Virtual shift can help in low carbon

WASHINGTON, USA: Ericsson, a provider of technology and services to telecom operators globally, today said it believed mass deployment of broadband networks can accelerate the shift from physical to virtual infrastructure and services, contributing to the creation of a low-carbon economy.

It also claims to have exceeded its targets for cutting energy use and continued its commitment to improving lives using telecommunications in 2008.

“We would like to see ICT and telecom on the agenda for the global climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year,” says Ericsson president and CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg.

The annual 'Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report', released today, highlights Ericsson’s ongoing efforts to solve environmental challenges and bring about long-term economic and social change, according to a press release.

Carl-Henric Svanberg says: “During 2008, our technology has been used around the globe to reduce energy consumption and the corresponding CO2 emissions, demonstrating our firm belief that telecommunications is both an essential part of the equation in solving global climate change and critical to the development of more carbon-lean societies.”

He claimed that Ericsson has shown that its technology has the power to change lives.

“We have played a crucial role in bringing telecommunications to the poorest of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, by harnessing the power of telecommunications as a tool for accessing basic services and information and improving people's lives."

The release added that in 2008, Ericsson set its first group-level carbon footprint target, aiming for a 40 per cent reduction over five years, and starting with a 10 per cent reduction in 2009.