Operators and vendors are investing heavily in environmentally friendly initiatives, even though the telecoms industry contributes only 1% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and next-generation technologies promise to make networks even more energy-efficient. There's more to the move than a sense of corporate social responsibility. Escalating energy costs, growing demand for power-hungry home-networking equipment and the threat of sector-specific regulation are all problems operators need to address urgently, say observers. Operators worldwide are moving to optical-fibre-based next-generation networks that can be up to 40% more efficient than legacy copper-based PSTNs, according to consulting firm Dittberner. These networks require fewer nodes and therefore less energy-intensive digital-transmission equipment. BT's 21CN, for example, will have 100-120 metropolitan nodes compared with 3,000 for its PSTN.
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