The world of telecommunications recently gathered in Barcelona, Spain, for the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Among them was the South African flagship MTN, which made a big splash by signing a partnership with the Swedish group Ericsson to promote “sustainable development, digital skills and education in Africa”.
As part of this collaboration, Ericsson will provide “its sustainable, cutting-edge products and solutions that optimise network efficiency, reduce energy consumption and minimise network waste”, says the South African group. MTN and its Swedish partner see this collaboration as part of their contributions to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG17) on international cooperation in support of the SDGs.
The urgent need to decarbonise the telecoms sector
“By adopting a cooperative approach, we will have a positive impact on the environment, empower communities to develop their digital skills and contribute to a more sustainable Africa,” explains Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group’s Head of Sustainable Development and Corporate Affairs. The telecoms company, which is majority-owned by Standard Bank, sees the partnership agreed at MWC 2024 as part of its Road to Zero commitment, a move towards “zero emission telecoms by 2040”.
Read also- NIGERIA: Empower finances $13 million to solarise telecommunications masts
To achieve this, the mobile phone company, which operates in 18 African countries, is stepping up initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of its activities, in particular by solarising the network towers it operates and its branches. Its South African subsidiary recently inaugurated a 700 kWp solar farm at its headquarters in Johannesburg.
Necessary initiatives to decarbonise the digital sector. According to the IEEE Computer Society, telecommunications companies are responsible for between 1.6% and 2% of global carbon emissions. However, with the growth of data centres in this sector, these companies alone will use up to 8% of the world’s electricity by 2030.
Jean Marie Takouleu