The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association has long been at the forefront of the exploding wireless/cellular industry and this week took significant strides forward in helping to further the green dialogue within the industry at this week’s CTIA convention in San Francisco. Most folks have no clue that the Telecoms industry in the US, both wireline and wireless, is now over $900 Billion per annum, and eats up an estimated 3%-5% of ALL the power produced in the country. What does that spell? O-p-p-o-r-t-u-n-i-t-y!
The first Green Telecom & IT Summit at CTI was well attended, with operators, equipment manufacturers, infrastructure providers and a host of other areas of the industry represented. Our presentation centered around the massive opportunity that telecoms has to help mitigate climate change, using technology to help reduce travel, commuting, and thus power used for the workplace, automation of industry. On the flipside of the coin, was to start looking at that 3%-5% and how we can reduce the physical footprint of telecoms, as well as comprehensive recycling of old gear – – I will say that no other industry is so far behind in the sustainability movement and has so much opportunity at the same time – what’s needed is for the big guys to get it and start pushing consumers and businesses to change their habits by looking at telecoms as a way to help green their lives.
Speakers at the Green Summit included representatives from British Telecom, Sprint, Nokia Siemens Networks, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the Carbon Disclosure Project – an impressive group for sure demonstrating that there is indeed a groundswell in the industry, but the voices are still to faint. Telecoms needs to take a page out of the building industry’s playbook and the massive change that has taken that industry by storm through the USGBC, LEED and other developing tools such as Green Globes. We’re pushing with everything we’ve got on this one and see it as possibly our greatest contribution to help get more wind in the sails and help the telecom industry to step up and take a leadership role in climate change. Check out the CTIA: www.ctia.org
In the light,
Matt
Posted in: Events
