A report authored by corporate sustainability experts BSR that was sponsored and released Oct. 11 by CTIA-The Wireless Association found that the emerging wireless-enabled environment could drive billions of dollars in energy savings and reshape how American industry, agriculture and the public sector approach sustainability.
The release of the report was timed with CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent’s keynote address at the association’s “Enterprise & Applications” event in San Diego — where he called for the allocation of more wireless spectrum for commercial development and quick auctions that could net the U.S. government more than $30 billion and create millions of jobs.
As the BSR report, “Wireless and the Environment: A Review of Opportunities and Challenges,” is not just about dollars gained and jobs created; it is about corporate responsibility and the contributions wireless-enablement can provide in making us all better stewards of the planet’s scarce resources.
The press release announcing the report quotes Largent as saying: “The report illustrates the transformative power wireless communications has on our personal and professional lives and on businesses seeking cost savings through sustainable practices…This report is another piece of evidence for why the U.S. wireless industry needs more spectrum as more companies of all sizes continue to use mobile products and services to drive efficiencies that benefit their customers and the environment.”
The report focuses on four key areas. These are:
Transport: Moving People and Goods — Wireless-enabled fleet management and telemetrics could cut the amount of time that trucks idle, reducing fuel cost per truck by $3,600 and eliminating nine million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Utilities: Powering Our Future — Wireless networks are and will increasingly serve as the nervous system of the U.S.’s smart electricity and water infrastructure, connecting users with generators (utilities) and distribution networks. If rolled out nationally, smart grids could eliminate 360 million metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of the emissions produced by 68 million passenger vehicles or the annual energy use of 30 million U.S. homes.
Agriculture: Nourishing People — For example, farmers are increasingly using precision agriculture to leverage newly-available data thanks to wireless technology to achieve the right mix of land, fertilizers, pesticides and water to boost crop and livestock production. Wider application of precision agriculture could reduce water use by 11-50 percent.
Public Sector: Providing Services — Wireless can help the public sector reduce its environmental impact with, for example, smart traffic applications. If available on a wider scale, smart traffic applications could cut fuel consumption on urban roadways by as much as 20 percent nationwide.
“These examples of sustainability efforts made possible by wireless technology are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Vijay Kanal, director of BSR’s Information and Communications Technology Practice, and project leader of this report. “With breakthroughs in machine-to-machine communications, sensors and greater penetration of wireless broadband, BSR anticipates applications around these technologies will mushroom as commercial and public sector organizations continue to seek out efficiencies and cost savings that also benefit the environment. But the ICT industry needs to take a lead in helping other industries realize this potential, while also addressing some of the negative impacts.”
In early 2012, BSR will deliver the second report in the CTIA-commissioned series, which will cover the socio-economic impact of wireless technology in the developed and developing world.
It’s not easy being Green
Both BSR and CTIA are more than aware that despite the report’s findings of future environmental benefits, the path to achieve them is not without challenges. CTIA since its inception has been sensitive a host of sustainability concerns regarding the impact of exposure to wireless frequencies at the handset as well as tower levels, along with major concerns about the toxic aspects of electronics and the dangers they represent when not properly disposed of.
That said, it is important recognize that much of the value in smart grids and other machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions will be realized because of the ubiquity of communications infrastructure. Much if not most M2M traffic will be carried in part or in whole via wireless networks. It is also important as BSR says that the ICT “take a lead” on educating the public on the benefits as well as the risks.
This is a call to action that needs to be heeded. Just to cite one example, smart grids are now running into some interesting headwinds as consumers question the value of smart meters which they wrong perceive as big brotherism and just a ploy for utilities to increase rates. Good for CTIA for getting proactive.
Peter Bernstein is a technology industry veteran, having worked in multiple capacities with several of the industry's biggest brands, including Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent, Telcordia, HP, Siemens, Nortel, France Telecom, and others, and having served on the Advisory Boards of 15 technology startups. To read more of Peter's work, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin 
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