Tech, digitalisation to enable green transformation: Study

New-era advanced connectivity, climate-friendly energy-efficient hardware, and 5G technology will become more eco-friendly, which in turn will increase the demand for green job skills in different institutions.

These trends will also trigger an optimisation war between companies to make devices more energy-efficient and environment friendly, a surge in climate aware influencers, and help mitigate potential threats of the “great resignation,” says a recent report.

Telenor Group’s scientific study unit “Telenor Research” unveiled the seventh edition of “Tech Trends” at an event in GPHouse on Monday, highlighting how technology and digitalisation can enable a green transformation, which they believe will define the upcoming year.

Head of Telenor Research Bjørn Taale Sandberg virtually presented a keynote during the session, revealing the five anticipated Tech Trends for 2022. The core impression of the predictions for 2022 revolves around global climate change and its impact on the ecosystem.

The trends are – growth in green cloud computing, big appetite for climate micro-degrees, greater optimisation, rise of greenfluencers, and a more serious take on next generation’s expectations.

At the event, State Minister of ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, “Under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the guidance of our ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the architect of Digital Bangladesh, we have not only achieved the target of vision 2021, but we also have exceeded our target in some areas with the Digital Bangladesh vision.

“We have developed IT training centers and labs according to the 4IR technologies across the country. We built the center for 4IR – the digital leadership academy and many other digital infrastructure and services that will leapfrog our nation towards a knowledge-based economy.”

He added that the government is also building the Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology, “SHIFT” for short, to support the youth, especially from the sixth to 12th grade.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Director General (Systems and Services) Brig Gen Md Nasim Parvez focused on the four core elements – Energy efficiency, Sight-level innovations, RAN (Radio Access Network) and Network equipment innovation, and Better network planning and optimization – in his speech.

He said, “We need to find out the strategy on how we can decide or develop in a manner that helps us be aligned with the findings of the Tech Trends. In this regard, the BTRC has been taking a number of measures which gives us optimization of resources.

“We are also working on preparing 5G guidelines. We are having sessions with the operators and incorporating their suggestions.”

bKash CEO Kamal Quadir said, “With the five tech trends, Telenor has come up with a lot of ideas. The term ‘green’ should now be considered when designing anything based on servers and applications; simultaneously, customers need to be provided with the necessary training on how to use modern technology in their daily lives.

“At the same time, universities must take necessary measures to include these in the core disciplines to enable students to apply these ideas in their careers.”

He added, “I find the concept of ‘greenfluencer’ quite interesting. Everyone must take the necessary steps to make this concept popular in our country. And by working together, we will be able to spread the word of energy efficiency among all and consequently build a sustainable world.”

BELA’s Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “At present, e-waste is one of the main causes of environmental degradation. We exactly do not know the risks of e-waste and what measures shall be taken in this regard.

“Technology companies need to focus on product sustainability if they really want to do something for the environment rather than bring new designs to market to attract customers. Besides, another issue is human safety. Telecom operators need to be aware so that radiation from towers does not cause harm to human health.”

PKSF’s Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said, “As a result of climate change, countries like Bangladesh are facing numerous problems. We can improve this situation by taking environment-friendly measures.

“In addition, a number of steps can be taken to make people aware of climate change. Educational institutions and training centers need to focus on offering climate micro degrees and courses, which will help people learn how to use technology to solve climate problems.”

CEO of Grameenphone Yasir Azman said, “With the evolving climate change, Bangladesh has frequently been facing extreme climatic events, hindering our vision of sustained economic growth.

“We have achieved remarkable progress in digitalization, and now our mission is to adopt a more climate-friendly approach and safeguard our future through a green shift.”

He added, “This year’s tech projections show how technology and digitalization can play a pivotal role in making data transfer more energy-efficient, a battle for optimisation, and climate enlightenment through digital micro degrees and greenfluencers are some of the trends that will deliver a more sustainable future.”