We discuss the following topics in this blog:
- Significance of Sustainability
- Telcos’ in conflict with sustainable living
- How to be more environment friendly
In addition to these topics, we shall also be answering the following FAQs:
- What is WiFi?
- What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
Contents
Why is Sustainability So Important?
Sustainability has been a buzzword for more than just a few years now but there is still need for the world to grasp its meaning and the effect of its lack in our processes. As an adjective it signifies something that is “capable of being continued at a certain level”. Sustainability can perhaps be seen as the process(s) by which something is kept at a certain level. Nonetheless, nowadays, because of the environmental and social problems society is facing, sustainability is commonly used in a specific way. Therefore, in simple words, Sustainability can be defined as the processes and actions through which humankind avoids the depletion of natural resources to keep an ecological balance so that the quality of life of society doesn’t decrease.
A good number among us has also started resorting to practices in our personal lives for a more sustainable living. We are largely doing this as a responsibility towards the future generations and on similar lines, we see a large number of organizations around the globe are increasingly becoming serious about this cause. To name a few, leading companies like Coca Cola has promised to replenish all the water it uses back to communities and nature, Starbucks is continuously committed towards making coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product and reduce the environmental impact of their stores. Recently leading clothing brand H&M also launched its first ever sustainability campaign where it has stores which aim to reuse or recycle items, rather than see customers throw them away.
Considering an increasing number of organizations targeting their efforts towards this cause past decade consciously saw a lot of sustainability rankings emerging. The leading ones amongst these are Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Newsweek Green Rankings and FTSE4Good. We see a lot of IT, tech and retail companies topping these charts. It was quite disappointing to see most of these ratings saw a significantly low no of telecom companies. With rising issues of climate change and resource depletion, going sustainable is not an option for companies anymore. For a corporate organization, a holistic definition of sustainable would mean corporate decisions that enable the management to successfully balance the 3 Ps of Profit, People and Planet in your organization.
In the last two decades, telecommunication has emerged as a key driver of economic and social development and hence contributes drastically to usage of existing resources in various forms. In a country like India, in order to achieve the Government’s vision of Digital India and Smart Cities etc., telecom infrastructure is the bedrock, as it is the backbone for facilitating connectivity across the wide geographical locations of India. Globally, advanced technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, IoT and virtual reality will also be significant contributors to develop a robust telecom infrastructure to address the growing need of data.
What are Telcos Doing in Conflict with Sustainability & How to be Environment Friendly?
1.Emissions
Telecom towers dot the urban landscape and all these towers use a significant amount of diesel for power, they also emit harmful radiation. We should look at the minimum no. of towers being installed and also try and locate them in the least populated areas. There is a constant surge in the number of energy guzzler data centres that require significant power for cooling as well. Hence we need to be mindful about these cropping up in every part of already polluted cities.
2. Waste
Telecom products generate mountains of e-waste. Mobile handsets, sim cards, wires & cables, batteries and assorted equipment are often repurposed by the refurbished goods[NG1] market, but many find their way into landfills or are taken apart by untrained people in unsafe ways. Many electronic devices contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. If not handled properly, these can poison our environment and threaten the health of individuals and communities. We should try and innovate so as to minimize these wastes and also have stringent guidelines in place to handle them.
3. Customer Health
Health concerns about linkages between exposure to EMFs radiations from mobile phones and many health diseases ranging from sleep disorder, memory loss, cardiovascular to neurodegenerative diseases, such as cancer have been raised by medical professionals. We need to look at these closely and find ways to arrest the ill effects of radiation or look at alternate greener methods to staying connected.
We need to find ways of having sustainability as a priority in all our professional and personal interactions with nature, the sooner we realise the better we will be able to prepare ourselves and avoid depletion of already limited resources.
As an apt conclusion to this piece, I would like to borrow from one of my favourite authors, Paulo Coelho – “…The planet is, was, and always will be stronger than us. We can’t destroy it; if we overstep the mark, the planet will simply erase us from its surface and carry on existing…”
So let us do our bit to ensure we aren’t obliterated by the planet.
FAQs
What is WiFi?
Put simply, WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to create a wireless network through which devices like mobile phones, computers, printers, etc., connect to the internet. A wireless router is needed to establish a WiFi hotspot that people in its vicinity may use to access internet services. You’re sure to have encountered such a WiFi hotspot in houses, offices, restaurants, etc.
To get a little more technical, WiFi works by enabling a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN that allows devices connected to it to exchange signals with the internet via a router. The frequencies of these signals are either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidths. These frequencies are much higher than those transmitted to or by radios, mobile phones, and televisions since WiFi signals need to carry significantly higher amounts of data. The networking standards are variants of 802.11, of which there are several (802.11a, 802.11b, 801.11g, etc.).
What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
An optical fibre cable is a cable type that has a few to hundreds of optical fibres bundled together within a protective plastic coating. They help carry digital data in the form of light pulses across large distances at faster speeds. For this, they need to be installed or deployed either underground or aerially. Standalone fibres cannot be buried or hanged so fibres are bunched together as cables for the transmission of data. This is done to protect the fibre from stress, moisture, temperature changes and other externalities. There are three main components of a optical fibre cable, core (It carries the light and is made of pure silicon dioxide (SiO2) with dopants such as germania, phosphorous pentoxide, or alumina to raise the refractive index; Typical glass cores range from as small as 3.7um up to 200um), Cladding (Cladding surrounds the core and has a lower refractive index than the core, it is also made from the same material as the core; 1% refractive index difference is maintained between the core and cladding; Two commonly used diameters are 125µm and 140µm) and Coating (Protective layer that absorbs shocks, physical damage and moisture; The outside diameter of the coating is typically either 250µm or 500µm; Commonly used material for coatings are acrylate,Silicone, carbon, and polyimide).
An optical fibre cable is made up of the following components: Optical fibres – ranging from one to many. Buffer tubes (with different settings), for protection and cushioning of the fibre. Water protection in the tubes – wet or dry. A central strength member (CSM) is the backbone of all cables. Armoured tapes for stranding to bunch the buffer tubes and strength members together. Sheathing or final covering to provide further protection.
The five main reasons that make this technology innovation disruptive are fast communication speed, infinite bandwidth & capacity, low interference, high tensile strength and secure communication. The major usescases of optical fibre cables include intenet connectivity, computer networking, surgery & dentistry, automotive industry, telephony, lighting & decorations, mechanical inspections, cable television, military applications and space.
