Mohammed Shosanya
The Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) has urged telecom operators and companies to embrace renewable energy source such as solar power.
This is necessary to reduce the menace of noise pollution from diesel generators in their Base Transmission Stations(BTS) as well as minimise the environmental impacts of climate change caused by carbon emissions.
Professor Umar Garba Danbatta,
Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) stated this on Wednesday on the occasion to commemorate 2023 World Consumer Rights Day in Abuja.
He noted that the implementation of energy efficiency measures could potentially reduce the operating costs of telecom operators by up to 20 per cent.
He said: “Owing to the overall energy challenges of the nation, the fifty-four (54) thousand BTS scattered across the country depend on diesel generators with the attendant noise and environmental pollution.Some of these BTS operate on diesel generators for 24 hours across seven days of the week in some locations.
“Therefore, transitioning to a renewable energy source like solar power will significantly reduce the menace of pollution from individually-powered generators. This will be zero carbon emission from the BTS just as noise pollution would be a thing of the past.
“Consequently, to minimise the environmental impacts of climate change caused by carbon emissions, telecom network providers need to come up with a modern and more energy-efficient network.
“This includes the use of solar-powered cells,wireless electricity or a hybrid system to replace higher energy-consuming equipment that will lead to a reduction in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) and by implication, a reduction in service costs to consumers.
“Transitioning to renewable energy is predicted to result in a lower cost of operation as operators will be able to save on the cost of diesel, which accounts for a large chunk of the costs incurred by these licensees.”
Danbatta implored Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to come up with innovations in sustainable energy in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Recommendation ITU-T L.1380 on smart energy solutions for telecom sites’ performance, safety, energy efficiency and environmental impact.
He revealed that the Commission was working on a policy to encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources by telecom operators.
Speaking,Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, explained that the theme of 2023 World Consumer Rights Day, which is “Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transition,” provided stakeholders with the opportunity “to carefully examine the unintended side-effects of our critical social infrastructure on our environment.”
Adewolu represented by Mr. Ayanbanji Ojo, Head, Consumer Affairs Bureau, pointed out that the Nigerian telecoms industry today boasts of over 226 million voice customers and over 156million internet customers as of January 31st, 2023, noting that telecom consumers leverage communications infrastructure for social interaction, health service, access to education, banking, among others.
He observed that the emerging technologies like 5th Generation (5G) mobile services would also require more infrastructure, adding that these infrastructure components are mostly powered by fossil fuels to ensure 100% availability.
