Menu

The mobile industry's operational emissions fell by 8% between 2019 and 2023, even as mobile connections grew by 9% and data traffic quadrupled, according to the GSMA's fifth annual Mobile Net Zero report.

Going by the report, the mobile industry has successfully started to decouple emissions from data and connectivity growth – a stark contrast to global emissions, which have increased 4% since 2019. However, to continue progress and keep net zero by 2050 on track, emissions must fall by 7.5% annually until 2030 – more than twice the average annual rate to date.

The acceleration in decarbonisation is driven by operator actions to improve network energy efficiency and transition to clean energy, including solar and battery storage, while reducing reliance on diesel generators.

"Our findings show the mobile industry isn't greenwashing or greenwishing – it's green acting,” said Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action at the GSMA, in a statement shared with Financial Nigeria. “Emissions are trending in the right direction, but the pace of progress must now double.”

Key findings of the report include that 37% of electricity used by operators disclosing to the Carbon Disclosure Project came from renewables in 2023 – avoiding 16 million tonnes of emissions; 81 mobile operators (covering nearly half of global connections) have set or committed to science-based targets; and new analysis of China shows operational emissions fell by 4% in 2024 – the first recorded decline.