Green Network Index case study: Openserve

The Green Network Index is a tool for tracking progress on sustainability among telcos and understanding what is driving or holding back progress. The index offers granular data to allow for country and regional comparisons. Alongside the flagship GNI report and index, GSMA Intelligence is releasing a series of company case studies to illustrate innovation in action. This case study highlights how scale and technological sophistication position China Mobile (Guangdong) as both a major energy consumer and a critical testbed for how next-generation networks can be delivered through more energy-efficient and sustainable operating models.

For the last three years, GSMA Intelligence has run a benchmarking study to analyse progress on the ESG Metrics for Mobile. With 23 mobile operators participating in the latest assessment, the report highlights industry-wide progress and offers data-driven insights into the evolving landscape of ESG reporting in the mobile sector. The 2025 study highlights improvements in reporting and performance across several areas, including GHG emissions and energy consumption. But there remains work to be done elsewhere as gaps persists in metrics related to circularity, digital skills and supply chain assessments.

While telecoms networks, data centres and devices have their own carbon footprints, their systemic value lies in the ability to make energy-intensive sectors more efficient, more electrified and better optimised. This report looks beyond headline efficiency gains to capture the net impact of ICT. It assesses the net ICT enablement effect across five major emitting sectors: manufacturing, transportation, energy & power, buildings and agriculture.