…AND GREENEST CELL PHONE COMPANIES

How Green Is Your Mobile Phone Company?
Jim Witkin, October 5, 2009 (NY Times)

"In the crowded field of North American mobile phone companies, AT&T Wireless leads its competitors in efforts to reduce its environmental impact, according to [North American Green Carrier Matrix], a technology market research firm…Sprint Nextel ranks a close second, while Verizon placed a distant third…

"Global computer and telecommunications networks account for 2 to 3 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions, according to A.B.I., but mobile phone networks only contribute 10 percent of this amount — or 0.2 percent."

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"Still, with mobile phone companies spending close to 80 percent of their energy dollars on powering their vast, nationwide networks, lowering their consumption can have a huge bottom-line impact…

"Efficiency gains in mobile network equipment have had the greatest impact on reducing energy consumption…[M]obile companies can now do more with less, reducing the amount of equipment in their networks, without sacrificing service to customers."

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"…AT&T estimates it reduced CO2 emissions from its wireless network by 207,549 metric tons in 2008, the equivalent of removing 40,000 cars from the road…Because of reliability concerns, the use of alternative energy sources like solar, wind and fuel cells has yet to play a significant role in North American mobile phone networks, except for backup power.

"…Sprint ranked a very close second behind AT&T on several measures…Verizon trailed on several key measures, including green network infrastructure, handset and battery recycling, and green R.&D. spending…[Companies were evaluated] on their efforts to reduce the impact of their nationwide networks, the handsets they offer consumers, and their own buildings, transportation fleets and IT operations…A.B.I. based its analysis on interviews with company representatives, annual reports and company Web sites."