Businesses and individuals alike are called upon to reduce their electricity consumption. The challenge is twofold. It is prosaically to reduce its bill against a backdrop of soaring prices with the energy crisis. But also, and above all, to fight against climate change. Economically, all sectors are involved. That of telecoms, whose activity is particularly energy-intensive, is no exception to the rule.
According to the French Telecoms Federation (FFT), the electricity consumption of the telecom networks stood at 3.7 TWh in 2019 (excluding terminals), i.e. 0.8% of national consumption. Centered on nuclear power, the energy mix in France is relatively carbon-free compared to countries such as Germany or Poland, which make extensive use of fossil fuel power plants to produce their electricity.
However, optimizing their infrastructure to improve energy efficiency is a real challenge for operators. Since 2020, Arcep has been collecting data on their environmental footprint to measure the progress made.
In its first survey, “For a sustainable digital”, the regulatory authority for the sector noted that with the multiplication of digital uses, the energy consumed could, if we stay at the same pace, double by 2035. energy consumption of mobile networks is particularly high since it is twice as high as fixed networks.
The healthy transition to fiber and 5G
However, the FFT points out that innovation can contain this expected increase in electricity consumption. The investment of some 15 billion euros in 10 years granted by the operators to modernize their infrastructures has not been in vain. Switching to optical fiber would thus have divided by three the energy consumption of fixed access. The deployment of 5G makes it possible to increase the energy efficiency of mobile communications by 90%.
Last October, each operator unveiled its own energy sobriety plan. Orange indicates that “switching several thousand fixed network installations to electric batteries will save up to 20 MW, ie the instantaneous consumption of an average city of 40,000 inhabitants”.
Free Mobile, for its part, turns off certain frequency bands of its network sites at night. Namely the 3.5 Ghz bands in 5G, 2,600 MHz and 2,100 MHz in 4G, 2,100 MHz in 3G. “This effort results in a drop in the site’s electricity consumption of more than 10% during the period when the cells are switched off, without impacting usage and quality of service. If traffic requires it, the cells automatically turn back on. »
Since November, SFR has set up a deep automatic standby for its TV decoders, making it possible to “save up to 90% of the energy consumed by the device”. Bouygues Telecom is reducing the light intensity of its stores by extending the signs and advertising screens outside opening hours. The temperature of its premises was lowered to 19 degrees.
Prioritize wifi over 4G/5G network
As the FFT reminds us, “a significant part of the electricity consumption of operator services also depends on customer usage, whether it is the electricity consumption of reception terminals installed in their homes (in particular TV boxes and decoders ), or their habits of use”.
To this end, the operators have launched in recent weeks awareness campaigns with their subscribers to encourage the adoption of eco-gestures. To reduce their environmental footprint, individuals are invited to put their internet box and their TV decoder in standby mode, or even to extend them in the event of prolonged absence.
Smartphone owners can reduce the brightness of their screen, activate energy saving mode or airplane mode, or even deactivate connectivity options – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G/5G – when possible. Another track: limit notifications to only essential applications. It is also advisable to disconnect the chargers once the battery life of your phone or tablet is at 100%.
Operators also recommend using Wi-Fi rather than 4G/5G in the office or at home. According to a study by the American University of Columbia, the exchange of data consumes 23 times more energy via 4G rather than Wi-Fi. Some offers also allow you to send SMS or calls via Wi-Fi .
The downside of streaming
One of the big black spots remains streaming. According to EDF, one hour of streaming video viewing represents 0.45 KW/h, or 1,000 15 W bulbs lit for 2 to 18 minutes. The FFT also recalls that 52.6% of the net increase in traffic on mobile networks is generated today by five players: Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), TikTok, Netflix, Alphabet (Google) and Amazon. To limit this impact, you should download a video rather than watch it online and reserve high definition for large screens.
To see your progress, you also need to be able to measure it. Bouygues Telecom, for example, offers a mobile application called “My Carbon Footprint” which calculates its consumption in grams of CO2 or the equivalent of minutes of LED bulbs.
Finally, extending the life of mobile terminals is the most significant measure. Knowing, as indicated by Ademe, that the manufacture of a smartphone is responsible for around three-quarters of its impacts. To reduce this carbon footprint, it is possible to use it beyond the traditional cap of two years. And when it comes to renewing your mobile phone, you might as well take a refurbished model.
Since a decree of February 17, 2022, a terminal benefiting from the term “reconditioned” must be the subject of a complete verification to ensure its proper functioning with, if necessary, the replacement of one of its components. like the screen or the battery. A guarantee of professionalization of the sector.