Energy & Sustainability

An interesting take on the issue of how to manage energy-hungry data centres comes from Burkina Faso, where plans have been proposed to launch a data centre powered in an unusual way.

Namibia has joined the growing list of southern African countries where power outages have affected telecom networks and services.

Ericsson announced on Sunday that Jordanian telco Umniah will deploy its artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to reduce energy consumption across its network operations, following a successful proof-of-concept (PoC).

A telecoms lobby group in Zambia has warned that lengthy power blackouts caused by load shedding over the past year is taking its toll on the quality of mobile services across the country.

Indonesian telco Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison announced on Thursday that it has launched a new suite of AI-powered, cloud-based solutions specifically geared to help Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas industry become more sustainable.

Indian data centre provider Nxtra by Airtel has joined the RE100 initiative and said it has committed to sourcing 100% renewable energy.

Thai energy company Gulf Energy Development announced on Friday it has launched an initiative with local telco AIS and the Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI) to build up solar-powered infrastructure in Thailand’s remote mountainous regions.

ZTE Corporation, a global leading provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions, recently released the company's Sustainability Report 2023, detailing its strategies, actions and progress in green innovations, social contributions and corporate governance.

The volume of data centre launch news items may perhaps only be matched by news of initiatives to mitigate the power demands of this fast-growing industry. One such this week involves Asia-focused data centre platform company Digital Edge (Singapore) and Peak Energy Investments, a leading renewable developer and independent power producer with operations across Asia.

Telecommunications operator and ICT provider Ooredoo Qatar has announced what it calls its pioneering Clean Energy – Super Hybrid programme.

It seems Vietnam’s success as a manufacturing base may be challenging its ability to power growth. Some reports are suggesting that Vietnamese officials have called on Apple supplier Foxconn to reduce power use by 30% at its assembly plants in the north of the country, an area that suffered power outages last year.

A potentially significant announcement – made last week but only now being widely reported – is MTN Rwanda’s claim that it is pioneering the introduction of paper-based biodegradable SIM cards in that country.

Data centre provider Princeton Digital Group (PDG), says it has has secured its first US$280 million 'green loan' for its 150MW AI-ready JH1 data centre campus in Sedenak Tech Park (STeP) in Johor, Malaysia.

NuRAN Wireless, a leading rural telecommunications company that meets the growing demand for wireless network coverage in remote and rural regions around the globe, has announced the execution of a two-year term loan facility agreement relating to its businesses in Cameroon and DRC.

True Digital Group announced on Monday that it is collaborating with Alibaba Cloud to launch an AI-powered ‘Climate Technology Platform’ that aims to help enterprises identify energy efficiency challenges and go green.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with energy company Petronas to develop private 5G solutions and digital apps for the oil and gas sector.

NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL), a division of Indian state-owned power giant NTPC, has signed an initial pact with India's leading passive telecom infrastructure provider Indus Towers Ltd (ITL), related to the need to pursue green energy objectives and support for the government's efforts towards a carbon-neutral economy.

South African operator MTN has responded to the country’s ongoing power blackouts with further investment in generators in an attempt to make up for the deficiencies of state electricity provider Eskom.

Africa Data Centres, Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, say it has broken ground on the construction of a solar farm in South Africa's Free State in collaboration with DPA Southern Africa, a joint company of the French energy utility EDF.

PLDT’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications revealed on Tuesday it has deployed an AI-powered 'green radio' network solution in all its base station sites that has enabled it to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions as well as opex costs.

Philippine telco PLDT announced on Thursday it plans to switch 33 facilities in Greater Metro Manila to use 100% renewable energy via a partnership with ACEN’s supply retail unit, ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions (ACEN RES).

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom deployed hybrid solar units across 26 sites as part of wider plans to become a net zero emissions company by 2050. 

MWC 2024 may be over, but MWC news relating to sustainability is still coming in, this time involving Qatar-headquartered service provider Ooredoo and tech giant Nokia, announcing that they have solidified their shared commitment to sustainable innovation by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

With the transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy generation, the power systems that drive critical telecoms infrastructure such as key telco sites and data centers are becoming more unstable, says Fang Liangzhou, Vice President of Huawei Digital Power.

Despite many claims to energy efficiency, data centres still have questions to answer about water usage, something highlighted by a Chilean environmental court’s partial reversal of a permit allowing Google to build a data centre in the country.

Ericsson and Saudi Arabian IoT digital solutions provider iot squared have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at MWC 2024 to offer the Ericsson Connected Recycling (ECR) platform as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) in Saudi Arabia.

There’s more environment-focused news from big industry names at MWC 2024. This time it involves Indonesian telecommunications company Telkomsel, which has formed a strategic collaboration with vendor Ericsson.

The enterprise division of the Orange Group, Orange Business, a leading network and digital integrator, and technology giant Cisco have announced at MWC 2024 the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a joint action plan to help reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In a Mobile World Congress likely to strongly highlight energy efficiency and sustainability, Nokia has brought out a well-timed announcement in which it commits to reducing its total global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net zero by 2040, accelerating its previous target by ten years and putting it ahead of the Paris Agreement target of net zero by 2050. 

China’s ZTE Corporation a provider of information and communication technology solutions, is unveiling a number of 5G-Advanced  (5G-A)-rated innovations during the MWC 2024, many involving power-saving and energy-efficient offerings.

Teraco, Africa’s largest interconnection hub and vendor-neutral data centre provider, is planning the construction of a 120MW utility-scale solar PV energy facility in the Free State province of South Africa.

Indian data centre company Nxtra by Airtel has announced an agreement with renewable energy specialist Ampln and leading distributed energy company Amplus Energy to procure an additional 140,208 MWh of renewable energy.