Although telecommunications is generally not regarded as a polluting industry, and performs a valuable role in reducing travel, the UK’s telecoms networks consume a surprisingly large amount of power. This contributes to the carbon emissions linked to climate change. For example energy consumption for BT's network and estate during the financial year 2005 was 2624GWh and forecast to rise.
Gamma currently consumes approximately 6,000,000kwhr of electricity each year. This is 0.478 grams of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere for every minute of a telephone call on the Gamma Network. By comparison, driving a Ford Focus uses 165g/km (model dependent). So talking for 5 hours and 45 minutes on the Gamma network generates about the same CO2 as driving a Ford Focus for one kilometre! (When the BT access network and the telephone handset are taken into account this figure drops to around 2 hours talking).
Gamma has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 30% over the next 12 months. Gamma’s commitment to offering its channel partners ‘Green Minutes’ marks the first initiative of its kind in the UK and is one of the benefits of Gamma’s early adoption of IP based soft-switching in its core network. This announcement follows the recent launch of three new IP telephony services, positioning Gamma Telecom as one of the leading IP telephony operators in the UK.
As one of the UK’s largest providers of voice services and applications, Gamma recognises the need to set an example to the industry. Bob Falconer, CEO of Gamma Telecom commented, “Gamma takes its responsibilities very seriously and is totally committed to being not just the most efficient low cost operator, but also the greenest. We suspect that, thanks to the efficiency of our network and assets, Gamma Telecom is one of the least polluting operators in the UK, however, comparative figures are not yet available. It is for this reason that Gamma Telecom will continue to publish its own carbon footprint in a meaningful way and challenge the rest of the industry to do likewise – this sort of competition makes commercial and environmental sense.”