Green handsets, first step towards “green telecom”

It was not a long time ago when we first wrote a clean-tech post related to green telecom. I’m happy to read today that Telefonica is launching their first set of green handsets that cut carbon footprint. Recycled plastics and reductions in packaging and manufacturing solvents make handsets more environmentally friendly and contribute to move the operator going “green”.

Demand for environmentally sustainable mobile devices will be the primary driver behind the growth of “green” handsets, which could – in the most transformational scenario – see global shipments grow to 485 million units by 2014, according to a report from Juniper research. The report offers three scenario-based forecasts (incremental, progressive and transformational), and suggests that even in the most conservative incremental situation numbers will grow from a quarter of million shipments in 2009 to more than 105 million by 2014. See figure bellow.

According to these specialists, the average mobile user is responsible for around 25kg (55 pounds) of CO2 emissions per year, a collective total of 93Mt (megatonnes) of CO2 globally at the end of 2008. But with challenges facing vendors and operators, such as the Kyoto Protocol, companies across the industry are under pressure to significantly reduce these average emissions by a far greater extent over the next five years.

Taking this into consideration, it’s good to see recent movements from top-tier operators such as the one published today. As reported by Telecompaper, Telefonica announced the launch of a “green” mobile phone offer in cooperation with Nokia. Spain is the first country to receive the offer, and Telefonica plans a further roll-out to the UK, Germany, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Nokia has created exclusive “green” versions of two of its leading handsets, the Nokia N8 and Nokia C7, which can be acquired from EUR 69 and free, respectively, when the customer signs up to a call plan (EUR 29.90 per month) and the Internet Movil Plus tariff (EUR 15).

The phones feature ecological applications, less packaging, a high-efficiency phone charger and a final recycling offer. In particular, the Nokia N8 and C7 adapted for the offer come with an energy-saving mode, a power-efficient Amoled screen and an ambient light sensor. As with other Nokia mobile phones, these models have a reminder to unplug the phone charger once the phone is fully charged and green content such as the educational game Climate Mission, the application E-numbers as well as other third-party applications which customers can download through Telefonica’s Canal Eco, part of the Ovi Tienda phone shop.

There is also a direct link to the declaration of ecological impact for both models, known as the Eco Profile. The project also has plans for “green corners” in specific Telefonica shops in order to inform users of the available models and offer details.

Very good Telefonica! Good reading, CVA