Telecommunications operators in the Asia–Pacific region are failing to address the issue of carbon emission reductions, according to research from Ericsson Australia and New Zealand.
The company surveyed senior executives from 12 major telcos throughout the APAC region earlier this year, in an effort to determine each telco’s 'environmental maturity'.
According to the research, Australian and Japanese telcos have the greenest attitudes towards reducing carbon emissions, while those operators in India and China trail behind the pack.
Ericsson said that few telcos in the region have focused on sustainability, and there is a tendency to use existing staff to ensure that costs are cut by having less power-hungry equipment.
This is in contrast to Western Europe, where government regulations and pressure from wider society have spurred the adoption of sustainable practices and policies, such as setting carbon reduction targets.
“While all telcos in the APAC region recognised environmental issues as a real concern, most telcos do not see the relevance of sustainability to their business and do not make a link to business opportunity,” said Bruce McCole, principal consultant at Ericsson Business Consulting, Ericsson Australia and New Zealand.
“Telcos need to understand the new societal expectations and explore the ways that telecommunications can help the environment,” McCole said.
