Going green: measuring the energy efficiency of mobile networks (fourth edition)

Sustained cost pressures and commitments to net zero have made energy efficiency a strategic priority for telecoms operators; sustainability registered as a top network transformation priority for operators around the world in 2024. Partnering with a global set of mobile operators, GSMA Intelligence leveraged its independent position and analytical capabilities to launch its Energy Efficiency Analysis and Benchmarking project in 2020. The benchmark is based on fully anonymised, real-world data inputs, with a goal of quantifying network energy consumption, efficiency levels and fuel sources. With each successive year, operator participation in the benchmarking project has grown. The result is a unique, increasingly salient, network-level global data set on energy efficiency, alongside insights into sustainability trends, technologies and best practices. 

GSMA Intelligence is grateful for the 16 operator groups that participated in the project: A1, Airtel Africa, Axian, Deutsche Telekom, Elisa, Ethio Telecom, Globe, Jio, M1, MTN, Orange, Safaricom, Telecom Argentina, Telefónica, Vodacom and Vodafone. The 16 operator groups not only provided data about 95 networks in 73 countries but also actively participated in workshops and provided useful insights for this report. Overall, these operators serve more than 1.7 billion connections globally, representing 21% of total cellular connections.