PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
The use of near-field transmission technology is enabling SHAREit group to help people reduce carbon emissions by a staggering 20,000 tons per day through their file-sharing app.
This announcement comes as the result of a research study conducted by Carbonstop, a provider of a carbon accounting and management software, and constitutes a significant milestone for this fast-growing tech company. The figure of 20,000 tons provides a striking comparison to the footprint of the 3G network and would be equivalent to planting more than 1 million trees.
Moreover, SHAREit has gone to extra lengths to ensure its sustainability goals by participating in Climate Impact X (CIX), a global exchange for voluntary carbon credits that helps companies discover, compare, purchase, retire and report their carbon credits. With the aim of exploring and contributing to more projects offered on CIX, SHAREit seeks to access carbon credit programs and prepare for the launch of exciting, future ESG initiatives.
But how does this impressive carbon footprint reduction work? SHAREit uses near-field transmission technology because it only requires two devices to build a local-area network necessary for users to complete their daily file-sharing needs. While 3G network transmission technology is ubiquitous and almost seamless today, this method cannot work without reception devices. Further to this, these devices require the construction of supporting network base stations, transmission lines, and data centres, totalling a huge carbon imprint.
At the heart of SHAREit’s sustainability milestone is near-field transmission technology, which has a much faster file-sharing speed compared to other transmission technologies, with more than 90% of users reaching a transmission speed of 4 megabits per second. This is 200-times faster than sharing files via Bluetooth. The higher transmission speed also significantly reduces the energy consumption of hardware devices such as mobile phones because of its contactless and quick-speed nature. Consequently, users can share digital content, make transactions, or connect with other electronic devices with ease and efficiency.
In fact, mobile phone manufacturers, banking institutions and mobile network providers have been attempting to apply this technology to Smartphones and other handheld devices because of the opportunity to enable the consumer to use commercial services more easily. SHAREit is driving digital and financial inclusion in the emerging markets by enabling those with limited or no data to discover and have access to digital content, online banking avenues among other lifestyle enhancing services.
SHAREit reduces 5.51 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions for every 1 megabyte (MB) of file sharing activity compared with 3G network. By using SHAREit near-field transfer technology for file transfers, users worldwide can now reduce carbon emissions by 20,000 ton per day compared with 3G network, which is equivalent to the emission reductions achieved by planting 1,051,000 trees or taking public transportation 240,308,000 times or biking 41,748,000 kms. Calculated under the guidance of international standards for product carbon footprinting such as ISO 14067, PAS 2050, ISO 14064-2 and GB/T 33760-2017, it is proven that SHAREit’s usage of near-field transmission leads to a lower carbon footprint.
Karam Malhotra, Partner and Global Vice-President of SHAREit Group says, “Today, sustainable business practices are considered a must and companies incorporating ESG initiatives is the new normal. We always knew there was immense value in terms of environmental impact from near field transmission technology but now we are advancing how we use this knowledge. At SHAREit, we will be making sincere efforts to explore more avenues to reduce carbon emissions through collaborative projects and partnerships.”
As global ESG practices continue to gain momentum, sustainability has become an intrinsic motivation for corporations like SHAREit. The company will soon launch a SHAREit “personal carbon account” feature in the app to cultivate public awareness and encourage more people to participate in low carbon transmission. SHAREit will also continue to enrich its product matrix to eliminate the “digital content gap” caused by geography, language, class, and other factors, and maximise equitable access of digital entertainment content for its global app community.
Read the latest edition of PCR’s monthly magazine below:
Like this content? Sign up for the free PCR Daily Digest email service to get the latest tech news straight to your inbox. You can also follow PCR on Twitter and Facebook.
