The GSMA's 2024 Mobile Net Zero report spotlights regional leaders in cutting carbon emissions since 2019, led by a 50% reduction in Europe. Operator emissions have fallen despite surging demand for connectivity and data, thanks to progress on energy efficiency and renewables.
27 February, Barcelona: The carbon emissions of mobile network operators[1] fell by 6% globally between 2019-2022, according to the GSMA's fourth Mobile Net Zero report, published today at MWC Barcelona.
The report reveals regional variations in the reduction of operational emissions[2], with Europe leading the way with a 50% reduction. In North America, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, emissions fell by 20-30%. Although operational emissions rose in Greater China and the Asia-Pacific - the world's largest and second largest mobile markets respectively - global emissions overall decreased, despite growing data usage.
Achieving the mobile sector's target to reach net zero by 2050 relies on the industry cutting its emissions to 45% below 2020 levels by 2030. This means that overall emissions - including Scope 1, 2 and 3 - need to fall by around 7% per year up to 2030.
Recent progress shows that this is possible, as the target reduction rate has been exceeded over the past three years for operational emissions in Europe, North America, Latin America and MENA. The report notes that improved data and further analysis are needed to better understand Scope 3' trends, which relate to emissions from operators' supply chains.
Progress on energy efficiency and renewable energy
According to the analysis, operational emissions fell despite surging demand for data and connectivity - the number of mobile connections globally rose by 7% between 2019-2022, while internet traffic more than doubled. The industry's carbon reductions were largely driven by strong progress on energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.
Over half of the drop in emissions reported in 2022 was driven by improved energy efficiency efforts in networks, data centres and offices, as well as the electrification of fleets and generators. GSMA Intelligence's Energy Efficiency Benchmarking project, in collaboration with 17 operator groups worldwide, aims to surface more data in this crucial area, quantifying network energy consumption, efficiency levels and fuel sources.
Meanwhile, renewable energy accounted for 33% of the electricity purchased by operators reporting to CDP in 2022, up from 14% in 2019. The report showed operators purchased a combined 50 TWh of renewable electricity in 2022, equivalent to the annual electricity demand of Qatar or Singapore, almost doubling their purchases from 2019. Without these purchases, operational carbon emissions are estimated to have been 15 million tonnes higher in 2022.
Accelerating progress to net zero
Moving the entire industry to net zero emissions by 2050 will require strong and concerted action from the industry, backed by supportive policies and investment from governments. The report concludes by providing recommendations and key action points for operators, their suppliers, and policymakers to accelerate climate action progress.
For operators and suppliers, the biggest opportunities are in energy efficiency, renewable energy and improving the circularity of supply chains and materials in the ecosystem. Governments, meanwhile, can play a key enabling role across these areas if they implement strong climate policies and ensure that energy markets and regulations encourage investment in renewable energy and grids.
John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, said: The evidence shows that the mobile industry's commitment to net zero by 2050 is paying off. Despite surging demand for connectivity and data, the global carbon emissions of operators continued to fall. Although we see the strongest early lead from Europe in the race to net zero, and encouraging progress in the Americas and MENA, this is a race that everybody needs to win - or else we all lose. We see what is possible where there is a focus on energy efficiency and access to renewables.
We call for deeper engagement from governments to support the mobile industry in accelerating decarbonisation, with a concerted focus on encouraging investment in renewable energy, as lack of access to renewables in some regions creates a barrier for operators to continue their journey to net zero.
Other key findings:
Eight operators have submitted new near-term science-based targets to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) over the past year, bringing the total to 70 operators - nearly half of mobile connections globally. In addition, 53 operators are committed to longer term net zero targets.
A growing number of operators are publicly disclosing their climate impacts, with 70 operators disclosing to the CDP in 2023, compared with 67 operators in 2022.
The quality of disclosures has also improved, with a record 19 operators on the CDP's A List in 2023. This means that over a quarter of operators disclosing to CDP received an A, compared with just 1.5% of all companies disclosing to CDP in 2023
Three quarters of the mobile industry's overall carbon emissions are Scope 3 value chain emissions, 90% of which originate from just five categories - purchased goods and services; capital goods; fuel- and energy-related activities; use of sold products; and investments.
Increasing the circularity of mobile phones and network equipment is critical to reducing these Scope 3 emissions. To this end, the GSMA announced two new circularity targets in June 2023 to reduce the environmental impact of mobile phones by boosting their circularity through reuse, refurbish and recycling - as of January 2024, 15 operators have signed up to the new targets, representing a billion mobile connections.
