EVENT

ENGIE at the Mobile World Congress: why does this matter?

By ENGIE - 25 February 2022 - 16:23

For the first time, ENGIE will participate in the biggest international trade fair of the connectivity industry alongside Siradel, its subsidiary. As the first energy company to join the MWC, ENGIE wants to meet the decarbonation needs of market players by presenting its renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. Here is an overview of the challenges. 

 

MWC Barcelona: a key event for Tech stakeholders

At first glance, the World Mobile Congress is not an obvious playing field for energy companies. It tends to involve leaders and players who work in mobile telecommunications, the internet, and digital technologies, such as GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft), Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Samsung, Cisco, IBM, Intel, etc. Yet, like other industry sectors, the sector faces major decarbonation challenges. Indeed, behind massive volumes of data that are processed and consumed by final users through emails, videos, or e-commerce, are data centres, networks, or sensors. Despite ever more performing technologies (fibre optics, 5G), these are becoming increasingly energy intensive, due to exploding usage. This is where ENGIE’s participation in the trade fair is justified.

 

Decarbonation solutions adapted to an in-demand sector

We already play an active part in the decarbonation efforts of GAFAM and telecom operators, through our Power Purchase Agreements, long-term green power purchase agreements. Our attendance at the MWC Barcelona is ramping things up by presenting all our decarbonation solutions to connectivity players. Through our growing renewable energy capacities and adapted offers, we are deploying arguments that will convince sector leaders of the relevance of our approach, demonstrating how they will need to adapt their energy consumption to growing energy needs. In this respect, the MWC is an ideal platform, as the industry’s decision makers and innovators will be there. A key element will involve convincing players in relevant value chains to effectively address scope 3 in CO2 emissions.

 

An energy company’s unprecedented presence at the MWC Barcelona

We will be attending the 2022 edition alongside Siradel, our subsidiary, which specialises in modelling infrastructure design (telecom networks, Smart Cities, etc.). This is a first, as no energy company had ever attended the event before. However, global warming has changed things, as have commitments from both public and private stakeholders (Paris Agreements, COP, etc.). Decarbonation has become a cross-sectional component of every economic activity. The fair’s leading technologies, which are shaping the connectivity industry, are increasingly being scrutinised based on their carbon footprint, as well as on the opportunities they might provide for the energy transition, such as the Cloud, 5G, the Internet of Things, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, smart manufacturing, or the automotive industry. 

 

Siradel’s expertise, for carbon neutral connectivity

Siradel has been supporting telecom operators, and public and private stakeholders from cities all over the world for three decades. Its mission involves creating 3D models of cities and territories, co-building thousands of digital twins for territories, and deploying Smart City platforms used to design infrastructures and plan smart cities. At MWC Barcelona, it will present 5G-specific solutions, demonstrating how the network can be created and deployed sustainably and effectively for mobile operators. Alongside its subsidiary, ENGIE will also showcase its expertise, such as providing green energy to data centres, or evaluating the carbon impact of sites.

 

In practice: the Barcelona Mobile World Congress