The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading association for the global information and communications (ICT) industry, today announced that GreenTouch™ will sponsor the Green ICT Demonstration and educational track at TIA 2012: Inside the Network Conference & Exhibition. GreenTouch is a consortium of leading ICT industry, academic and non-government research experts dedicated to dramatically improving the energy efficiency of information and communications technology (ICT) networks by a factor of 1,000.

TIA 2012: Inside the Network will take place June 5-7, 2012 at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. During the event, GreenTouch will showcase solutions and challenges for the telecommunications industry to realize scalable, carbon-neutral ICT networks that will form the cornerstone for affordable and sustainable living.

Energy use in telecommunication networks is increasing as a result of exponential traffic growth and network expansion, especially with the explosion of wireless data traffic. Network growth is outpacing equipment efficiency improvements, which are slowing as limits to historical capacity and scaling laws loom. This trend could adversely impact the Internet and the far-reaching low carbon and sustainability benefits that telecommunication networks and associated smart technologies enable. Industries worldwide are responding to the global challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and telecommunications, at the forefront of technology, can be a leader.

"Today's networks are designed for optimal capacity," said Gee Rittenhouse, Chairman of GreenTouch. "Our industry must focus on achieving major technology breakthroughs that will accommodate the growing need for bandwidth and connectivity combined with the growing requirement for efficient and improved use of energy. That is what GreenTouch is all about."

"ICT usage is exploding worldwide with thousands of new applications, millions of new devices and the growing emphasis on cloud services, all riding on a highly leveraged Network," said Grant Seiffert, President of TIA. "As usage continues to expand rapidly over the coming decade, the ICT industry will play a major role in developing viable and predictable solutions that address energy efficiency and help create sustainable growth."

TIA 2012: Inside the Network will bring together hundreds of leaders and innovators in a new era of network architecture, focusing on services and products that accommodate the changing dynamics and economics of the broadband experience. The event features keynotes from leading executives and multiple educational tracks, including Network Transformation, M2M and Connected Devices, Mobile Backhaul and more. More information is available online at tia2012.org.