According to the latest figures from the UN’s Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, the global volume of annually generated electronic waste (e-waste) is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling. In other words, landfills are being flooded with more used equipment than they can handle, including wireless infrastructure components like radio units, antennas, and RF, fiber and power connectivity products that are used on cell sites but discarded as technology upgrades are deployed. Within the wireless infrastructure ecosystem, initiatives like the GSMA Equipment Marketplace are enabling an extended life cycle for some of this equipment, by implementing an on-line marketplace that efficiently reduces e-waste by finding new channels for new and used wireless infrastructure equipment.
For smaller tier two and tier three operators who frequently purchase older legacy equipment from larger providers, a dynamic and efficient marketplace for key equipment that they need to upgrade, expand, or extend their networks will help them to reduce costs, reach new customers and improve their network experience.
Investing in aftermarket opportunities
Eventually, even the best-planned and engineered components outlive their value to the network. This doesn’t have to mean they no longer have value, however. The aftermarket can help extend the service life of older products and components, enabling them to continue providing both operational and environmental benefits, a central pillar of the circular economy model.
Refurbishing and reusing existing telecom equipment can be a cost-effective solution for operators, allowing them to save up to 30 percent on capital costs. It also extends the lifecycle of the products, enabling organizations to proportionally reduce the amount of e-waste generated. Led by CommScope’s Outdoor Wireless Networks segment, this is where CommScope’s partnership with the GSMA Equipment Marketplace comes in.
“In order to close the loop and work towards full circularity, equipment need to use recycled materials and be recycled at end of life and move towards phasing out primary materials.”
NGMN; Network Equipment Eco Design and End-to-End Service Footprint; July 2021
Network operators evolve and upgrade their network capabilities according to their specific technology roadmaps. Early adopters tend to operate on a more aggressive roadmap, while more conservative operators may be a year or two behind. Alternatively, when it comes to investing in next generation network capabilities, tier one service providers typically have more resources than tier three providers.
This staggered growth across the industry makes it possible for an aftermarket platform like GSMA’s Equipment Marketplace, a digital platform where sellers of pre-owned network assets connect with buyers, to serve a vital role to buyers and sellers alike. Operators can also trade pre-owned network equipment from anywhere in the world and recycle equipment that has reached its end of life.
Opportunities such as GSMA’s Equipment Marketplace enable the industry to move toward circularity and, ultimately, net-zero emission goals. As such, it aligns with CommScope’s commitment to extending our solutions’ lifecycles, maximizing resource efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. It is for these reasons we decided to partner with GSMA on the Equipment Marketplace platform.
Through this partnership, CommScope will resell surplus equipment, reducing the demand for new resources and helping to prevent valuable materials from ending up in landfills. Furthermore, the marketplace supports our goal of ensuring that every investment of energy and materials achieves maximum benefit for the longest possible time and enables us to contribute meaningfully to the mobile telecom industry’s path to achieve net-zero emissions. This partnership represents a win-win-win situation for buyers, sellers and the environment.
Keeping sustainability top of mind
Within CommScope, the Outdoor Wireless Networks segment has a clear commitment to sustainability as one of our core values. Our commitment is built on four key pillars that are defined within our Green Agenda:
We invite you to join us
As OEMs, CommScope and other solutions manufacturers have a responsibility to lead by example, designing products with adaptability and recyclability in mind. Operators, on the other hand, have the power to prioritize sustainable solutions and extend the life of network assets. Together, we can build a telecommunications ecosystem that is not only efficient and cost-effective but also aligned with the global goal of reducing carbon emissions and preserving natural resources. Extending product life cycles—and making these options more easily available to operators through the GSMA Equipment Marketplace—is a big part of achieving these important goals.
We urge you to join us in this journey—because a sustainable future is not just an option; it’s a necessity for our industry, our customers and our planet.
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