Development of more energy-efficient equipment, a good idea says DoT secretary K Rajaraman

"I believe that in order to maintain the footprint of this specific industry as small as possible, we need to actually undertake work on the efficiency of the networks much more seriously than ever before."

There is a strong case for creating energy-efficient fifth-generation mobile networks, said K. Rajaraman, secretary Department of Telecommunications(DoT). India is preparing to deploy 5G networks by the second half of the year.

Although by definition 5G is more efficient than most likely the earlier generation (4G), Rajaraman while speaking at an industry event mentioned that it may also be a good idea to support research and development by all device and equipment manufacturers in order to enable the development of more energy-efficient equipment.

Rajaraman also suggested that the Telecommunication Engineering Centre(TEC) create and implement ratings for crucial network elements, maybe along the lines of the energy star ratings for user devices.

He claims that multiple industry reports indicate that a telecom firm's energy expenditures may reach 25 to 30 percent. This indicates that it is a significant expense that must be effectively managed until it is broken down.

In case of a server or radio access network being deployed, or any other type of equipment, "I believe that it makes eminent sense to choose the efficient equipment," he continued. A "Green Passport Lab" has been established by TEC, the technical division of the DoT, to certfy telecom equipment for energy efficiency. The lab is envisioned as a testbed designed for a variety of available gadgets and test equipment.

Where open access is not allowed, telecom businesses may be able to pool their demands in an effort to install solar generation capacity that can likely be resold at a discount under a standard contract while using grid power. To make open access more practical, we will, however,cooperate with the electricity ministry, he added.

The official said,"I hope that over the coming years, ITU and 3GPP and other standards-making groups work on producing energy star ratings for devices, taking into account the significant importance of greening the telecom business."

In addition to stating that networks will consume more energy as more people and devices get linked, the official stated that it is conceivable to develop a net-zero plan for telecom networks. "I believe that in order to maintain the footprint of this specific industry as small as possible, we need to actually undertake work on the efficiency of the networks much more seriously than ever before."

Rajaraman also mentioned how local power generation, including solar, is being used by telecom service providers and projects funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to cover the power needs of telecom towers and base stations.