As if cable operators needed one more reason to shift to all-fiber lines, consider this: Fiber can help them save the planet.
Indeed, enlarging on a point I made in an earlier BTR column, building fiber networks represents one of the best ways--if not the best way--for cablecos to go green. And they can do so relatively quickly.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Consider some of the most recent research findings on the subject. For instance, the latest annual study by market researcher RVA LLC for our Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) revealed that switching to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks could substantially reduce the production of greenhouse gases by cable and other network operators.
Specifically, the study, conducted late last year, calculated that moving all broadband households to fiber lines by 2030 would slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 1.4 million metric tons annually. That would translate to an impressive 34% reduction in internet service-related carbon output for the industry.
“These impacts are not immaterial,” noted Michael Render, CEO of RVA. “Moving everyone to fiber broadband could be the equivalent of taking 11 million vehicles off the roads.”
Digging deeper into the details, the study revealed that carbon output from internet use would be cut by about 39% if operators switched from cable’s legacy hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks to all-fiber lines. Similarly, CO2 emissions from work-at-home employees would be chopped by about 27% if cablecos collectively switched to FTTH.
“Fiber broadband results in less carbon output and more sustainability in three ways,” Render explained via email. “First, direct operating emissions are lower because of fewer electronically operated elements in the network, which means lower energy usage. Second, maintenance emissions are lower because of fiber’s stable, passive design, which means far fewer repair truck rolls. Finally, user emissions are lower because the higher-quality fiber network enables a higher percentage of work from home and lower commuting miles (even after adjusting for slightly higher home energy use).”
Other recent sustainability studies back up these findings. Indeed, in a report on the telecom industry’s environmental impact for the World Broadband Association (WBA) late last year, the Omdia research team found that several major telecom providers in Western Europe and New Zealand have slashed both their energy consumption and carbon emissions by shifting from legacy copper networks to new fiber lines. As a result, the study concluded that fiber networks are much greener and more sustainable than both their cable and copper antecedents.
“FTTH consumes three times less electrical power than traditional copper-based networks and up to six times less electrical power than [DOCSIS 3.1] cable networks,” wrote Alzbeta Fellenbaum, a principal analyst for broadband and bundling at Omdia who authored the WBA report, citing research by Germany’s Technical University of Central Hesse. “Furthermore, comparison of the power consumption of gigabit FTTH and cable networks reveals that FTTH consumes up to eight times less electricity than HFC networks.”
By embracing fiber network builds, cable operators could slice the substantial indirect effects of their activities on the environment as well, Fellenbaum found. With the help of fiber builds, she argued, “telecom service providers have the potential to affect up to 15% of global CO2 emissions.”
And that is a mighty hefty amount, considering that global carbon dioxide emissions from all fossil fuels and industry sources amounted to a staggering 36.8 billion metric tons (GtCO₂) in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. Thus, reducing total emissions by 15% would cut global carbon output by a whopping 5.5 billion metric tons each year.
Making the effort
Encouraged by statistics like these, more and more cable, telco, and other network operators are seeking ways to cut their emissions. Consider the results of a climate change survey of telecom executives conducted late last year by Telecoms.com Intelligence. That study found that more than 40% of respondents are “currently in a planning phase and assessing where their organization can have the most impact.”
Further, 63% of survey participants indicated that they have allocated at least some capital to their climate initiatives and implementations. In addition, nearly 60% said they believe that reducing energy consumption is either critical or very important.
And then there’s a secondary motivation. “There is no doubt that the adverse effects of climate change, such as extreme flooding, extreme temperatures, and other severe weather conditions, can negatively impact telecom infrastructure,” the study’s authors wrote. “As such, the results also show the industry feels some degree of responsibility and actions are being taken, at the least to self-preserve telecom capital.”
In response, the telecoms.com publication is creating a Climate Change Hub to monitor what the industry is doing to combat climate change and foster environmental sustainability. As part of that effort, the publication plans to hold a climate change digital summit later this year.
Even more specific to fiber, consider the results of a survey of network operators and vendors just conducted by the FTTH Council Global Alliance (FCGA). The FCGA consists of the world’s six regional FTTH Councils – FBA in the United States and Canada, FBA’s LATAM Chapter, Digital Council Africa, Fiber Connect Council MENA, FTTH Council Asia Pacific, and FTTH Council Europe.
