SHAREit Group has announced the findings of a study conducted by Carbonstop, a provider of carbon accounting and management software, as a sustainability milestone that has contributed to reducing the carbon footprint on a global scale.
With the use of near-field transmission technology, its flagship SHAREit app, which has almost 20 million users in South Africa, is helping users worldwide reduce carbon emissions by 20 000 tons per day compared to using the 3G network, which is equivalent to planting more than one million trees.
The value of near-field transmission technology
Near-field transmission technology has a faster file-sharing speed when compared to other transmission technology, with more than 90% of users reaching a transmission speed of four megabits per second, which 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, which makes it easier for users to exchange digital content, make transactions or connect with other electronic devices.
SHAREit reduces 5.51 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions for every one megabyte (MB) of file-sharing activity compared with a 3G network. By using SHAREit near-field transfer technology for file transfers, users worldwide can reduce carbon emissions by 20 000 tons per day compared with a 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 km. Calculated under the guidance of four international standards for product carbon footprinting, it is proven that SHAREit’s usage of near-field transmission leads to a lower carbon footprint.
“We need to do everything we can, all of us, to course correct climate change. Locally, we are in discussions with agencies driving this KPI and our partnership with PHD Media is now underway,” said Chanel Hardman, SHAREit country manager in South Africa.
Kimon Sitas, head of digital at PHD Media, added: “Sustainability is a hugely important topic for us at PHD and, of course, for all the clients we work with. We know that media carries a significant carbon footprint and so we are always exploring simple, innovative ways in which we can better reduce and offset these emissions. However, we want to make it easier to surface sustainable media formats and solutions. So, we are asking select media partners what ready-to-go opportunities they currently have.
“There is no limit to how many productions, solutions or formats you can share – the more sustainability opportunities you have, the better! If you don’t have anything relevant in this space, that’s fine too– we’re just trying to see what might be available in the market right now,” he said.
An evolution for an industrial revolution
Although there is existing transmission technology such as hardware, network and Bluetooth, SHAREit uses near-field transmission technology because it only requires two devices to build a local area network for users to complete their daily file-sharing needs. While 3G network transmission technology is ubiquitous and almost seamless today, this method of transmission wouldn’t work without reception devices, which simultaneously require the construction of supporting network base stations, transmission lines, and data centres.
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 emerging markets by enabling those with limited or no data to discover and have access to digital content, online banking avenues amongst others.
Global app. Global accountability
As global ESG practices continue to gain momentum, sustainability has become an intrinsic motivation for corporations. The app will soon launch a SHAREit ‘personal carbon account’ feature to cultivate public awareness and encourage more people to participate in low carbon transmission. The company will also continue to enrich our product matrix to eliminate the “digital content gap” caused by geography, language, class and other factors, and maximise equitable access to digital entertainment content for global users.
Here is more information about the SHAREit app.
