Going green with broadband

Alcatel-Lucent and the Telecommunications Journal of Australia are sponsoring the second annual contest, which was kicked off this morning with the help of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy at the Telstra Integration Lab in Melbourne.

Entrants can submit papers including solutions that can either currently be implemented with broadband or that could one day yield environmental benefits through broadband.

“We’re looking for interesting papers that help quantify and identify serious ways of leveraging broadband to improve the environment,” said Alcatel-Lucent managing director Hilary Mine.

“We’re firm believers that broadband can contribute positively to global sustainability. We think this competition is a brilliant way of starting to drive real thinking beyond just things like telepresence.”

Other solutions that have arisen as a result of the contest’s submission include using broadband technology to monitor energy use, and taking five percent of cars off the road in congested areas.

First prize for the best environmentally sustainable solution is $10,000, and the challenge is open to submissions from around the globe. Entrants into the contest have until 6 October to submit their papers.

Mine says the most successful submissions are ones that pitch solutions that easily and clearly make environmental progress.

“The point is over time that these papers can be implemented. When you can quantify, for example, something like high definition video conferencing, that can help drive a higher culture of video conferencing in business, and you quantify savings on carbon an airfare,” said Mine.

“That makes it a lot easier for someone like me or my colleagues to build a business case to change their own behaviour. That’s the kind of thing where these ideas can really impact everyday activity.”

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