NEW DELHI: In addition to an extension earlier, stakeholders wanting to give suggestions to the Telecom Regulatory Authority's efforts towards the effect of telecom on climate change and green house gas emissions have been asked to send in their views by 3 April 2017. Stressing that no further extension would be given, TRAI has said the counter-comments can be sent by 17 April 2017.
The Consultation Paper on Approach towards Sustainable Telecommunications in mid-January this year with a date of responses set for 13 February 2017 which was extended to 14 March. The paper issued following a request from the Department of Telecom raised 14 questions.
TRAI had issued a paper on similar issues in 2012 and the DoT had in fact given directions on that basis, but new issues have cropped up with emerging technologies.
India has the second largest and fastest growing mobile telephone market in the world. Power and energy consumption for telecom network operations is by far the most important significant contributor of carbon emissions in the telecom industry.
Hence, it is important for the telecom operators to shift to energy efficient technologies and alternate sources of energy. Moreover, Going Green has also become a business necessity for telecom operators with energy costs becoming as large as 25% of total network operations costs. A typical communications company spends nearly 1% of its revenues on energy which for large operators may amount to several million rupees.
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