Energy wasted by UK mobile phone masts would power Blackpool Tramway for 137 years!
04 May 2009
... or would provide 68,000 homes with electricity for a whole year, says new report from the Green Party
Competition between mobile phone companies is wasting almost 300 GWh a year due to duplication of telephone network equipment, says a new report from the Green Party.
According to the report, to be published in the coming week, the amount of energy currently wasted by the mobile phone networks each year would be enough to:
- Keep the Blackpool Tramway going for 137 years. Or
- Meet the electricity needs of around 68,000 homes. Or
- Run almost a third of the London Underground for a year Or
- Light up the Blackpool Illuminations for three centuries. Or
- Power seven London Docklands Light Railways for a year.
Mobile phone companies would be "better together" in a "super-network"
The report, Better Together, argues that mobile phone companies must cooperate to cut the industry's emissions as part of Britain's fight against climate change.
Peter Cranie, the Green Party's Euro-candidate for Blackpool and the rest of the North West region, commented today:
"If we're to tackle the climate crisis and still enjoy a high standard of living, we need to eliminate wastage like this whenever we can. Let's also make sure mobile networks pass on their savings to customers.
"It would be easy enough to make these savings. The government should simply require mobile phone operators to share facilities.
"The phone companies would save money, cut CO2 emissions and provide the same level of signal cover with fewer masts.
"In the short-term, operators could be required to share base stations at times of low demand."
"Ultimately they could build new shared infrastructure. They could cooperate on a ‘super-network'."
He concluded: "They might even think to pass their lower costs on to their customers."
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