costs", said Banks.
Japanese telcos and the largest wireless operators have been most active in looking at ways to lower energy costs, according to Matt Walker, principal analyst at Ovum. However, energy management issue priorities differ depending on the type of operator, with wireless network operators, for example, most concerned with energy usage in base stations.
"Because of its vast size, China Mobile has [for example] focused lots of management attention at the energy efficiency of its network equipment," he explained.
According to a SingTel spokesperson, the company has been actively moving towards the reduction of its carbon footprint and management of energy use and waste. These initiatives are a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.
In its Australian operations, SingTel introduced a number of energy-saving initiatives, including solar-powered air-conditioning to an office, and its subsidiary Optus, through a combination of green initiatives and carbon reduction plans, achieved 50 percent carbon neutrality at corporate sites.
SingTel in 2008 received the Green Globe Award from the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change for its Macquarie Park facility, which is capable of recycling 92 percent of all waste material exiting the site, the spokesperson added.