NGMN Issues New Guidance on Mobile Emissions

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) issued new sustainability guidance. It aims to improve carbon emission reporting across the mobile ecosystem.

In its latest publication, NGMN outlined recommendations to enhance the accuracy of emission data reporting and drive collaboration across the mobile value chain. The trade body focuses on slashing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, or those generated indirectly throughout the broader value chain, such as from suppliers and downstream partners. According to the report, Scope 3 emissions account for roughly 90% of total emissions from mobile network operators (MNOs).

The new guidance calls for a shift away from traditional spend-based emissions data reporting, which relies on financial estimates, towards unit-based factors that measure physical output by multiplying the number of units of a product or service by a specific emissions factor. While NGMN hailed unit-based reporting as offering improved data reliability, implementing the method will require closer collaboration between operators, suppliers, and other value chain partners to ensure data sharing and aligned calculation methods.

Laurent Leboucher, chairman of the NGMN Alliance board and CTO of Orange Group, described Scope 3 as one of the greatest challenges for the industry, adding that progress towards reducing them requires stronger collaboration across the value chain. He added the new guidance represents a step toward reducing the industry’s carbon footprint through more accurate, transparent reporting. The report also identified sustainability obstacles faced by both operators and infrastructure suppliers.