-
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Set up your own private remote collaboration infrastructure
SoundBridge have recently put together a tutorial video that provides users with a step-by-step ...
20/08/2026
New V-Control Pro features restore basic functionality
Neyrinck's V-Control software has long been keeping older Avid control surfaces compatible with n...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
Thursday 20 August 2026
Nina Sosanya, Rizzle Kicks, Roman Kemp and Paul Whiteho...
20/08/2026
Wuppertal August 20, 2026
Transformation Church Elevates Production Communicat...
20/08/2026
The music between the notes Coming together In the middle of 2026, as conversations around artificial intelligence continue to raise questions about how musi...
20/08/2026
Arvato Systems Brings Together Digital Transformation Leaders in the Manufacturi...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support for their ...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...
18/08/2026
Stunning Irish performances at European Athletics and Swimming Championships rea...
18/08/2026
The two-part series begins Sunday 23 August at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
...
17/08/2026
New MIDI processor & macro controller revealed
SHIK have announced that they have opened pre-orders for the S32, a standalone MIDI processor and macro contr...
17/08/2026
Cover extended on innovative motorised pot system
Melbourne Instruments have just revealed that the innovative motorised pot system used in their synths and...
17/08/2026
Latest firmware version now available
1010music have just released a free firmware update that brings some nice new features to their renowned Bluebox digit...
17/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases integrated defense and test solutions at DALO Industry...
17/08/2026
Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine joins NEP Platform, the industry's largest ecosystem of trusted production software, bringing scalable...
17/08/2026
Visitors to IBC 2026 will see how FilmLight is reshaping the modern post pipelin...
17/08/2026
Visitors to Stand 1.C41 can explore innovations in areas such as addressable advertising, hybrid distribution, managed services and operational simplification.
...
16/08/2026
Virtual drummer joins line-up
The latest release from Gospel Musicians adds a virtual drummer to the company's line-up, combining a pair of meticulously...
15/08/2026
In-ear monitoring line-up gains new universal models
In-ear monitoring experts JH Audio have just announced a significant expansion of their Universal-Fit r...
14/08/2026
Latest instalment delivers disco-inspired grooves
The latest addition to UJAM's virtual drum line-up has been designed with contemporary pop, disco, dan...
14/08/2026
Elite range gains giant 24-inch powered sub
The latest expansion of Yorkville's Elite range introduces what the company say is the world's first act...
14/08/2026
Friday 14 August 2026
Breaking news! Sky releases trailer for The Paper, return...
14/08/2026
It's been one year since our client, Cotswolds Designer Outlet, opened its doors and we've loved seeing the scheme come to life. Together, we've hel...
13/08/2026
Company preview bio-interactive' synthesizer
VAEMI have announced the upcoming launch of a new standalone bio-interactive' generative synthesizer....
13/08/2026
Plug-in host gains new Slot Scenes feature
Ravine DSP have recently updated their innovative plug-in host, kitting it out with a new feature that brings yet...
13/08/2026
New U and U&W Documentary Features Kathleen Richards, One of the Last Surviving Witnesses to Fred and Rose West
Kathleen is Reunited with Childhood Friend and ...
13/08/2026
Thursday 13 August 2026
Official trailer released for the return of Tea with Ju...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
13/08/2026
Wenvoe serves over 1 million people across South Wales
13 August 2026, Winchester, UK - Vale of Glamorgan MP, Kanishka Narayan, has praised the engineering exp...
13/08/2026
RT 's Miriam O'Callaghan welcomed a range of specially invited guests to the National Concert Hall last week for a unique event to mark a new season wit...
13/08/2026
August 13 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Seattle Seahawks Become First Team to Bring Dolby O...
12/08/2026
Enhanced DAW & plug-in control for the UC1, UF8 and UF1
The software that powers SSL's range of control surfaces has just received a major update that d...
12/08/2026
In-line preamp features one-knob EQ
In addition to their range of in-line preamps, Triton Audio recently managed to squeeze a compressor into an enclosure t...
12/08/2026
Captures system audio with or without a DAW
Depending on your setup, capturing system audio in a DAW can be a tedious process, so much so that Arvital Audio...
The GSMA's 2024 Mobile Net Zero report spotlights regional leaders in cutting carbon emissions since 2019, led by a 50% reduction in Europe. Operator emissions have fallen despite surging demand for connectivity and data, thanks to progress on energy efficiency and renewables.
