How Huawei and Vodafone are making Telecom More Sustainable
The Issues
In today’s climate, the European energy crisis continues to impact telecom operations and financial outcomes. It is more critical than ever for telecom companies and vendors to jointly improve network energy efficiency to overcome the energy challenges presented. Huawei and Vodafone are working together through their active Energy Efficiency programme to address this.
How Huawei is Helping
Green Telecom Network – Software Innovation
For Vodafone, cell sites consume approx. 73% of its total energy – which is where this partnership originated. Since 2021, Vodafone and Huawei have jointly initiated the Active Energy Efficiency programme, aimed at providing energy savings via radio network software features. By the end of 2023, these features were able to deliver up to 20% energy savings for typically configured cell sites. At present, these energy-saving features are scaled deployed in European and African markets to provide ongoing energy savings for the Vodafone group.
Green Telecom Network – Hardware Innovation
In 2023, the joint energy efficiency journey extended from software features to hardware innovation. The revolutionary '0 Bit 0 Watt' hardware platform can reduce energy consumption of a radio module from over 200W to just less than 10W during night-time, which is similar to an LED light. This new hardware platform is being integrated into Vodafone’s network to bring superior energy performance.
The passive components in cell sites are equally important in energy efficiency. Huawei has successfully built solar panels at over 1,000 cell sites across both Europe and Africa. They are also working with Vodafone to explore more opportunities in deploying solar panels in central offices and data centres.
Vodafone Supplier Carbon Emission Reduction & passive components
Vodafone is described as a pioneer of the Net Zero strategy and announced a Net Zero target by 2040. By 2021, Vodafone had achieved 100% renewable energy for its European network. Like many in the industry, it finds that Scope 3 emissions account for a high percentage – for Vodafone, that figure is over 90% of its greenhouse gas emissions.
The company is engaging with its key suppliers to align their climate ambitions. Through this, it will support common suppliers in making their own transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, improving energy efficiency and participating in the circular economy.
Vodafone aims to make lower-carbon, more circular choices more widely available and attractive for customers by providing clear information about the environmental impact of products and services so that customers can make informed choices.
As its strategic partner, Huawei is proactively engaged in reducing supplier carbon emissions. Since 2022, Huawei has disclosed Product Carbon Footprint Reports for main products and services. Huawei is also working with a third-party organisation to establish a systematic methodology to precisely evaluate Scope 3 carbon emissions.
As a result, compared to 2021, Huawei has successfully reduced carbon emissions by over 30% in 2023 for the products and services supplied to Vodafone.
Future targets/Collaboration
Huawei will continue work with Vodafone and VPC to bring tailored and industry-leading energy-efficient network solutions while continuing to reduce the supplier carbon footprint for a better planet.
Read the full VPC's digital report HERE.
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