MWC Barcelona 2024 commenced today, showcasing a plethora of AI advancements. Among them, an AI robot at the etisalat by e& booth, a UAE state-owned telecom firm, warmly welcomed visitors. (2024 GSMA/MWC)
The global carbon emissions from mobile network operators saw a six percent decrease from 2019 to 2022, as per the fourth Mobile Net Zero report by GSMA, released today at MWC Barcelona 2024.
The report highlights regional variations in the reduction of operational emissions, with Europe leading with a 50 percent decrease. North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa also saw a decrease of 20-30 percent. However, operational emissions increased in China and the Asia-Pacific, despite a global decrease in emissions overall.
To achieve the mobile sector's target of reaching net zero by 2050, the industry must cut emissions to 45 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. This means a seven percent decrease in overall emissions, including Scope 1, 2, and 3, by 2030. The report notes that this target reduction rate has been exceeded for operational emissions in Europe, North America, Latin America, and MENA over the past three years.
Operational emissions fell despite a surge in data and connectivity demand, with mobile connections globally rising by seven percent and internet traffic more than doubling between 2019 and 2022. The industry's carbon reductions were driven by progress in energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.
John Giusti, chief regulatory officer at GSMA, commented that the mobile industry's commitment to net zero by 2050 is paying off, with global carbon emissions of operators continuing to fall despite increased demand for connectivity and data.
The GSMA also provided an update on its GSMA Open Gateway initiative, which aims to unlock the full potential of 5G networks through a framework of universal network APIs. Since its launch at MWC 2023, the initiative has seen significant growth, with 47 mobile operator groups, representing 239 mobile networks and 65 percent of connections worldwide, signing up.
The GSMA Open Gateway initiative is focused on accelerating the growth of digital services and apps by ensuring seamless integration with participating networks worldwide. To tackle online fraud and cybercrime, the initiative is first focusing on providing authentication for secure customer online transactions, with several operators launching anti-fraud APIs in various markets.
The GSMA director general, Mats Granryd, emphasized the importance of nurturing and growing the initiative in 2024 to provide ubiquitous access to enterprise developers and cloud providers. Research by McKinsey suggests that initiatives like GSMA Open Gateway can unlock significant value for the telecommunications industry and businesses using 5G networks, with a forecasted additional market opportunity of US$300 billion by 2030 if more network APIs and innovations are exposed to enterprise developers and cloud providers.
