"Reducing Greenhouse Gases with Communication Technology" SKT Secures First Carbon Emission Rights in the Telecommunications Sector

First Domestic Success in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Using Communication Technology... Obtains Ministry of Environment Certification
53% Reduction in Power Consumption Compared to Previous Levels... Expected to Reduce About 10,000 Tons of Greenhouse Gases Starting This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] SK Telecom has secured carbon emission rights through greenhouse gas reduction for the first time in the domestic telecommunications sector.

SK Telecom announced on the 9th that it succeeded in reducing power consumption by integrating and upgrading 3G and LTE network equipment, and received certification from the Ministry of Environment for greenhouse gas reduction, marking the first such certification in the domestic telecommunications field.

Until now, common methods to reduce power consumption involved changing energy sources, such as using LEDs instead of fluorescent lamps or utilizing solar and renewable energy, but this is the first time a greenhouse gas reduction method using telecommunications technology has been certified by the Ministry of Environment.

The greenhouse gas reduction method developed by SK Telecom integrates and upgrades 3G and LTE network equipment, resulting in approximately a 53% reduction in power consumption compared to previous levels. SK Telecom began applying this technology in 2019 and completed its implementation last year at SK Telecom base stations and repeaters in 78 cities nationwide, including Seoul.

Through this, SK Telecom was recognized by the Ministry of Environment at the end of last year for 1,117 tons of carbon emission rights due to greenhouse gas reduction, and it is expected to be recognized for about 10,000 tons of carbon emission rights annually starting this year. Ten thousand tons of carbon emission rights correspond to the amount of electricity that approximately 7,600 households in Seoul could use for one year, based on 2019 power consumption statistics.

SK Telecom stated, “There were a total of nine newly registered greenhouse gas reduction methods with the Ministry of Environment last year, and none were registered in 2019, indicating that developing and certifying new energy-saving methods is a challenging process. Among telecommunications companies, there have been energy-saving cases such as reducing electricity consumption of existing Internet Data Center (IDC) servers or replacing corporate vehicles with electric cars, but this is the first case in the telecommunications technology and equipment field,” they explained.

Lee Junho, Head of ESG Business at SK Telecom, said, “SK Telecom will contribute further to energy saving and environmental protection based on ICT technology, and will continue to lead ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.