According to a new report from Pike Research, all of these factors will continue to converge over the next several years, and “green” network equipment will grow to represent 46% of the $277 billion global telecom infrastructure market by 2013.

“Improved energy efficiency is the first step in creating greener telecom networks,” says managing director Clint Wheelock. “Reduced power requirements will facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaics, wind energy, and fuel cells, while also opening the door for more efficient network architectures and topologies. This is especially true in remote areas where networks rely heavily on diesel generators for primary and backup power.”

Adds Wheelock, some of the telecom operators and equipment vendors leading the charge to create greener networks include China Mobile, Cisco, Huawei, Juniper Networks, Nokia Siemens Networks, Telstra, and Vodafone.

Pike Research’s report, “Green Telecom Networks”, provides a detailed examination of the business opportunities and challenges associated with improving the energy efficiency of fixed and mobile telecom networks, reducing associated carbon emissions, and utilizing renewable power sources such as solar photovoltaics, wind energy, and fuel cells. Key industry players in each category are profiled, and forecasts include energy efficient network infrastructure capex spending and emissions reductions.