Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have risen dramatically over the last three decades and are of major concern for our society. Fibre-powered broadband solutions can help address these issues by providing high-speed, low-latency connections with high reliability and energy efficiency. The telecom industry has been pointed out as one of the drivers of carbon emission increase, but an attentive analysis demonstrates that a smart use of telecom networks, with state-of-the-art network technologies, allows a net carbon emission that tends to zero.