Abstract
Whole life, annual energy consumption figures have been compiled for the main UK telephone service. The total primary energy expenditure related to the provision of the national telephone service has been divided into network operations, the associated company infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, raw material processing and equipment disposal.
A detailed analysis of telephone traffic statistics has been used to develop an empirical model of UK call volume as a function of call distance. The model is then used to provide a general expression for the operating energy required to power both intra-national and international telephone calls. The energy consumed by a number of typical telephone calls is compared with the energy requirements for equivalent journeys made by different modes of powered transport.
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