Press Release
[Barcelona, Spain, March 3, 2025] Huawei supported by content from GSMA Intelligence, hosted the “Green Development Elite Club” during MWC Barcelona 2025. The event, themed “Pave the Way for Green Telco,” convened key stakeholders including UNFCCC, GSMA Intelligence, ITU-T, and over 20 leading global operators such as China Mobile, Globe, Turkcell, and HKT, to deliberate on the imperative of green development within the ICT sector. During the session, GSMA Intelligence unveiled the “Green Network Index” report, proposing innovative methodologies for assessing and rating the evolution of green networks, thereby bolstering operators’ carbon neutrality strategies and promoting sustainability within the ICT landscape.
Zhouyu, President of Huawei Network Consulting and System Integration, delivering “Fast, Secure, Valuable – Accelerating Green Development”
Mr. Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence, underscored green development that constitutes a global objective and a crucial mission for the ICT industry. As a proponent of environmental accountability, GSMA Intelligence is dedicated to advancing green practices within this sector. In response to the demand for a cohesive framework, GSMA Intelligence developed the Green Network Index with comprehensive metrics and measurement of green network evolution, thereby facilitating the successful implementation of sustainable development initiatives.
From top-level consensus to industry implementation
Mr. Massamba Thioye, Project Executive of UNFCCC-GIH (UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub), shared a global perspective on green development, asserting that addressing climate change demands more than mere technological solutions but a multifaceted approach including policies, standards, financial support, business models, and decisive leadership. He highlighted that beyond promoting sustainable development, ICT technologies were increasingly serving as a “digital lever” for catalyzing green transformations across multiple sectors.
Mr. Paolo Gemma, Chair of ITU-T SG5 WP2/5, elucidated that fuel and electricity constitute 90% of network expenditures. He stated that the establishment of green visions, principles, and standards was vital for operators aiming to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The ITU-T actively supported this initiative through the introduction of green indicators such as NCIe and NEE, which focused on enhancing both network energy efficiency and user experience, and encourages operators to engage actively in this endeavor.
From technological innovation to business success
Mr Richard Cockle, Head of GSMA Foundry and Connected Industries, guided operators in using a comprehensive Green Realization, Planning and Execution (GRPE) framework. Four carriers from different regions implemented the framework in real-world use cases.
Mr. Singleton Zhou, President of Huawei Network Consulting and System Integration, articulated in his address titled “Fast, Secure, Valuable – Accelerate Green Development” that global operators stand to save 338 billion kWh of electricity annually, along with 115 million square meters of equipment room space. The potential waste of electricity and space occupied by legacy equipment represents a significant resource deficit that is critical for the development of new business ventures, such as computing power.
The Green Target Network aimed to assist operators in conserving resources through the integration of communication systems with energy networks and the alignment of green infrastructure with digital transformation. In 2024, Huawei employed its AI-driven Full Service Area solution to assist operators in planning and constructing green, resilient networks, resulting in the upgrade of 100,000 sites and 4,000 data centers, achieving reductions of $140 million in OPEX and 740 million kWh in electricity savings. This endeavor also necessitated 800,000 significant network changes, with a configuration success rate of 99.99%.
Huawei capitalizes on core capabilities such as 3DGS spatial modelling, lossless fiber locating, AI-driven Full Service Area planning, and one-stop delivery to empower operators to expedite transformation, enhance business leadership, and achieve superior profitability.
From green strategy to best practice
Panel discussion
A panel discussion featuring representatives from Globe, Turkcell, and HKT concentrated on strategies, standards, and practices for advancing green networks. Globe talked about how sustainability metrices, such as the GSMA Green Network Index, can help accelerate the company’s green network strategy. As part of its net zero roadmap, the company utilizes renewable energy and continuously deploys green network solutions nationwide. Turkcell also commenced large-scale construction of green sites and solar power plants, with expectations of substantial carbon emission reductions and a target of 100% renewable energy. By the end of 2024, Turkcell had achieved a 40 MW installed capacity through solar farms, wind turbines, and green sites. Furthermore, Turkcell is committed to becoming a NET-ZERO operator by 2050 through targeted carbon reductions. HKT has significantly enhanced operational efficiency through AI scheduling, providing a range of green services to communities and enterprises, thereby accelerating the vertical industry ‘s green transformation.
Despite variations in business focus and market dynamics, all operators unanimously acknowledge the necessity of establishing a green network index system, reaching a broader consensus on pathways to achieve global green network transformation.
From standard leadership to industry collaboration
Emanuel Kolta, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, introduced the “Green Network Index” model, which encompassed four dimensions: energy and carbon efficiency, renewable energy, performance and availability, and vertical enablement. This framework was designed to assess operators’ sustainable development, establish benchmark networks, and disseminate successful practices to drive effective green evolution within the ICT industry.
The green sustainable development of the ICT sector is now transitioning from strategic planning to practical implementation. Operators are demonstrating numerous best practices to tackle critical business challenges such as unreliable electricity supply, high energy consumption from legacy equipment, and obstacles in network evolution and market expansion. These initiatives are yielding significant energy savings, cost reductions, and enhanced market competitiveness. As leading operators continue to benefit from green transformation, operational cost optimization, and business development, the momentum for green transformation among global operators is accelerating.
