Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

• It is important that Ghana rolls out an ICT infrastructure following a model based on its own
circumstances and to satisfy demand from smartphone users’ wireless broadband IMT, IMT-Advanced
and WiFi would be the preferred technology choice for most end users. However this will be more
energy intensive than FTTP with WiFi to make the final user connection. Energy efficiency over the
whole life cycle should be a key criterion when rolling out new infrastructure (and selecting a new
technology) and it will be essential to perform a life cycle analysis to make sure that overall the
deployment and operation of any new infrastructure would actually reduce GHGs not increase them.
• Any implementation of new broadband infrastructure should be subject to the oversight of the
proposed Green ICT Council.
• The proposed Green ICT Council should consider utility pole sharing to connect access to grid
electricity and a broadband fibre/WiFi network for the remaining 50 per cent Ghanaians without
access to grid electricity.
• The NCA or other appropriate agency in Ghana should investigate opportunities to extend fibre
backhaul networks to public access points such as schools when increasing the number of mobile
phone base stations to expand coverage.
• Ghana's digital broadcasting switchover timetable started in January 2010 and will be completed in July
2015. Opportunities should be investigated to accelerate this exercise to save energy and further
reduce GHG emissions.
• The appropriate agency in Ghana should investigate how the trend towards single-user alternatives,
such as laptops and smart-phones, to traditional family TV sets will increase personal choice whilst
adopting a less energy intensive lifestyle.
• The NCA should investigate opportunities for facility sharing which would improve the coverage of DTT
and mobile phone services.
c) Mitigation in other sectors
• The EPA and MoC should investigate the use of ICTs to mitigate emissions in other sectors to find out if
the seven-fold savings of the Smart2020 report are applicable to Ghana and whether speeding up
investment in telecommunications would bring economic and emissions benefits more quickly than
similar investment in other infrastructure such as road and rail.
• The appropriate agency in Ghana should assist and set targets for TSPs to deploy mitigating
technologies such as travel substitution to reduce GHGs in other sectors.
d) International standards and energy-saving codes of conduct
• The NCA or other appropriate agency in Ghana should consider which international stanadrds or Codes
of Conduct with voluntary or mandatory reductions in equipment energy consumption should be
introduced to vendors supplying equipment to TSPs in Ghana.
• The NCA or other appropriate agency in Ghana should require annual improvements to the energy
efficiency of base stations through the adoption of international standards or Codes of Conduct, for
example, based on the experience provided by the EU framework.
• The EPA should support the development of international standards or Codes of Conduct for energy
efficiency. Suppliers would then be more motivated to provide Ghana with their lowest energy
consumption products.
• The NCA and EPA should investigate the need for development of similar frameworks (CoCs) at regional
(African) level. These could be developed with the support of regional or international organizations
such as the ITU. The EPA could provide a country case for either the adoption of the European Union
Codes of Conduct or for the development of a compatible regional framework for the African region.
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