Release Date

1Q 2010

Product Code

VM-GOWE-101

Price

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The greening of mobile networks is being driven primarily by the need to lower energy consumption and operating costs, from organizational as well as network infrastructure and equipment perspectives. In difficult economic times, operators that excel in lowering their carbon footprints not only gain from a moral and ethical standpoint but will also have a competitive edge in a market where differentiation between services is becoming more complex and revenues are flattening.

The Green Mobile Operator Matrix ranks operators on their environmentally friendly, clean technology initiatives principally focused around green network infrastructure, green network equipment, green handsets, and handset recycling. The matrix also considers green initiatives that are linked to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) such as green buildings/facilities, green IT infrastructure, green vehicle fleets, and teleworking as an internal initiative and as a service for business customers.

This matrix covers the activities of European mobile operators as well as the larger organizations that could include activities from the wireline sector of the business. Greater weight is given to operators that have provided data or indicated specific goals in order to back their claims of green initiatives.

The results of the study illustrate that innovation is the most important element for a carrier to be termed "green." Most European carriers do well implementing environmental and sustainable policies across their organizations. Most of them have internal processes, ISO 14001 EMS, and management structures in place to implement CSR policies. However what distinguishes carriers is their leadership ability in innovating and partnering with others in the industry to promote green energy-efficient technologies. Unlike their US counterparts, many of the top carriers in Europe have a good sense of how much energy is being consumed within their networks, and in fact disclose CO2 emissions based on standard protocols such as GHG or GRI. The challenge for the European carriers is that they are spread across multiple geographies and markets and have to balance regulatory obstacles and consumer mindsets along with climate changes and market dynamics.