Latest findings, launched at MWC25 Shanghai, bring cause for optimism as part of the telecoms industry’s global efforts to achieve net zero by 2050
18 June 2025, Shanghai – China’s mobile operators recorded a decrease in their operational emissions for the first time in 2024 despite mobile data traffic nearly quadrupling since 2019 as the industry improves both its energy efficiency and its use of renewables.
Previous annual analyses had found regular increases in emissions in China, with a rise of 7% between 2019 and 2023 before this latest year-on-year decline. Energy consumption is up 30% since 2019, due to a huge increase in user demand; 5G roll-out has accelerated across the country, with a 30-fold increase in base stations meaning over 90% of the population now have 5G coverage, compared to less than 10% five years ago.
These are among the significant findings from the GSMA’s new Mobile Net Zero: Greater China report, launched at MWC25 Shanghai alongside an agenda of crucial discussions on the industry’s progress in China and globally.
Industry-wide improvement
The Chinese mobile market is the largest in the world, with more than 1 billion 5G connections, 57% of the country’s total; by contrast, in Europe only 30% of connections, totalling 200 million, are currently 5G. A large number of the global industry’s supply chain is in Greater China, including network equipment and phone manufacturers and their suppliers.
The drop in emissions is encouraging and comes as a growing number of mobile operators in the region are setting voluntary climate targets. Four operators have validated near-term science-based targets while three have validated net zero targets. Several key suppliers have also committed to science-based targets and 2050 net zero targets.
Operators in Greater China are also leading the way on disclosures, with nearly all mobile connections in the region covered by public disclosures of energy and emissions data. Climate action remains a key strategic and business priority for mobile operators in the region, particularly in taking advantage of clean energy opportunities as the global leader in manufacturing these technologies.
However, challenges still remain, most notably around the measurement and reporting of supply chain emissions, with most operators in the region not disclosing the largest sources of their supply chain emissions.
Global effort required
The mobile industry worldwide, led by the GSMA, has committed to halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. Its annual Mobile Net Zero report, also published today, outlines that while progress continues to be made towards those targets, an acceleration is required to achieve them.
To keep net zero on track, network emissions need to be cut by 7.5% each year to 2030. In 2024, the reduction was 4%, which encouragingly was twice as fast as the annual average (-2%) between 2019 and 2023. However, that increase needs to almost double again year-on-year to reach the required level of decline.
This is why China reporting a drop in emissions for the first time has real significance. As the largest market in the world, progress in the region has a disproportionate impact worldwide and will be essential for the industry’s overall 2050 net zero ambition.
Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action at the GSMA, comments: “The opportunity in China is enormous – operators here can genuinely propel the industry forward in its efforts towards net zero, and a year-on-year decline in emissions for the first time is significant.
“A lot more needs to be done and it is encouraging to see the mobile industry in Greater China making progress in this way. The region is the global leader in manufacturing clean technologies and if the domestic telecoms industry can take full advantage of these, the impact will be huge.
“However, this first decrease is only realised if it goes further next year. So we must double down and ensure we are doing everything we can as a global industry to halve emissions by 2030.”
As a reflection of the importance of China’s telecoms industry continuing to pursue sustainability practices, MWC25 Shanghai’s prestigious Asia Mobile Awards (AMOs) has a new award: Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action in Asia. Click here to see the short list; the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on day 2 of the event, 19 June 2025.
ENDS
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The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
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