Investing in climate adaptation strategies

The telecom industry faces a tough challenge: providing power-saving dependable services that reduce the overall carbon footprint, while adapting to the extreme weather events that are already happening due to climate change.

Adapting to climate change has been and will continue to be an important deliverable for the industry, but the increase in extreme weather events means that telecom companies must go the extra mile. Our services are very important during crises, such as natural disasters, when connectivity can be a matter of survival. Telecommunication services form an important part of a nation’s emergency preparedness.

Improving infrastructure, emergency planning

To tackle this challenge, telecom companies are investing in climate adaptation strategies such as fortifying infrastructure, improving backup power systems such as batteries and solar panels, and always having updated emergency response plans. Telenor R&I has contributed to the use of analytics to monitor the health and power reserve in batteries.

In Norway, Telenor has systematically increased the robustness of power and fibre connection to our base stations. These measures help safeguard telecom infrastructure and ensure that customers can stay connected, even during extreme weather events, when communications are crucial.

In addition, Telenor is taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint and save energy. The transition away from fossil fuels means that the demand for green energy will increase, making energy savings a critical focus for the industry. By adopting energy-saving practices, using more efficient equipment and exploring renewable energy sources, telecom companies not only reduce their impact on the environment but also save costs and resources.

Reducing Telenor’s own environmental footprint

Telenor Group’s ambition is to meet our science-based climate targets within 2030, by reducing our own emissions, and asking our suppliers to set science-based climate targets of their own. To do this, we are phasing in renewable energy, and investing in solutions based on technologies such as AI, 5G and advances in connectivity.

Another aspect of the impact of our operations, is that our communication services enable the choice of climate-friendly alternatives throughout societies, for example choosing video conference meetings to avoid the carbon emissions of travel.

"We are undergoing a massive transformation, making systems smarter and more climate-friendly," says Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke. "AI can help make our systems more efficient, allowing us to save on energy consumption. For instance, we currently use AI to optimise the networks and make them more energy efficient," he says.

AI is predicted to support an annual energy savings in the mobile network of around 8 to 10 per cent.

Green Radio project

In Telenor’s ‘Green Radio’ project in Denmark, we focused on using data-driven methods and artificial intelligence to reduce power consumption, and thus CO2 emissions, from the electricity that powers cell tower radios, which are the biggest contributor to telecom operators’ carbon footprint. Through the project, it was shown that we could more than double the saving effects of using sleep-mode functions on the 4G network. This led to a reduction of CO2 emissions in Denmark, and this is only the beginning.

Steadily increased performance

With ever-increasing performance based on the application of AI, the algorithms will continue to get better and will improve results further.

Ultimately, the telecom industry must deliver dependable services in addition to adapting to the effects of climate change. By investing in both climate adaptation and energy-saving initiatives, telecom companies can continue to meet the growing demand for connectivity while also making a positive impact on the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change.