Airtel strengthens ESG goals with solar-powered network expansion

Bharti Airtel has solar-powered more than 30,000 of its network sites, reducing operational costs and significantly lowering its carbon footprint. The company highlights sustainability as a key pillar of its broader Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. This milestone follows a previous achievement in Q3 FY25, when Airtel solarised over 3,300 network locations.

Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Gopal Vittal announced during the company’s recent earnings call that Airtel has now "solarised more than 30,708 sites." He also emphasised the company's ongoing collaboration with Nokia on its Green 5G initiative and the deployment of AI/ML technologies to enhance energy efficiency across its radio network.

Beyond its mobile services, Airtel’s data centre arm, Nextra, has also made notable strides in sustainability. According to the company, Nextra was the first data centre in India to implement AI for next-generation facilities, resulting in a 10% increase in asset life and a 10% reduction in non-IT power consumption.

"Recent projects have included our work with Nokia on Green 5G and the integration of AI/ML to boost the energy efficiency of our radio network," said Vittal during the Q4 FY25 earnings webinar. "Nextra has become the first Indian data centre to implement AI-driven solutions, increasing asset longevity and cutting non-IT power use by 10%. At this stage, we have solarised over 30,708 sites," he added.

In December last year, Airtel reported that more than 58% of its network sites now qualify as green. This means that over half of its sites are either energy-efficient by design or powered through renewable energy sources. Vittal added, "Our diesel consumption at towers has decreased by over two million litres per month, despite the addition of more than 75,000 network sites in the past two years."

Airtel’s green initiatives

Airtel claims that it continues to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency through a range of green initiatives. These efforts include commissioning solar power units to support its network infrastructure and investing in renewable energy solutions across its operations. In February 2024, the company introduced recycled PVC SIM cards as part of its commitment to sustainability.

Additionally, Airtel launched the Green 5G initiative in partnership with Nokia in October 2024, aimed at improving the energy efficiency of its 4G and 5G networks. Through this collaboration, Airtel is developing energy-efficient practices and technologies designed to reduce its annual carbon emissions by an estimated 143,000 metric tonnes of CO₂. 

A key objective of the Green 5G programme is the implementation of “zero-traffic, zero-watt” operation, which significantly lowers power consumption by reducing energy usage to near-zero levels when there is no network traffic.