A week in telecoms

BT, Orange and Telefonica have been busy making sustainability-related announcements in the same week that a new report from the GSMA has stated that 62% of the mobile sector is set to cut emissions this decade.

BT’s sustainability initiative takes the form of a new energy-saving edge-computing service for enterprises, using AI technology from QiO Technologies. The service draws on real-time data from IoT sensors, machinery control settings, databases, external data and energy sources to identify which variable to optimize in order to reduce energy consumption.

Meanwhile Orange plans to extend its Re scheme to encourage smartphone repair, reuse and recycling across its European footprint by the end of the year, following its introduction in France in 2020. And Telefonica has successfully issued a 1 billion Euro sustainability bond and says it will use the funds to improve energy efficiency as it moves from copper to fiber networks and deploys 5G technology.

BT was also in the news with its decision to invest £100 million over three years in its enterprise-focused Division X, with a focus on 5G, IoT, Edge Compute, Cloud and AI services for manufacturing, health, port operations, transport and logistics sectors.

Vodafone, meanwhile, has gained a new shareholder. e& announced that it has acquired a 9.8% stake in Vodafone for $4.4 billion. It has acquired almost 2.77 billion shares in the company, making it Vodafone’s biggest shareholder. e& said it had made the investment “to gain significant exposure to a world leader in connectivity and digital services”, with no intention to launch a takeover bid. e& has 148 million subscribers across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

It may feel premature, but 6G has been in the spotlight, including several reports that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to launch 6G in the country by 2030. India is still awaiting 5G, which Modi confirmed will launch in the next few months, estimating 5G rollout would add around $450 billion to the Indian economy.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics has detailed radio transmission and reception technology that it claims can maximize frequency efficiency for 6G at the IEEE International Conference on Communications in South Korea. The company also showcased a concept vehicle designed to tap into the metaverse.