Top 10: Sustainable Telcos
As more telcos are eager to embrace emerging technologies, there is a need to ensure that its operations remain as sustainable as possible.
Leading telco operators have shown willingness to reduce their carbon footprint and are looking to disclose their emissions. It is necessary to do so because telecom providers support a broad range of other key industries.
Likewise, investing in ESG strategies and more renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power, are ways that telecom companies can seek to reduce their carbon footprint and therefore rely on fossil fuels less.
Mobile Magazine spotlights some of the leading sustainable telecommunications (telco) companies worldwide, who have committed to green-led strategies.
10. Telus
Headquarters: Vancouver, Canada
CEO: Darren Entwistle
Telus Corporation is a Canadian publicly-traded holding company and is the parent company of several subsidiary companies, including Telus Communications that offers telephony, television, data and Internet services.
Voted as one of the most sustainable telcos in recent years, Telus continues to implement sustainable practices across its business operations. This includes enabling reforestation and nature restoration by planting 12.7 million trees since 2000 and diverting 15 million devices from landfills and upcycling and recycling four million mobile devices since 2010.
9. Singtel
Headquarters: Singapore
CEO: Kuan Moon Yuen
Singtel’s mission is to harness the power of technology to empower people and businesses and create a more sustainable future. As a telco conglomerate, it is Singapore’s fixed-line operator and one of the four major mobile network operators in the country.
Singtel is committed to building a sustainable future for its stakeholders by focusing on four key sustainability pillars: Climate Change and Environment, People and Future of Work, Community Impact and Sustainable Value Creation.
In February 2025, Singtel’s regional data centre arm, Nxera DCT Pte Ltd., secured a S$643 million (US$476m) five-year green loan to finance the development of a new 58MW data centre in Singapore.
8. Ericsson
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
CEO: Börje Ekholm
As a world-leading telco, Ericsson wants to decarbonise industries with connectivity and 5G. By 2040, the company wants to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain.
Although ambitious, Ericsson is eager to use the support of its customers in order to achieve this goal.
Likewise, the company’s aim is to achieve net zero by 2030 across its own activities and reduce emissions across its supply chain and portfolio by 50%. Also, by embracing a circular economy, Ericsson hopes the telco industry can drive resource conservation and efficiency, reduce e-waste and environmental impact.
7. KDDI
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
CEO: Hiromichi Matsuda (newly appointed)
KDDI is a Japanese telecommunications operator that provides mobile and fixed line services, Internet and digital television. The company is currently promoting its environmental conservation plan, the KDDI Green Plan, where it has been working on key issues to foster a decarbonised society, form a circular economy and conserve biodiversity.
Likewise, KDDI has set new targets to mitigate and reduce risks to create business opportunities, whilst aiming to improve the environmental value of its activities. To reduce CO2 emissions, the company promotes energy efficiency and is shifting to renewable energy for cell phone base stations and telecommunications equipment.
6. Verizon
Headquarters: New York, US
CEO: Hans Vestberg
Verizon is an American telecommunications company and the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the US as of December 2024.
The global telco is making its operations more sustainable through renewable energy investment, caring for its employees & communities & planting trees. With its employees at the heart of its ESG strategy, Verizon is running initiatives like recycling e-waste, reducing water use and planting 20 million trees by 2030.
It aims to reach net zero operational emissions by 2035.
5. Huawei
Headquarters: Shenzhen, China
CEO: Ren Zhengfei
Huawei is a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei believes that ICT plays a critical role in achieving the UN SDGs and advancing the well-being of humanity. The company wants to realise equality and all-inclusiveness by making technology accessible to all and prioritising environmental protection through innovation.
In January 2025, the company launched Tech4Nature in partnership with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to monitor and protect coral reef and biodiversity in Kenya’s Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve.
4. AT&T
Headquarters: Texas, US
CEO: John Stankey
Each year, AT&T implements thousands of energy efficiency projects across its network and operations to bring down electricity use and reduce costs. The operator has set a goal for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions to be carbon neutral by 2035, with AT&T engaging suppliers to ensure that 50% of them set their own Scope 1 and Scope 2 science-based targets.
AT&T is also promoting environmental sustainability across its operations, network, customers and communities. It drives sustainable connectivity solutions and positive environmental change for its network, customers and communities.
Likewise, its carbon neutrality efforts bring innovative strategies to renewable energy procurement, fleet efficiency and energy-efficient technologies.
3. Deutsche Telekom
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
CEO: Tim Höttges
Deutsche Telekom is continually recognised for its commitment to environmental sustainability, having invested heavily in renewable energy and sustainable supply chain practices.
The German operator has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint, including the widespread use of renewable energy across its European operations. Its climate protection measures across the entire group, including CO2 emissions, conserving resources and using energy more effectively - with the goal of reducing global emissions by up to 95%.
Priding itself on its industry-leading ESG targets, Deutsche Telekom was one of the first US telco companies to announce a net zero climate target for 2040.
2. Telefónica
Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
CEO: José María Álvarez-Pallete López
Telefónica is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world, providing fixed and mobile telephony, broadband and subscription television.
Time and Statista has placed the telco in the top 10 of the most sustainable companies in the world in 2024, as it obtained a score of 81.02. Its sustainability mission is to build a greener future by taking advantage of the power of digitalisation to curb climate change.
1. Nokia
Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
CEO: Pekka Lundmark (outgoing), Justin Hotard (incoming April 2025)
Sustainability is critical to Nokia’s purpose as a telco, with the company stating that high standards of integrity and ethics are vital to build a more sustainable world.
Significantly, Nokia is committed to net zero emissions by 2040 and in order to achieve this, introduced a private wireless sustainability calculator which helps companies estimate the environmental and social benefits of using private wireless networks and the new Industry 4.0 applications they enable.
Nokia’s approach to sustainability centres around the company's purpose to create technology that helps the world act together. Nokia Bell Labs, its renowned research arm, looks to help solve the future needs of humanity through technological innovation.
Explore the latest edition of Mobile Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE and Cloud & 5G LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Mobile Magazine is a BizClik brand