Industry pathways to net zero – Decarbonisation in transport

Sustained cost pressures and commitments to net zero have made energy efficiency a strategic priority for mobile operators, network infrastructure providers and tower companies. Working closely with a global set of mobile operators, GSMA Intelligence leveraged its independent position and analytical capabilities to launch its Energy Efficiency Analysis and Benchmarking project in 2020. The benchmark is based on real-world data inputs and aims to quantify network energy consumption, efficiency levels and fuel sources. For this edition, GSMA Intelligence invited infrastructure providers and tower companies to participate, sharing their data on energy efficiency.

While there are several indicators and metrics in telecoms, the industry has traditionally lacked a global, comprehensive metric to measure environmental sustainability. In 2025, GSMA Intelligence developed the Green Network Index (GNI), which proposed a single figure to measure the overall environmental sustainability for telecoms networks and help establish a path to greener networks. The second edition of the Green Network Index has expanded to include 138 networks, benchmarking progress at the operator and country levels.

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 Openserve has taken a leadership position by re-architecting its network energy model, using AI-driven optimisation and renewable energy integration to ensure resilience, affordability and sustainability.