A Sustainable Telecom Sector: How AI & Data Can Help

Summary

Raquel Cathy Buck, Global Client Director at IBM, discusses the critical role of data and innovation in achieving sustainability goals within the telecom sector. She highlights the challenges telcos face in decarbonizing their operations, including lack of transparency, the need for cross-functional collaboration, and measuring ROI from sustainability investments. Key capabilities like optimizing network energy consumption, understanding energy sources, and leveraging data science through data fabrics can drive significant improvements. The conversation emphasizes how telecoms can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to global sustainability efforts using data-driven strategies.

Takeaways

• 😀 Telcos contribute 3-4% of global carbon emissions, double the emissions of civil aviation, making decarbonization crucial for the sector.
• 😀 Achieving sustainability in telecom requires overcoming challenges such as transparency, data science resources, and cross-functional collaboration.
• 😀 Telcos need to understand energy consumption across their networks to identify opportunities for energy efficiency, like putting underused towers into energy-saving modes.
• 😀 A data-driven approach is essential to balance customer experience with sustainability goals, such as managing service levels while optimizing energy use.
• 😀 Managing the energy mix is key for telcos, including tracking energy sources (renewable vs. carbon-intensive grids) to reduce costs and emissions.
• 😀 Data fabric technology can integrate data from multiple sources, allowing telcos to optimize energy usage without physically moving the data, making the process more efficient.
• 😀 A holistic, cross-organizational approach is needed to drive sustainability efforts in telcos, with input from various departments such as network, IT, and energy management.
• 😀 Sustainability efforts in telecom can also focus on the circular economy, with better management of e-waste and extending the lifecycle of telecom devices.
• 😀 Data insights can help telcos identify the most cost-effective, sustainable energy sources, helping balance high and low-carbon energy consumption.
• 😀 By analyzing the traffic on their networks and understanding energy consumption, telcos can make data-driven decisions to minimize waste and improve energy efficiency.
• 😀 Cross-functional teams and the democratization of data access through data fabric technology can significantly enhance a telco's sustainability performance and transparency.

Q & A

Why is sustainability important for the telecom sector?

Sustainability is crucial for the telecom sector because it contributes 3-4% of global carbon emissions, which is double the emissions from civil aviation. Achieving sustainability in this sector is essential for global decarbonization efforts.

What are the two main themes that Raquel identifies in addressing telecom sustainability challenges?

The two main themes are: (1) uncovering and understanding the challenges of sustainability through better data transparency, and (2) linking sustainability efforts to business performance by quantifying the return on investment for sustainability initiatives.

What barriers do telecom companies face in their sustainability efforts?

Telecom companies face challenges such as a lack of data science resources, a lack of understanding of which data is relevant, skill gaps in data science teams, and the need for cross-functional collaboration to tackle sustainability issues effectively.

How can telecom companies optimize energy consumption in their networks?

Telecom companies can optimize energy consumption by using data to identify when to reduce the energy usage of network towers. For example, they can put towers into energy-efficient modes or even 'sleep' them when traffic demand is low, thus reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

What is the importance of linking sustainability efforts to business performance?

Linking sustainability to business performance is important because it helps telecom companies understand the financial impact of sustainability efforts. By measuring the return on investment, companies can determine how their sustainability initiatives contribute to both their bottom and top lines.

What role does data transparency play in helping telecom companies become more sustainable?

Data transparency is key to driving sustainability initiatives because it enables telecom companies to monitor energy consumption, track performance across their network, and make informed decisions on optimizing energy use. Transparency ensures that all departments within the company can work together effectively.

How can telecom companies better manage the energy sources for their towers?

Telecom companies can improve energy management by gaining transparency about the energy sources powering their towers. This includes shifting from high-carbon energy sources to greener alternatives like solar or wind power, thereby reducing carbon intensity and operational costs.

What is a data fabric, and how does it support sustainability in telecom?

A data fabric is a technology that provides a logical view of data across various sources without physically moving the data. In telecom sustainability, it helps connect diverse data sources (e.g., network traffic, energy costs, and green energy options), allowing for more informed decisions on energy management and decarbonization efforts.

Can you give an example of how telecom companies can use data to optimize energy costs?

Telecom companies can use data from energy invoices to analyze energy costs across different sites. By integrating open data sets on green energy sources, companies can create a balanced energy mix, reducing reliance on high-carbon energy and optimizing overall energy costs.

What other sustainability-related issue should telecom companies consider, according to Raquel?

Raquel also mentions the circular economy and the management of e-waste as key sustainability issues for telecom companies. This involves handling the lifecycle of devices and equipment in an environmentally responsible manner to minimize waste and reduce environmental impact.