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

Steps being taken include:
• Switching off electrical equipment when not in use.
• Reducing the amount of cooling needed in central offices (e.g. operating equipment up to the rated
temperature limit).
• Adopting more efficient power supplies (higher voltage).
• Looking for lower in-use energy when purchasing new products.
4 How organizations in Ghana should report GHG emissions
Once a GHG reporting requirement is in place in Ghana, all TSPs should be required to report their GHG
emissions. The following procedure should be followed:
1. Decide if you need to report:
• As mandated e.g. by law (not applicable yet in Ghana).
• As preparation for mandatory reporting; e.g. if reporting is likely to be necessary in the
next two or three years
• To improve customer relations by participating in voluntary reporting 175
2. Understand what is required, including the necessary training for staff.
3. Download the appropriate standard and reporting form. To conform to ITU-T L.1420, download
the corporate standard from the GHG Protocol website 176 .
4. Determine who needs to see the report:
• National Agencies, e.g. EPA or MoC Ghana.
• An organization administering a carbon trading scheme (e.g. UNFCCC).
• A voluntary organization that is able to offer disclosure, accreditation or other services to
members (e.g. The Carbon Disclosure Project 177 has 50 supply chain members).
• If a wide range of stakeholders need to see the report, publication via the organization’s
website should be considered.
5. Establish a base year (e.g. 2011). Have your emissions’ report independently verified.
5 Helping customers reduce their costs and emissions
The running costs of an ICT network are significant, and are set to rise year on year as fossil fuel supplies
become depleted, and with the introduction of carbon taxes to reduce GHG emissions. This presents a
unique challenge to an industry which is at the same time trying to expand its service sets, coverage and
capacity.
The energy required for mobile base stations in developing countries represents 70 per cent of a mobile
TSP’s energy requirement. For wireline access, network equipment represents around 70 per cent of each
TSP’s electricity load, principally via line termination equipment. By making networks more energy efficient,
considerable savings in operational costs can be made.
New approaches are needed to enable carbon-saving opportunities both in network infrastructure and
derived services.
The MoC and NCA, in collaboration with the EPA, have the opportunity to help customers reduce their costs
and emissions by:
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