Qtel and the
environment: going
green, step by step
Telecommunication companies have a clear role to
play to help support a cleaner environment. Firstly,
as with any company whose activities change the environment around us, we should strive to limit our
carbon footprint and ensure that sustainability is at
the core of our operating practices.
Secondly, and equally importantly, we should recognize the key role that communication is playing in
educating the world about climate change and supporting the innovations that will address the issue,
and tailor our services accordingly.
Qtel is continuously exploring new ways of delivering on these two responsibilities. As Qatar’s leading telecommunication company, Qtel has invested
in building the network infrastructure that supports
telephony, Internet access, digital television and enterprise technology across the nation. Ensuring that
this infrastructure was developed with the least impact on the community was always a key priority for
the company, which has deep roots within Qatar.
Naturally, as more evidence became available regarding environmental impacts, we built that into our
strategy.
Qtel
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed
Bin Saud Al Thani
Chairman, Qtel
As a company, we have learned a great deal
through working with international agencies and
environmental groups. In March 2008, Qtel’s environmental initiative took a big leap forward when
we began working with the National Program for
Raising Awareness and Safe Disposal of Electronic
Waste (NPRASDEW) in Qatar. This initiative, launched
by the Supreme Council of Environment and Natural
Reserves (SCENR), was a response to wider global
agreement to reduce electronic waste and minimize
the impact of its disposal on the environment. The
aim was to raise public awareness of the dangers of
waste and how to dispose of it without damaging
the environment.
The awareness and safe disposal initiative was
executed in two stages through 2008, the first of
which involved hiring international experts to develop recommendations for the management of electronic waste in Qatar. The second stage outlined a
long-term series of public and corporate initiatives
to reduce the country’s electronic waste, and was
developed in partnership with the expert panel. Qtel
provided material support for both stages.
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One of the key challenges of this process is working with all actors — State and non-governmental
— to create nationwide processes for the disposal of
waste material. As an operator, we cannot be held
solely responsible for every redundant laptop and
mobile phone in Qatar, but we can work with distributors, vendors and municipal authorities to help
agree on a shared process, and ensure that all our
customers understand it.
We have also striven to build environmental priorities into our expansion strategy, to minimize our
carbon footprint and reduce the consumption of
resources. Qtel was the first operator in the region
to sign an agreement with a new market entrant on
outdoor site sharing. Under the agreement, Qtel is
sharing more than half of its mobile network towers.
By sharing sites, both companies are able to provide
extensive mobile network coverage, to streamline
costs, and, most importantly, reduce the impact on
the environment and communities by avoiding the
unnecessary duplication of towers across Qatar.
Qtel also examined other areas of its operations
for ways to reduce the company’s environmental
footprint. One issue that emerged was the use of
PVC “scratch cards” by prepaid mobile customers
to top up their airtime. The cards result in a large
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ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
amount of non-biodegradable waste. In November
2009, Qtel introduced a new series of biodegradable scratch cards for mobile phone customers. Over
time, these new cards will replace the millions of PVC
scratch cards Qtel sells every year.
Inside Qtel as well, there have been opportunities to reduce the use of resources. Despite providing
the facilities for an entirely paper-free environment
for many corporate customers, we were using more
paper than necessary in our own offices. To provide
incentive for employees to reduce paper usage, the
company launched a monthly contest designed to increase awareness of environmental efforts throughout Qtel Headquarters.
In the Conservatree Contest, staff on each floor
of the office building try to reduce paper use, and
their efforts are evaluated by a volunteer “Green
Committee” every month. The floor that most successfully reduces its paper consumption wins a potted pine tree and is known, for that month, as “The
Qtel Conservatree Floor.”
The Green Committee itself was proposed by employees who shared a concern for the environment
and came together to champion the cause. Other environmental actions within Qtel to reduce paper usage include online archiving and workflow processes
Qtel and the environment: going green, step by step
ever conducted in the country, it was made available to regulatory authorities, medical groups and
international research bodies, as well as via our
website.
A successful strategy for corporate social responsibility, including one for safeguarding the environment, depends upon building support from the
ground up. Qtel’s strategy in this respect is identified
by the slogan, “For Qatar, Hand in Hand,” with five
priorities for engaging with the community: education, health care, environmental issues, social welfare
and sport.
When it comes to the role of environmental stewardship, the goal at Qtel has been, from the outset,
to increase environmental awareness among Qtel
employees so that they, in turn, can act as ambassadors carrying this important message to the wider
community. These are the small steps we are taking
— we believe, working together, we can achieve
much for our planet and our people.
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using Sharepoint and Oracle, with the goal of a paperless workplace. We are also close to launching a
paper and plastic recycling programme. Externally,
the company is moving towards managing our relationships with customers through paper-free methods as much as possible, by providing online billing,
payment via mobile and account management by
self-service machines.
However, as well as operational responsibilities,
telecommunication companies have educational responsibilities. Our employees might not be experts
in environmental science, but we can support people
who are, and help propagate their findings through
our communication services.
Qtel supports original research into a number of
environmental issues relating to its core business.
In 2008, Qatar University’s Electrical Engineering
Department, in cooperation with Qtel, published
a study of radio-frequency radiation from wireless
networks in Qatar. The most comprehensive study
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