The greatest potential for the mobile sector is to help other sectors reduce their carbon emissions, drive resilience and flexibility with predictive modelling and demand side control through digitisation and “smartisation” - key enablers for low carbon connected digital infrastructure. Research conducted by the GSMA with the Carbon Trust in 2019 found this enables carbon reductions in other sectors that are 10 times larger, equivalent to approximately 4 per cent of global emissions. These reductions are from two mobile telecommunications technologies: (1) Smartphone users and (2) Smart connected IoT devices. Based on current projections for the increase in smartphone users and the rise in smart connected IoT devices, the impact of such an enablement could double by 2025. However, this will require innovation and investment across sectors to accelerate digital transformation to support decarbonisation, particularly at the demand side.

State of the art in this area has delivered models separately integrating telecommunications and carbon emissions; energy systems and mobility; carbon and energy systems; and user behaviour and mobility. However, a top-level model integrating this has yet to be achieved. Delivery trouble points include the system-of-systems multi-scale nature of the task, the wide array of stakeholder and domain experts required, and constantly evolving real-world systems.