This sustainability survey revealed that most companies across all six regions are developing plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030. Most are also looking to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Moreover, the study found that operators and their tech suppliers see converting from HFC networks to all-fiber lines as a critical way to boost their overall environmental sustainability efforts.
“Building a sustainable future starts with deploying FTTH today, ensuring that every connection we make is not only fast and reliable, but also environmentally responsible,” said Nelson Saito, president of FBA’s LATAM chapter, speaking on a recent FBA webinar.
Besides conducting the study, the FBA has set up a sustainability working group – consisting of executives from Google Fiber, Corning, Adtran, and Calix--to foster the industry’s efforts. The working group has created four “primary task forces” to tackle the removal and recycling of legacy cable and network gear, the manufacturing of fiber cable and equipment, the deployment of fiber cable and equipment, and the environmental impact of broadband network operations.
“It is not just about achieving a net-zero position,” noted Ronan Kelly, CTO of EMEA for Adtran and co-chair of the working group. “But where such measures are in focus, science-based targets will likely be the only credible option.”
In an example of what vendors can accomplish, Corning is moving to reduce its Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions 30% from its 2021 baseline by 2028. The giant fiber manufacturer is also looking to cut its Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions 17.5% over the same period.
And, in an example of what network operators can achieve, AT&T has embraced FTTP as a major component of its sustainability agenda. As part of that effort, this largest U.S. telco is stringing fiber throughout the country as it seeks to pass more than 30 million locations by the end of 2025. With fiber lines now deployed to more than 100 U.S. metro areas, AT&T has already extended FTTP to nearly 20 million homes and businesses and signed up about 7.5 million fiber subscribers.
Speaking on an FBA “Fiber for Breakfast” webinar in late April, John Schulz, director of sustainability integration for AT&T, stressed that fiber is “critical” for both the company’s sustainability and business goals. “It’s fundamental to our business,” he stated.
AT&T, which created its own Climate Change initiative in 2021, has set an ambitious goal of slashing the carbon emissions that it and its customers generate by a staggering one gigaton over the next dozen years. That would amount to keeping 1 billion metric tons, or 2.2 trillion pounds, out of the Earth’s atmosphere.
“We aim to be carbon-neutral by 2035,” Schulz said. “We believe connectivity can play a fundamental role in helping our customers be more efficient and reduce their emissions.”
Cable operators take steps
While they may not be as vocal about it as their AT&T counterparts, cable executives have also embraced environmental sustainability as a cause. Such major U.S. and UK operators and organizations as Comcast, Cox Communications, Liberty Global, CableLabs, and SCTE have all sought in a myriad of ways to make the industry’s operations greener.
Take Comcast. The nation’s largest cableco is working to green up its operations by recycling old equipment and packaging, boosting energy efficiency, switching to electric-powered and hybrid vehicles, and investing in solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources, among other things, according to Ryan Capone, vice president of network facilities and energy for Comcast.
Speaking on a Telecom Sustainability digital symposium hosted by Informa Tech last November, Capone said Comcast, like AT&T, is seeking to go carbon-neutral by 2035.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve already made, reducing our 2021 emissions 19% over 2020, down 31% since 2019,” he said. “We’ve eliminated 700,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 2019—equivalent to removing 150,000 cars from the road.”
Or consider the efforts of CableLabs. For the past nine years, the cable tech standards consortium has been promoting energy-efficient TV sets, set-top boxes, and smaller consumer devices by negotiating voluntary standards agreements with major equipment manufacturers and other industry players.
Speaking on the same symposium as Capone, Debbie Fitzgerald, a principal analyst and director of energy efficiency programs at CableLabs, highlighted the group’s efforts to slash the industry’s energy consumption. She noted that, thanks to the voluntary agreements, the cable industry has saved a whopping 90.2 terawatts of energy, avoided 63.8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, and saved consumers nearly $12 billion.
Unlike AT&T, though, neither Comcast, CableLabs, nor any other cable or organization has yet incorporated fiber into its sustainability campaign. Although cablecos, like their telco rivals, are deploying plenty of fiber, they do not seem to be factoring fiber into their green agendas and making it a sustainability priority.
The bottom line is that I hope I’ve made the case for how easy it is to integrate fiber, which offers so many other technical and financial benefits, into environmental sustainability programs. Anyone else want to come on board? Just let us know.
Gary Bolton is president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association.