JEDDAH – The carbon footprint per average ICT user over fixed and mobile systems is estimated to decrease from about 100 kg CO2e in 2007 to about 80 kg CO2e in 2020, Ericsson revealed in its Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report 2012. In order to understand trends in ICT and carbon emissions, the company conducts extensive research on energy and carbon trends on an ongoing basis. Commonly agreed, the sector is estimated to account for approximately 2 percent of total CO2e emissions and a recent study on the future carbon footprint of the ICT and Entertainment and Media sectors shows that the ICT sector's own footprint is expected not to exceed 2 percent by 2020. According to Ericsson, this puts the industry in a position to potentially reduce the 98 percent of emissions which come from other industries. Joe Battikh, Head of Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson, Region Middle East, said: "Our previous reports have confirmed that an increased reliance on ICT can reduce CO2 emissions significantly by 2020, and as such we are committed to ensuring that the ICT industry itself decreases its own CO2 emissions even further. Sustainability is high on our agendas. We are constantly working with our customers and other stakeholders to drive greater energy efficiency in both fixed and wireless networks.” In Saudi Arabia, Ericsson has also taken it upon itself to limit its own carbon footprint and has multiple policies and procedures in place to achieve this. The company also works with the ICT industry to deploy environmentally efficient products which limit the negative impact on the environment. To address the growing demand for cost-effective and energy-efficient build out of coverage, Ericsson offers solutions including: Psi coverage, which reduces power consumption by up to 40 percent; AIR, Antenna-Integrated Radio, a family of products that reduces energy consumption also by 40 percent; and Managed Rural Coverage, which bundles a managed service with a cost-efficient solar-powered 2G, 3G, or LTE mini-site solution, designed to connect people in areas without voice and data communication.
